Stock Exhaust Cans Mod to PSE Cans (LONG)

First off, I want to thank Tim Wasmer for making this mod happen for me. I have wanted to do this PSE mod for the last few months, but didn�t want to modify my exhaust cans.. Since I am leasing my car, I wanted to be able to put the stock exhaust back on the car if I decide not to buy it at lease end. Not only did he give me (as in FREE) the extra set of stock exhaust cans he had on hand, he also took them to a local muffler shop and had them modify the stock cans to simulate the PSE cans. The muffler shop shipped them directly to me and I paid the muffler shop for the modification and the shipping. Tim W, thanks again for your generosity and for having your local muffler shop do the mod! I installed the PSE Mod �cans� today. A couple of Rennlist members requested that I do a write-up of the install and post a few pics, so here is the info. Overall, it was pretty straightforward. I put the car up on floor jacks and removed the rear wheels. There is a total of 5 nuts that need to be either loosened or removed completely in order to remove each stock �can.� The two nuts securing the double clamp, which connects the cat to the muffler, should be loosened, but not removed. Once these have been loosened sufficiently, slide the double clamp toward the cat, until the end of the muffler pipe is exposed. There are three nuts on the exhaust �bracket� that need to be removed completely. Once these have been removed, you should be able to push the �can� toward the outside of the car to get the bolts out of the holes (see 1st pic for a view of the bolts on the �bracket�). Now you can lower the �can� and with a little twist it will come free of the car. The most time consuming part of the whole process is removing, and later reinstalling, these nuts. This is because the space is tight and you can�t move the ratchet handle very far on each stroke. The PSE mod �cans� did not have �brackets� installed (see 2nd pic) so I removed the �brackets� from the stock cans and installed them on the PSE �cans.� That is really easy. Remove two bolts, transfer the "brackets" to the PSE "cans" and re-install the bolts. In the 2nd pic you can also see the "new PSE" pipe on the can on the left. The toughest part of the whole job was removing the clamp that holds the exhaust tips to the �can.� However, before you attempt to remove the tips, make a mental note of the relative relationship between the pipe that comes from the cats and the pipe that has the tips on them. This way, when you transfer the tips to the PSE �cans� you can get the tips positioned correctly (see 2nd pic, the "can" on the right). The clamp that holds the exhaust tips to the �can� is not a flat clamp but is flared like the flared end of the pipe (see 3rd pic). In order to open up the clamp, I took two screwdrivers and inserted them into the ends of the clamp (see 4th pic). Now when you push the handles of the screwdrivers toward each other, the ends of the clamp separate further apart. After you have removed the clamp and tips, transfer them to the PSE �can� and reverse the process. Reverse the process to install the PSE MOD �cans.� Once you have inserted the bolts on the �bracket� into the holes, install one nut loosely to hold the �can� in place. Now check the see that the exhaust pipe lines up with the cat pipe and check to see that the tips are in close to original position. If they are not lined up correctly, you may have to take the �can� back out and loosen the clamp that holds the tips and rotate the tips to the proper location. It is much easier to do this with the �cans� out of the car. The sound of the PSE mod �cans� is louder and it is a deeper, throaty exhaust note compared to the stock �cans.� I took the car out for a 45-minute drive and had a big grin on my face the entire time. In a coupe, the sound is more muffled, but when I returned home, my daughter said they were louder than the original �cans.� The whole thing cost me $155 ($120 for the muffler shop work and 35 for the shipping). Of course, the extra set of stock cans� were FREE from Tim W. It�s a good mod and not costly. If you don�t want to mod your original �cans� maybe you can find some freebies. Sorry for the long winded post. PSE MOD ROCKS!

Thanks for the thorough write-up, Tim. That looks like a very good -- and cost-effective -- alternative to PSE and aftermarket exhausts!

I'm interested in knowing what the difference in sound is. Worth the cost difference? Have anyone heard both on similar cars to make a fair comparison? Looks great though.

Can you compare and contrast the sound of them modified stock muffler with a actual PSE muffler? It would seem that the sound should be the same as the shell stampings of both mufflers are the same. It would be interesting to see if the internal baffles and fiberglass sound dampening construction is different between the stock and PSE mufflers. If they are the same, then this mod would deliver the same sound as a PSE. I have an extra set of stock 996 mufflers and have been meaning to try this out as well.

