Need help on Fabspeed exhaust install

I'm installing a Fabspeed exhaust (stock headers) on a 01 Cab and had a couple questions after the installation... 1) How close should the rear bottom (outside) corner of the exhaust be to the rear bumpers heat shield. Mine is practically resting against the heat shield on both sides... 2) How "air tight" should the collar be that links the cats to the Fabspeed exhuast? When the car is first idling from cold, I can put my hand over the collar and I can feel air leaking out - on one side its at the Fabspeed connection - the other side its the cat side!!! argh!!!! It appears that the Fabspeed pipe is a little angled and maybe thats why is not getting a good seal? 3) When adjusting/putting in the new exhaust whats the correct order to tighten the pieces? a) the collar to the cats b) the 3 bolts that hold the OEM bracket and muffler c) the 2 vertical bolts that connect the muffler to the OEM bracket Any advice is appreciated as I want to make sure I have this on correctly since reading about how some people have thought that they have lost power after putting in the exhaust! Thanks in advance, Will

The air-gap to the heat shield should be enough to get a finger between the heat-shield and anything -- more for cats. If they're touching, the heat-shield can't work. The exhaust joints should be a tight seal, no noise, no gases escapes (these gases are toxic and must not reach the cabin) ... the usual test is to puff dust on the seals or let cigarette smoke rise past the joints (try to avoid setting the car on fire...) I don't know that there's a sequency for tightening, but if it's an old unit being re-installed, I sometimes put a squirt of something like white lithium grease (from an aerosol can) just to let it all slip into alignment. It does sound like you've got the whole thing a bit tweaked or the Fabspeed unit was damaged before installation. If you want to take a few pics, maybe I can make more sense of the problem. Just that it's close to the heat-shield makes me wonder what's going on. Cheers,

Sorry about your troubles, Will, but everything you describe is NOT normal. BTW, what year is your car? 1. The Fabspeed mufflers should be nowhere near touching your heat shields. The Fab units are tiny compared to the stockers, and the only things that should be touching the mufflers are the brackets and pipes. If your muffler is leaning on the shield, this could potentially lead to heat damage and resonance problems. 2. The post-cat connection to the Fab muff intake should be air tight without leaks! My assessment is that your securing bracket is not properly positioned on the Fab muff, and this is throwing all the rest of your positioning off. If the muff doesn't line up properly to the cat, the cat clamp can't fully "close the gap" between the muff intake and the cat leading to the leak you describe. On one exhaust side the clamp is leaking on the cat side, and on the other exhaust side the clamp is leaking on the muff side. It's all the result of your malpositioned muffs. 3. I suggest taking off the rear wheel of the side you're working on to make things easier. And, of course, use jack stands for safety! It sounds like you should unmount the Fab muff (slide the cat clamp onto the cat pipe) and reposition the holder bracket to have the muffler sit closer to the side of the motor within the rear fender well (since the outside bottom edge of the muff was leaning on the heat shield). You can do this by adjusting the way the muffler is attached to the mounting bracket. You can adjust the bracket left and right, but not up and down. Anyhow, adjust the bracket enough so that the muff is away from the heat shield. This should help the angle at which the Fab intake pipe and cat line up, thus allowing the clamp to properly do its job. Before mounting the muff, make sure the bracket is tight on the muff and have the exhaust tip (with clamp) already on the unit, but don't tighten the exhaust tip clamp just yet. Slap the muff up in the fender well and loosely fasten the three bolts to hold it up in there. Then grab the intake side and line it up with the respective cat and slide the cat clamp over the gap taking care that the clamp is evenly positioned over the gap. Double check that the muff is not leaning on the heat shield. Then tighten the 2 cat clamp bolts and 3 bracket bolts down evenly. See if you can line up your exhaust tip properly before tightening everything down for good. Lastly, position and tighten your exhaust tip clamp. Professional Disclaimer: muff = muffler

Gee I always seemm to upset the status quo: Oh well, Mine is just about touching the heatshield. There is certainly less than a half centemeter space there. My maxflow kit has been on the car over 3 years. No heat damage. Actually I have swapped it on/off once or twice for the fabspeed bypass mufflers just for laughs. But you "MUST" ensure there are no exhaust leaks around the cat sleeve joint. The sleeve should also slide freely over the two pipes that it covers until you tighten the bolts of course. If you find resistance then your muffs are misaligned.

