exhaust rub on shackle
 

so after adding my drop shackles i cut the end off of my exhaust to prevent it from rubbing on the shackle bolt and the hitch. i was just curious what other folks were doing with their exhaust after adding drop shackles. I also removed the last hanger when i installed the hitch because i had to remove the nutplate from inside the tube framing. pictures would be helpful to give me some sort of an idea.

was just messing with this on mine today...id like to know also...cause i cant stand a exhaust rattle. maybe a dump? but that isnt legal.

flipping the bolt around is one way to avoid the rattle on the shackle. know a few guys who have done that. for a hitch though, having a downward exhaust tip (with the right length off the tailpipe) will keep a legal rear exit, and help prevent rattle.

i looked at maybe adding a 90 or 45 and go behind the rear tire and above the leaf spring... but i didnt want to risk crushing it when flexed. between the hitch and the bolt there isnt much clearance no matter which way the bolt faces.

lol, crushing the pipe is not a good idea. another idea just popped into my head: get two 45 degree pipes, have one angle downwards, and the second pipe have flipped so it levels the exit out. it'll be like doing an "S" pipe deal, and you can even trim the first pipe so you can get a good level on it.
so it'l be like this:
exhaust in___________
.....section 1--------->\
...........section 2-----> \___________________exhaust out (tip)

i thought about that one as well. the other idea i have currently is to cut the pipe at the bend around the gas tank and turn it a slight angle down so the tail is slightly sloped to the ground.

that could work. you'd have to have the pipe cut almost at the right spot to have it angled right. that and clamping on the bend is difficult. if you got a welder, you could totally weld it on that spot on the bend and won't have to worry about the pipe slipping off.

when i redid my entire exhaust (custom mandrel bent) i had him angle it down just before the bolt. it is maybe 2" back from the bolt. it has caused me no problems at all


sorry for the crappy angle

Mine is the same way, fits perfectly in-between the hitch and the 2" drop shackle. When I did my lift I just cut it off with a pipe cutter before the bracket, then took it to my exhaust where they put a new down turn on for $25.

Without the downturn it pours exhaust onto the shackle bushing which will cause it to prematurely break down as it is constantly expanding ad contracting due to temperature changes.

i cut mine off right after the cat, installed a flowmaster with a turn down infront of the rear axle. no problems at all in MS