OE - No, I can't compare the the modified stock muffler to the actual PSE, because I have never heard actual PSE in person. I have only been able to compare sound clips, which, obviously, is not the same. Sorry! I know you installed actual PSE on your beautiful cab. Why would you want to do the mod to the stock mufflers? Is it just curious interest as you stated above, or is there another reason? Hell, now I'm curious that your curious, if that makes any sense!

It is just the capitalist in me. If a PSE muffler is what I think it is in comparison to a stock muffler, there is a ample supply of mufflers that could be modified and resold as sport mufflers.

I am thinking about getting PSE, almost bought a set last week, so I may try this mod anyway before buying PSE... Any chance this mod may actually trigger a CEL...? (by the way, nice write-up ..!)

One trick, when you remount the bracket on the can put the bolts upside down/nuts on top. This will fascilitate future muffler swaps, allows you to leave the bracket on the motor and just drop the two long bolts out and do your swap, saves 1/2 hr later.

Tim 2 I am glad it all worked out. And heck I know you will return the favor to a Rennlister in the future Your write up was great. I love my cans with the modifications. My friend Mike and I did a drive by comparisson with his GHL's and my PSE mods. We both decided the PSE was deeper and the sound stayed loud higher in the RPM band. The GHL quieted down upon higher RPM. Orient: I agree. I have thought about doing this as an "exchange" service for people. There is a certain amount of running things around involved but the muffler guys do the hard work

Hi Tim, I guess I can't read...but I don't understand what you did. Did you already have PSE and modified the stock cans...or did you modify the PSE cans?? I will bookmark your write up because eitherway when I am changing my exhaust your write up will help me a lot do so.

Nic He had stock mufflers. We had the by pass pipe added to simulate the PSE setup (minus the off on sound switch) ***See picture #2***

AHHH.....does this sound close to PSE at all?? If it does maybe this is the way to go for me! I have been looking for a better sound and can't make up my mind between PSE (pretty pricey I have heard) or Fabspeed (which might sound to muscle car like).....

Chris - I actually DID do this, but forgot to mention it in the write up. I first read this tip in one of YOUR posts a while back. So if I have to swap back to the stock cans prior to the end of the lease, it should save some time. BTW, thanks for the tip!

Hey Lash LaRue....if you can keep your spurs from jingling and jangling for a few minutes I will grant you the privledge of listening to my PSE cans when I get to Carolina this summer and then you can compare/contrast

There is a group in the UK that is selling modified stock cans, but they are using the "older" version of the mod. They are attaching a small pipe to the pipe coming out of the cat and feeding it directly to the exhaust (or exit) pipe. That version mod bypasses the muffler portion of the cans completely. Here is a pic of that version of the mod.

nsang - no this shuld not trigger a cel because you are still running the exhaust gasses through the O2 sensors. Thanks for the kind words.

Gary - thanks for the reply. I agree, low cost but effective.

Dell, sounds good to me (pun intended)!

I was hoping you would get the LaRue reference

You mean this guy?

Good one Tim! That's him.....the good ole' king of the bullwhip!

Tim, I have a buddy that is willing to give me a set of stock cans. Can I get info of the muffler shop so I can send them to them do the modification and have them send back? This seems to be a good option for me since I am looking for a bit sportier sound without spending a fortune. Thanks!

Tim W. lives in Denver, CO and he had a muffler shop local to him do the work. Since he offered to have the mod completed prior to shipping, I took him up on his offer. For you, the shipping from Maryland to Denver and back again would probably cost you about $70. To be honest, I think any good muffler shop could do this modification. I had checked with a local muffler shop here in Concord, NC about doing this. I showed them some "before" and "after" pics that someone else had posted about 6 months ago. The muffler shop manager said that they could do that for about $100. I think you would be better off talking to a local muffler shop, show him some pics and see what they say. BTW, you are welcome to print my pics if that would help the muffler shop usderstand what you are requesting. FYI, the additional pipe is 2" in diameter.

Good point...I'll try that first and if folks around here aren't willing to do it, I'll let you know. Thanks!