RJFabCab - I took your advice and took both the mufflers off and re-aligned per your directions...the sleeve definitely went over the fabspeed pipe by hand but what I did notice was the it wasn't perfectly round anymore...perhaps I overtighted it the first time. Regardless I now have the mufflers off the heat shield (though not by much!), but their is still a leak on one side from the sleeve.... I can hear it when I rev the engine, and I let the gas up, I can hear a hissing sound coming from the back..... I might just take it to a muffler shop and have them do the last bit of adjustments to make it air tight! BTW - its a 01 Cab... Thanks for all your help! Will

Scouser, the status quo is meant to be upset just like rules are made to be broken! With no heat damage, 1/2 centimeter clearance must be adequate in your situation. My fabs were a couple of centimeters away from the heat shield. Anyhow, Will's muffs shouldn't rest on the shield which is protecting all of that beautiful bodywork just millimeters away... Will, if your Fab intake is "crimped", then I fear that you may have overtightened the cat clamp or you have a defective muff. It sounds like you have the muffs aligned now, but you still have a leak on one side. I presume that the leak is on the Fab intake side and not on the cat side due to the crimped pipe. Why don't you try sliding the cat clamp a little closer to the Fab intake side. Hopefully you can get the clamp to cover the overcrimped portion of the Fab intake pipe and get a good seal on both sides of the clamp. The reason I asked about your MY is that for '02 Porsche extended the rear bumper overhang a couple of inches and Fabspeed has specific MY02 tips which DON'T fit PSE. Don't ask me how I know!

Cabs do have different proportions to coupes, but I'm not sure it effects these dimensions. Anyhoot. A picture is worth a thousand words. If you can't photo the joints and the position, talk with Fabspeed and make sure you have the right hardware for your model. Don't take your car to an exhaust shop -- these guys are not qualified to work on your car. Cheers,

OK - I went for a third try tonite in the garage and I think I finally got it right.no leaks from the sleeves (when it was cold and I could put my hands on the pipes for the first 2-3 min) and I got about a 1/4 in clearance from the heat shields on the bumper...went for a drive and it seems as though the exhaust is louder when its hot (after driving about 20 min or so)...is that because its brand new and needs to be broken in...or possibly the sleeves leak when the pipes are hot? ( I should have checked again when I got home, but I've done enough on the car for today!) Also - I was reading about how the cars computer needs to "adjust" when the new exhaust is put in...how long does that usually take? I did unhook the battery but its not an instant adjustment, right? Thanks again, Will

I checked the sleeves today after the car was hot and there is no leaks coming from the sleeves...I guess the exhaust is louder when it is hot? Anyways, I took some pics as suggested.... Driver's side muffler clearance from the heat shield Closeup of driver's side sleeve to cats Another side view of the sleeve Driver's side Passenger side

It looks like you've got it. It's still a tad close, but as long as there's an air-gap, according to "Scouser" above, even a very close fit doesn't seem to generate enough heat transfer to cause damage. As for noise, I think you're just hearing the way the engine changes as it goes off "cold" programming. Cheers,

I took some pics of mine so you can see the clearance. The pics are big (not modem friendly) sorry. You can see that the gap is almost closed. I meased about 2 mm. But no heat damage even after 3+ years. I noticed some rust on the the muffs though. This worries me a bit. I thought these were stainless steel? http://www.ljgs.org/.ceemee/pcar/Fab...clearance1.JPG http://www.ljgs.org/.ceemee/pcar/Fab...clearance2.JPG

Stainless will tarnish and stuff that rusts can stick to the surface of even the highest grade stainless steel. Funny. Sad. But true. And there's even magnetic stainless. There's no safe haven. Ho hum. For exhaust systems, given the extremes of operation, different air environments, temperature and the moisture as a by-product of combustion, some surface rust is all but inevitable -- your situation is most likely just material sticking to the surface of the steel and rusting in place. If your exhaust system metal holds a magnetic, you have a concern. But again, there is such as thing as magnetic stainless.

Will, as long as your muffs aren't touching the heat shield, you'll probably be fine. Scouser's proof of that, but as a comparison, I had about 2 cm to the nearest heat shield. It's likely all in the adjustment of the bracket that bolts onto the muff. There are two long bolts on each end of the bracket that when loosened will allow you to slide the muffler left or right within the bracket. You could probably get a full centimeter of adjustment out of those bolts. Regarding the battery disconnect, it should hasten your computer's adjustment, but I just drove mine without disconnecting. Now get out there and enjoy the MUSIC!