Hey Guys. I've got a 91 Z28 with the dual cat option. Seven years ago, I took my car to have an aftermarket cat back system installed and requested to have the pipes come straight out to the rear of the valance rather than down turn like it was when it was original. The techs at the muffler installed a 3 inch inlet pipe from the cats to the muffler with 2.5 inch outlet pipes with Meg oval tips. Now the dilema is that after all this time it seems like they purposely left the right side muffler hanger bolts on the chasis loose to allow the right side pipe to clear the rear valance(bumper). When I tightened up the bolt securely to the chasis the right side tip butts up to the valance and I need adequate clearance so the exhaust heat doesn't melt the rear valance and I don't like the way it hangs and wobbles every time I hit a bump or makes vibrating noises when I start up the car- makes it sound like I have cat. converter problem. Any how, how have you guys out there solved this problem? Did you fabricate or purchase a special type of spacer? I'll try posting pictures asap. Thanks.

 

Ok here are the muffler hanger pictures. How have the rest of you resolved issues where the pipe hits up against the valance?

 

Make a spacer to bolt in between the hanger bracket and the frame rail.

 

The reason they did this is #1 their lazy #2 when you install that pipe you need to unbolt that hanger from the frame to slide in on the pipes hanger. The 3" pipe is so large that when you try to slide it foward in the car to fit the hanger in the rubber mount you cannot get it in because the pipe hits the floorpan first. Problem is that when you slide the rubber on the pipe hanger you have no way of fastening the rear bolt back into the frame because the pipe hanger is now in the way. I used to shorten the length of the pipe hanger before I installed the pipe so that the pipe hanger didn't stick out as far.. In your case I would get a torch (if you have access to one) and heat up the pipes hanger red hot so that you can change the shape of it. Heat it up red hot and bend it so that the rubber hanger now contacts the frame but the pipe hasn't moved. After you finish putting out the burning rubber (!) you can cut the excess part of the pipes hanger where it sticks through the rubber part so that you can install a bolt into the frame. Good luck