Dell, to be honest, the Lash LaRue reference didn't "ring a bell." I vaguely recalled Lash but couldn't recall much about his character. So I guess the reference went completely over my head! Doh! Care to enlighten me? Oh, and please, TYPE SLOWLY so I don't miss anything!

Tim, that is an awesome write-up. And Tim W, that's a great favor. You Rennlisters are the best. I love this forum.

Great write-up Tim! Thanks. Anyone have a stock pair of cans they want to sell me? PM me if you do.

HOPE THIS HELPS TIM He looked more like a gangster than a cowboy hero. He wore an all black outfit and had his Stetson cocked slightly to the side. His main weapon was an 18-foot bullwhip coiled at his holster. This was Lash LaRue, and he projected quite a different screen image than that of his contemporaries. In fact, he began his career in Western films portraying an outlaw. In 1945, Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) studios had recently begun a new series starring Eddie Dean as the latest singing cowboy. In the film SONG OF OLD WYOMING, a newcomer named Alfred LaRue was cast as "the Cheyenne Kid." By the end of the film, Cheyenne was converted from his owlhoot ways and joined the Eddie Dean side for law and order. This black-clad character caught on with the kids in the audience, and mail began to pour into PRC requesting more of the Cheyenne Kid. They were granted their request as LaRue returned the following year in Dean's THE CARAVAN TRAIL. This time he played "Cherokee" but the outfit and persona were the same. Also in 1946 he supported Eddie Dean in WILD WEST. His character's name this time was "Stormy." LaRue's popularity caused PRC to launch him in his own series in 1947. He was back portraying the Cheyenne Kid in eight films that year, beginning with LAW OF THE LASH. The follow-up was RETURN OF THE LASH, and the mold was set; though somewhere along the way the "Kid" became "Cheyenne Davis." All of these films were produced by Jerry Thomas (who had worked on the Eddie Dean series) and were directed by Ray Taylor. LaRue's co-star was comic Al "Fuzzy" St. John, truly one of the funniest sidekicks to appear in Westerns. St. John had been with the Keystone Cops back in the silent days and had starred in his own series of short subjects. He had previously worked with many Western stars, including Bob Steele, Bob Custer, Bill Cody, Tom Tyier, Rex Bell, Fred Scott (with whom in 1937 he first portrayed the "Fuzzy" character, Fuzzy Q. Jones), Lee Powell, Buster Crabbe, George Houston and Bob Livingston. By 1948, matinee Westerns were on the decline and budgets were cut at all the studios. PRC already occupied the bottom rung in the low budget studio ladder. They went out of business in 1948. Lash LaRue did not. He was back in a new series (along with Fuzzy) for Western Adventure Productions (WAP) with producer Ron Ormond at the helm. Ray Taylor continued to direct. For this series, LaRue became known as "Lash" LaRue and would continue that characler for the rest of his films. New producers came in 1949... J. Francis White and Joy Houck. Ron Ormond took over as director and produced probably the best of the Lash LaRue programmers . . . KING OF THE BULLWHIP. Whereas B-Westerns are noted for their action, the Lash LaRue series plodded along at a dreary pace. The chase scenes consisted of repetitive camera angles with lethargic editing. There was lots of padding, and inconsequential scenes seemed to drag on without end. KING OF THE BULLWHIP had more action than most as Lash faced an outlaw, El Azote, who also used a bullwhip. To offset the slow pace of previous efforts, director Ormond used scenes of the climactic battle of the bullwhips as background for the main title sequence. This started the picture off with a bang. The camera work during the course of the film was unusual and inventive. KING stands out as a unique and different Western. Unfortunately, this new-found quality soon faded as budget cuts necessitated excessive use of stock footage from previous films. At one point the Eddie Dean film WILD WEST was re-cut and released as a Lash LaRue film known as PRAIRIE OUTLAWS. THE BLACK LASH, released in 1952, was comprised mostly of footage from the 1948 film FRONTIER REVENGE with new footage added. When new scenes of actor Jim Bannon were needed in BLACK LASH, director Ormond filmed a stand in wearing a similar shirt from the back. Bannon was not even credited in the later film. The final film in the Lash LaRue series was a reworking of OUTLAW COUNTRY from 1949. It was entitled THE FRONTIER PHANTOM, and this one featured Lash in a dual role. In OUTLAW COUNTRY, it was established that Lash had a twin brother who called himself the Frontier Phantom. This concept was repeated, along with much of the same footage, in THE FRONTIER PHANTOM. The susposed twin is seen here in this photo. Despite the shortcomings of the production values of his films, Lash LaRue himself remains a striking figure among the legends of screen cowboys. Had he been at Republic Pictures under the direction of William Witney, his star would have glistened more brightly. Lash was one of the last of the series Western stars. By the end of 1953, all of the great matinee cowboys had ridden off into the sunset for the last time. In 1949, Fawcett Publications licensed a Lash LaRue comic book, and the series ran into 1953 for 46 issues. Photos of Lash were on the front and back covers too in some of the early issues. Fuzzy did not appear in the comic book. His latest films were touted in ads. He was also regularly featured in "Six Gun Heroes", alternating the cover shot with Rocky Lane. Lash made films in 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951 and 1952 (plus the earlier Eddie Dean films). He was also featured in the 1945 serial, THE MASTER KEY. In the early 1950's Lash made a short-lived TV series entitled TALES OF FAMOUS OUTLAWS. These were 15-minute segments also produced by Ron Ormond and WESTERN ADVENTURE PRODUCTIONS Lash portrayed a modern-day Western lawman who reminisced about his grandfather, the original Lash LaRue, in the days of the old West. The bulk of the show was made up of clips from old Westerns. The program was also known under the title LASH OF THF WEST. After his retirement from films, he toured the country putting on shows with his whip. When film festivals began in the 1970's, he was one of the first to be invited to attend. Lash LaRue passed away in 1996

