MAGNAFLOW EXHAUST INSTALL
ON A 2004 SCREAMIN' YELLOW MACH 1
 
Last saturday I hooked up with Mach1speed to finally install the Magnaflow catback I had purchased a couple weeks ago. Mach1speed, aka Don, has the ideal setup for just such a task. A handy lift to elevate the machine to make installation a breeze. Well, almost...
 
 

Don has not actually used the lift on a Mach so he wasn't exactly sure where to place the lift supports. After no fewer than 15 minutes we were reasonably certain my machine would not crumple on his lift and we gave it a go.

Everything went just fine and my Mach was now about 5' off the ground. I took this photo from the stairs leading into his house. As a side note, I am a better photographer than this but left my strobes at home and only had the camera mounted flash. Maybe next time.

  
                 

I was pleased to find the underside of my Mach reasonably free from rust. I try to avoid driving the car in the rain and in Seattle, that isn't easy.

Many have claimed it is possible to remove the stock exhaust without cutting it. Well Don and I removed the lower shock mounting bolt shown in the very right and left of this photo in addition to another bracket higher up hidden where the camera's flash couldn't reach. It made no difference as we still could not get the stock exhaust over the axle. After spending probably an hour doing this, I decided to just cut it off. I used a handy chainsaw looking tool and it worked pretty well. It would have worked flawlessly if the pipe was perfectly round which it was not.

If anyone can clue me in as to what bolts need to be removed to save the stock exhaust, send me an e-mail. I'll happily pass it along.

    
   
               
  Once we had the stock exhaust removed, it was time to install the Magnaflow. It went on without a hitch and was by far the easiest part of the task. It took a little bit of time to line everything up, but once done, we could run our hand along the length of the exhaust for plenty of clearance. Don is very meticulous about this sort of thing and I am glad we took the effort to get it right.    
 
The only fit issue was with the H-pipe on the passenger's side. In the above image, you can see how the pipe doesn't not fit squarely over the H-pipe. In order to get the clearance we wanted, we had to leave the extension tube in the manner seen above. If anyone knows if this is a big no-no, please send me an e-mail.
 

The result of all this hard work is a sweet sounding Mach 1. If you look carefully you may see a strange liquid leaking out of the Magnaflow tip. The furious Mach now foams at the mouth. BTW, you'll need Quicktime to or another MPEG4 player to view this file.

I purchased the MRT rolled tips but they would not slide on the Magnaflow tail pipes far enough to get the hangers positioned properly. A little soap may have been all that was needed, but given the time of day, I decided to stick with the standard tips. I do prefer the look of rolled tips and will try to get them installed next weekend.
 
May 15, 2004