"axle back" exhausts in slip-on style (via motorcycle parts)

[flubyux2]

so, my side pipes are annoying me right about now, i wont deny that. ill never say that i dont like them or hate them. they emit some of the Coolest noises that an MK3 could ever make... however, i was on some twisties and my exhaust gave me away about 13 miles before the cop ever saw me. he heard me coming for about 20 minutes as i was taking corners on what bikers call "the north run" between Floral city and Brooksville (its 33 miles long, one way). also, i kept dragging the side pipes through the banked corners and it was limiting how hard i could push the car in the turns; too much body roll, yes. a suspension will lower my car and make me drag even more, in spite of reduced roll.

so, i got to thinking; i want to keep the side pipes in my inventory but i want to run a quiet exhaust for a while. i have a spare 3" resonator from a 2005 Hemi Ram and a stock 2002 WRX muffler that i think i may put together. i want to hear noises from the FRONT of my car now as well as not having to make my radio drown out the exhaust. then, recalling back to the exhaust thread, i really want to do a 4" axleback with a double-wall resonated diesel tip coming out the corner of my bumper. so, i want 3 different exhausts depending on my mood.

my dilemma is, how can i make them all quick-change so as to be able to switch between them all faster than one can switch to slicks on a friday night? one idea is V-band but those can get expensive, quickly, between all the flanges for 3 individual axlebacks. also, the OD of a V-band is about 1" greater than the tubing its mating. i already have a semi-truck style stainless steel band clamp but i dont think those are meant to be R&R'd repeatedly, especially due to the "one-time" conforming packing between the flanges. then, it came to me; sport bike slip-on's. they use springs with hooks to apply tension on the slip joints. its just a few welds and then i can R&R exhausts with just pliers!

input? im not sure if bikes use a wadding or packing in the slip joint to eliminate leakage or if its just as simple as i think it is; one pipe inside the other.

 

[logan]

I'm sure you have thought about it , but why not just use an exhaust cut out? Seems it would be a lot easier to just cap off your side pipe and then fab up the rest off your "quite" exhaust to run back .

It'd be so easy to uncap your sidepipe too, you wouldn't even have to get dirty.

 

[flubyux2]

yeah i have thoughta bout that and its also been suggested too. i personally dont like cut outs because they still exit under the car. i really dont consider that a viable solution. cut-outs just seem like a half-assed attempt at having a loud exhaust or for someone who lacks commitment to actually running an exhaust to the edge of the car and still be loud... plus, open exhaust under the car creates alot of interior fumes and drones horribly. my 91 was like that and i dont want that again. my interior smells like papaya and i wanna keep it that way, lol

 

[Facime]

I think you missed the point. Use both sides of a cutout to attach an exhaust system to. One side can go to your sidepipes and one side to your rear exit. of course you would have the weight of two systems on your car at all times that way.


personally I think the whole idea sounds a bit...odd. Seems to me it would be smarter to just decide on what you want and leave it that way, but its your time/money/car.

 

[Rennat]

get a nice full exhaust that exits out back, and THEN after the cat or pre cat weld in an electric cut out and make it exit the passenger side, that way you dont hear the noise when your driving either... the passenger will, but it will be less noticable for you.

Just my idea of how you could do it. oh, and make it out of oval exhaust tubing so you have better ground clearance..

OR a total bad ass way to do it would be like the vipers and other racing corvettes and make it exit the body panel somewhere... (i always thought that would look totally bad ass)

 

[shaeff]

Grab some quality v-band clamps and rings, then pick a portion from wherever to the forward of the car that will always remain the same, and build three different exhausts to your taste.

To change them out, one clamp, pull it from the hangers, and bolt the new one on...

That seems like it would be the way to go.

 

[GrimJack]

There used to be a guy on here that used the spring loaded clip system to mount his exhaust. Seemed to work fine for him.

He was only holding on the muffler, though.

 

[MK3Brent]

I think all the RSR exhausts are held in with that kind of system too, GJ.
At least the back half.

 

[HommerSimpson]

I love my side pipes and I dont think they will never drag.. sound great to

 

[suprabad]

I really don't have anything to add to the suggestions already made, but I had to say:

I love to see people do "out of the box" stuff and break from the norm around here. It's even better when you utilize what you've got lying around (or can scrounge up for cheap or free). Somtimes you have to pay and there's no avoiding it, but it's hard to beat the satisfaction of making something good out of junk and doing your own thing in the process.

Some will criticize...but so what? They can do whatever they want with their cars, this one is yours.

After all, it's just a "big kid" experiment in fun anyway.

 

[slidebabyslide]

some motorcycle exhaust do use springs , it depends on how heavy and were it is located. The pipes fit supper snug and they still leak unless you apply like some sealant around it.

 

[shaeff]

I still think that V-band clamps would be best, personally.

 

[flubyux2]

thanks for the thoughtful feedback guys.

like i said, i wanted to avoid using a V-band if possible since it ends up being something that i can snag on something like the crest of an entrance to a business plaza or rocks/broken pavement on the road to my house... i forgot to mention that i live on a dirt road that looks like it was paved in the 1930's and never maintained; its washed out in several places and along the sides of the road.

i dont want a cut out because id want an E-cutout and those things are expensive. it kind defeats the purpose of making my own exhaust to keep the costs down. and, if i keep a side-exit exhaust, i need it to be on both sides, not one side. i like my symmetry. but... id never be able to clear side pipes on my car after its lowered. i think im going to opt out of the side pipes for the time being.

i just got done cutting up and altering a 2002 WRX axle back. i cut 3" off the top so it would sit closer to the trunk floor. unfortuantely, the shunt thru the forward baffle was above the cut i made so i had to remove it and simulate a 2" OD shunt thru it but cutting to slits and folding it down. the rearward baffle had several 3/4" holes but i cut it down like the forward baffle. i also had to weld new hangers but it actually uses all 3 factory mounting points after the subframe. now i just have to make the 2nd half of the midpipe and incorporate my 2005 Hemi Ram 3" resonator and reduce it to 2 1/8" to meet the WRX axleback. honestly, the Subie muffler looks really cool on there; dual double-wall rolled edge tips.

as far as the leaks on the slip joint, usually the gaps clog themselves up with soot and carbon. thats what i was counting on anyways.

as of now, i have most of the "quiet" axle back complete and its all hanging up but its not connected yet and im running open mid-pipe. to be honest with you, it sounds shitty. the turbine whistle is sick, no doubt about that but the exhaust rasp is garbage... and i dont want any of that noise coming out from any single pipe on either side of my car. my previous square/oval tips are double-wall resonated and they actually did a nice job of removing some rasp. i can get some pics in a day or 2...