One quick question, what is the trick for getting the pipe back into the cat pipe (where the clamp is). That is one tight fit.

WD40

Not ALL cans will work for the PSE mod. The 99 cans will not. You need to get the cans that have the recessed nipple. I used the 2003 3.6 cans for my mod a long time ago. Look at my posting here: http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforu...5&highlight=pse

I am sorry to say you are incorrect. No offense. The ones Tim has from me did NOT have the recessesd nipple. Just an fyi

Unless you are posting pictures of some elses mufflers, they DO have the recess. Therefore, I stand UNcorrected. The main reason the other can's do not work well is that they have such a thin metal to weld to. The 99 cans do not emit the low sound as do the 3.6 cans.

Didn't PAG change the cans in 2000? I thought one of the reasons they state the hp bump from the 1999 models of 296hp to the 2000 models of 300hp was due to changes in the exhaust.

Dell you must be a professor, because you are always on this forum!!! And so am I!! MMMHHHH...wo wants to work anyway

Yes. 99 can's are different internally. All the can's fit othe other year engines, just have to reuse the mounting bracket.

100% correct. What better way to spend my morning but taking breaks (alot of them) to hang on Rennlist while in the middle of grading stats quizzes and preparing my lecture for this afternoon. Ahhhhhh, the good life

Ah, stat quizzes. It's odd, because when I was in college, I hated stats (clearly, you weren't the professor Dell). Now, I work as a quasi quant and here I am using that stuff every day. THat's the problem with college: it's wasted on the young. Or is that youth?

Statistics was actually my best class in college. I think I scored a 98.something or 99.something in the class.

So this mod is no good for non-3.6 cans???

You better get it right. That could be the difference between a 3 or 4 sigma move.

'99 C4 has 300 hp I understood that was from the E-gas system. But maybe the mufflers too will look at mine tonight.

Anyone try the UK mod? How does it sound?

99's have 296hp not 300.

New for 2000....... "The 911 Turbo returns as a 2001 model, sporting more power as well as full-time all-wheel drive. The rest of the 911 model lineup gets a boost from 296 to 300 horsepower thanks to a new exhaust system. Porsche's Stability Management system is now available on the 2WD Carrera, and all 911 interiors receive minor upgrades." ALL 1999's had 296hp (C2 and C4)

WOW Dell, either you had to do a book report on Lash as a kid, or you had a lot of time to kill today. I was anticipating three or four sentences about Lash but not a novelette! Thanks for the info. NOW I get the connection. Oh, and BTW, thanks for typing slowly as it made it much easier to understand!

Very welcome! Anything for you, my Carolina compadre

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But definitely not 6 sigma.

