Fabspeed 986 S by-pass install - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Does anyone have a good set of instructions for installing the fabspeeds as well as taking the muffler in and out (mods afoot!)? I am hoping I dont need a torch to heat up crusty bolts....and wondering if I need to leave the muffler in.. Thanks

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check fabspeed.com as they usually have install directions posted right w/ the specific product. Otherwise, using the search function I'm sure you'll find some tips here as exhaust mods are covered fairly often. As for torching bolts... in order to hopefully avoid doing so, you'll want to hit them w/ PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench or WD40 (at the very least) for a number of consecutive days prior to your install attempt. Good luck

....a great suggestion on the liquid wrench. the site has limited info. i was wondering all here found it necessary to go with the fabspeed copper gaskets or are the stock one fine

jaykay: If your Boxster has been exposed to a few winters with road salt, etc. (Toronto?), then there is a more than 50/50 chance that you will have some difficulty with at least a few of the twelve bolts that collectively hold the exhaust manifolds in place. PB Blaster, WD-40, etc. help, but are not a solution in some cases, even if you apply it religiously every couple of days for a few weeks (as I did). Applying heat with a torch, or, preferably an inductive heat electric tool gives you the best odds of not snapping off any of the bolts. Take a look at this thread for details on what it took on a '97 Boxster with 22K miles on it a few months ago, without the car having been driven in New York winters when there was snow on the ground: http://www.ppbb.com/phorum/read.php?19,1552140,1552140#msg-1552140 Good luck, and keep us posted with your results. Regards, Maurice.

Thanks Maurice! No salt on this car so at least that will help. Hopefully no special tools are needed. I intend on having the muffler in place first (putting in a new one) and then fitting the pipes.....I am using ramps so I am bit ify on being able to all the access I need. Does one need to remove the rear bumper cover to get the muffler in and out?

why are you in need of taking the muffler out? this shouldn't be necesary for the bypass install.

If you are removing the muffler the rear bumper needs to come off. If you are just doing bypass pipes the muffler and rear bumper can stay. I replaced the muffler and the bolts came off easily. I used liquid wrench on them the day before. The pipes however were a little more difficult to get apart. Lots of twisting and pulling to get apart. Would have been easier with heat. If you need directions on removing the rear bumper ( easy ), just ask

one more thing buy new clamps, because you will probaly need them

New clamps definitely make the reassembly easier and helps insure easier disassembly next time. I used all stainless nuts,bolts and washers at the joints between the headers and cats and muffler. Marylandmetrics.com carries all metric hardware you could ever wish for. As long as your ramps are high enough to let you move your elbows freely across your chest and you can turn on your side, you should be able to do the job comfortably. Regards, Maurice.

I am changing the muffler out for one I have modified along with the pipes......and was worried about the proper sequence for ensuring that every thing lines up. I will post a picture when I get it done. I hoping not to take the rear cover off.............is this a pain??

Hey I am in the middle of this job and I have come across a welded nut on the header collector flange......How do you all handle it? Reuse the top nut and bolt and hope or somehow get a grinder in there???? What a pain! j

I put on the secondary bypass pipe last spring. Had the same issue with the welded on nuts on the header outlets. Do you have an air compressor and air tools? For me, an air powered cutoff wheel did quick work of the mild steel nut.

Forgot to answer your fitment question. You shouldn't have any issues. Just reassemble everything, but leave the fasteners loose. Tighten the muffler mount bolts, then the bolts/nuts on the header flanges. Finally tighten the two sets of clamps once you are happy with muffler tip alignment and clearance between the bypass pipes and the underbody tray.

Thanks Lucky......no I dont have the cut off tool and air compressor! Looks like I need tools! Another hang up right now is the large clamp from the muffler to the secondary cat. I can only move it a few centimetres. Any good tricks to spreading it besides a torch? I suppose removing the bumper will allow me to swing at it but I am try to avoid that

Try wedging your largest flathead screwdriver into the clamp and then twist it if you need to spread it more. To ease reassembly, spread those clamps as much as you can once you have everything apart.

Yes I wished that worked...........I had a pry bar in there!

Anybody have to torch the big clamps at the end of secondary cats to get them to side??? Mine wont budge without some major hammering (using a flat head on the sleeve it self)!