I’ve been running a straight pipe for months since my exhaust parts fell off for the third time. Everybody knows me lol
The first time, the tail pipe disconnected from the cherry bomb muffler and was dragging on the ground on the way home from Niagara Falls.
The second time, the cherry bomb fell out completely and is laying along side the road somewhere.
The third time, the cat outlet broke off and the cat was dragging on the ground. Just a twist and a tug and it’s off.
So, inspection is coming and since it’s a 93 it’s exempt from emissions. So long as parts are there they don’t have to work. I am getting a little tired of the noise especially when passengers want to talk because I can’t hear them.
I have a new DynaMax muffler and am waiting on a cat from Amazon and tail pipe from Advance Auto. I have to also get u-bolts yet.
My dilemma is proper fitment and hardware so parts don’t just fall off.
The down pipe is 2”, the cat inlet/outlet is 2 1/4”, the muffler 2 1/4”, the tail pipe 2”.
Other than welding how can I insure I get a tight grip on the connections with u-bolts/adapters?
Thanks

 

Lots of torque. An impact gun helps. Tighten them until they crimp the fittings.

Even then, here's no guarantee.

Welding really is better.

 

OK so I am just guessing here but would something like this help?


They come various sizes.
I used one of these for the back of the muffler to the front of the tailpipe in my '00 when I did the exhaust.
Advice from my store manager at the auto parts store I work at.
Not because a traditional muffler clamp would have not worked.
But because I have a lifetime warranty on my muffler.
Thinking if I ever have to warranty the muffler I might be able to separate the tailpipe from it easier.
Cause it would not pinch the pipes the same way a traditional muffler clamp would.
Operative word being might. LOL.

 

🤔 this is interesting. Unfortunately I may have to go with torquing the snot out of it as I get it inspected next Saturday and delivery time might not meet my deadline.
That looks pretty cool though.

 

Well I just used the Amazon link for a reference.
I got mine from the Napa I work at.
We had them in stock.
I know there are different sizes but not sure if we stock what you need.
Let alone your local Napa.
Betting these are available at the other big box stores also.
Might worth a quick check.
But thinking you need 2 and 2 of those compared to 2 muffler clamps would probably much more expensive. LOL.

 

I like the wider band-clamp style much better than the u-bolts. The seal better, go on quick, hold well, and you can actually loosen and disassemble or re-align things. U-bolts only hold well if you torque them to the point of distorting the pipe, which means a sawzall to disassemble or reposition.

 

I’m picking up the tail pipe at Advance today so I’ll ask if they have any of these

 

Those are the best for me

 

Sometimes you get better results going to a professional. A well installed, welded exhaust system is one of those times if you don't have the skills and equipment to do it yourself.
Just my .02 and I really hate working on exhaust systems for all the reasons listed in your original post. Nothing like a good stainless system in your neck of the woods.

 

I've done both ways. The MJ is cheap bolt on walker parts from the header back for $180 in parts. The wifes truck just needed a muffler and the shop did a nice job for $105 out the door. Find a hole in the wall shop muffler that bends their own pipes. They'll likely be cheaper than the name-brand do-it-all place that only orders in parts, bolts them on, and charges 3x the parts cost.

 

The one from Amazon is 5-1/2” shorter than what was on it. Guess I have to pick up an extension at Advance.

 

It also seems smaller overall. If performance is noticeably negatively effected I’ll remove it after inspection and just run a pipe extension into the muffler and call it a day.

 

Ok put it all together in about 2 hours. The Walker Universal Cat 2 1/4” inlet fit snuggly over the 2” down pipe. Looks like there may have been a flange on this end at some point but no longer. 2 1/4” U bolt at this connection.
Cut an 8” stretch of 2” extension pipe to fill gap between Cat and Dynomax muffler which fit snuggly inside outlet of Cat and muffler inlet. 2 1/4” U bolt at each point.
Now, I tried what the kid at Advance suggested and there was no way it was going to work. I used a cutter wheel to cut 4 notches in the 2 1/4” muffler outlet and bent them in to try and fit inside the 2” tail pipe inlet. Not happening. Unbent muffler outlet and slid tail pipe inlet into it. U bolt here.
I’m sure the proper flow would be, from front to back, outlets fitting inside inlets as to deter leaks but for easy bolt on application this is not possible.
I’m fine with this for now. My down pipe has an exhaust leak anyway where the hanger broke off.
I have two concerns…
First, the end of the tail pipe is against the leaf shackle.
Second, this muffler is larger than the cherry bomb I had in it and you can see by the pic how close it is to the drive shaft. If need be I’ll replace this muffler with another cherry bomb.

Well, inspection is in 5 days. Let’s see what my guy says and hope the pieces stay together for awhile. I torqued the snot out of the U bolts.

And yes, she’s incredibly quiet compared to the straight pipe setup 😂

 

No comments or suggestions? Yes welding would have been ideal but I don’t have a cheap shop around here.
I’m thinking I need to switch back to my Thrush cherry bomb. That drive shaft being so close to the muffler makes me nervous. Not happy with the tail pipe against the shackle either. Tried heating up the last bend in tail pipe and unbending it but didn’t work.

 

Yeah you are probably going to have interference issues down the road. The rub between the tail pipe to the spring mount would be a good place for a hanger but the driveshaft to muffler interference will be a bigger issue. The underside looks a lot better than I would have expected for a PA vehicle. The Quadratek website gives a good diagram of a muffler part system that is designed for your particular jeep, notice that different years have different pipes to address clearance issues. Trying to cobble together a system has always always been frustrating for me.