Dell, a 6 sigma would be like me taking delivery of a CGT. Such a pity. I would really enjoy that car.

Can you back this up with a 2001 internal picture? This is a set of pictures I took of the internals of the 99 muffler (sorry we had cut out the padding). And since I had this set sitting right next to the 01 set I sent Tim and they differed not a single bit externally you need to provide more info. Granted I had a set of 02's (which I used for my mod) to and the did have the recessed area and the accordian style bend on the pipe.

Very interesting Tim, sounds like a great idea for a ebay style internet 996 muffler mod co.

Which Tim? hahahahahhaha

I'm in the middle of disassemble of the stock cans....how did you remove the long muffler bracket bolts ? Nevermind...I got it...remove the three nuts take the whole bracket out then transfer everything... DUH

That is correct. If you want to make the swap easier in the future, when you ri-install the bracket bolts, install them up from the bottom of the muffler, rather than down from the top of the muffler. That way, if you want to swap the muffler again, you can remove the long bolts (the brackets will stay atached to the car) and replace the mufflers. Let us know haw the mod sounds to you.

Got about 50 miles with the modded cans. Overall I think the mod did change the tone of the muffler. It's deeper and sportier sounding. Not really any louder, especially on the inside. This is a good thing for me. It definitely DOES NOT sound like PSE. For $160 and some good ole fashion wrenching, I give this mod a thumbs up! Just don't expect that the final result to sound like PSE, I knew it was too good to be true

If you used 99 - 01 cans, they won't sound as low or loud compared to, let's say, 03 cans. I thought I mentioned this above?

I'd like to compare the sound of my modded cans to '03 modded cans.... Are you saying that the '03 cans sound like PSE or just closer to PSE? Nonetheless I do like how the my cans turned out.

Yes, the 03 mifflers can be modded to sound exactly like PSE. You can also pick the sound you want by the selection of the size pipe you install. In my case, I installed a 1 5/8 inch pipe to reduce the sound level slightly quieter than full PSE. We used to do similar mods on cars back in the 70's.

I agree, I like the sound of the modded cans, but I also thought they would be a little louder than they are. I would also really like to hear some modded '02 - '04 cans.

Even the non modded cans from the 3.6 S on the 3.4 engine enhance the sound very nicely. Provides a little more growl.

One week after install update: The muffflers seem to have broken in. They have a nice deep tone to them though the overall sound is not too much louder than stock. When compared to Programattore's (rennlist member) OEM exhaust, there was a significant difference in sound. Final verdict: Nice mod for the price, but definitely not PSE replacement (though that may be due to me using '99 cans)

The modded mufflers definitely sound better than my stock mufflers. They were louder and had a deeper sound. They sounded pretty good especially considering the price of the mod (under $200)! Still, like Vu said, they don't sound as good as the (3.6) PSE that I heard on Vove's '99 coupe. The PSE gave me goosebumps -- they're that good! Vu, are the '99 and '00 mufflers the same? I may take you up on your offer and have your spare mufflers modded and just swap them out with mine so I don't have to drive around without mufflers while they're doing the mod.

Yep...

And here's the wmv-file Thorsten

FYI about 3.4 vs 3.6 mufflers - I did the MKII version 2 mod (2 1/4" pipe from bypass to outlet) on a set of 2000 (3.4) mufflers this weekend and for all the work, it barely got any louder or throatier - almost unnoticable. I'm waiting to receive some used 3.6s, and will post a follow-up when I've done the mod on them. If you're thinking of doing the mod on 3.4 mufflers, and want a noticable sound difference - do the version 1 mod that connects the inlet directly to the outlet with the small pipe MKI, v1. Or get 3.6 cans like people in here suggest. With my first experience modding 3.4s, I'd say the consensus is correct - something's different with the 3.6s that makes them louder. Hope this helps someone. Mike

I think I'm going to just drill a hole in the muffler inlet pipe while I'm waiting for my 3.6 cans. Then I will throw these in the trash as they will have been hacked to pieces. The good news is that my old cans will sound better while I wait! Can anyone tell me if there's a downside to doing this temporarily? Of course the exhaust fumes will be coming out the small hole, but if it's only for a few weeks - any harm done?