Sorry if this has been covered before but with the search button out of commisison I cant seem to find it.
I have a '91 5.0TBI Firebird and I am having trouble installing a catback exhaust. I have the Dynomax catback system and I already toook off the old catback piping and muffler from the car(some of it using a hacksaw) Now I cant get the new pipe on because I cant feed it over the bracket that angles accross the back of the car to get it over the axle. If I had a lift it looks like it would be possible but I would rather do it myself using jack stands. Has anyone done this without a car lift???

 

Yup , I did it and it was not fun. We had to unbolt that vertical bar thing, im not sure what its called and pull it down to feed it over.

 

Yeah those 1 piece catbacks SUUUCK!!!

I had to put mine on a hydraulic lift, use 6ft jackstands on the rear of the frame and let the rear hang, and even after that it was still a PITA to install

 

I think I'm gonna just bring it to a shop and have them do it on a lift.

 

you can but a coupler and cut the pipe, then use clamps to connect it.

 

lol i had the same problem...after a few days i drove into the muffler shop, took them halfhour

 

Try lowering the rear axle. You can also remove the panhard rod as well. You can lower the rear axle in just a few minutes. Place the car on stands with the rear end hanging. If that doesn't give you enough room then place a jack under the rear end pumpkin and remove the lower shock bolts. Lower the jack and lower the rear with the jack keeping the rear supported at all times. If you want to go lower than unbolt the sway bar endlinks and drop the jack down farther.

 

I'm going to be installing my catback within the next week or two.. Luckily i have the hooker and the i-pipe is 2 pieces but thats not my question..

My dad seems to think that we're gonna need a torch to get the exhaust bolts undone? And since we dont have one he wants to take my car to an exhaust shop to get it done! I'm like WTF i dont want to pay some guy to do something so simple. So my question is, am i really gonna need a torch to get the old pipes off? I'm sure theres some rust there but my undercarriage itself is intact and unrusted. How do you go about getting the bolts undone, or are they not a problem???

 

Buy a can of PB blaster and hit every bolt a few times days before you go through the install. You want the PB blaster to saturate and soak into the rust. It will start to break it down and really help free up the bolts. If they are really rusted you will more than likely just break them when you are removing them. A hacksaw and sawzall will have your old exhaust in no time. The rear section will just slip right out of the hangers and the only thing you need to unbolt is the connection at the cat.

 

Well I ended up getting mine put on at a shop with a lift. The mechanic and I ended up doing it. Had to remove the heat shields and then it slid right over.

As for removing the old exhaust... It's funny cuz my dad said the exact same thing about the rust and getting the bolts off. He was right and it was a real pain getting them off but it is doable. I used PB Blaster and let them all soak and then I ended up using an air gun and they came right off. Without a good air gun you'll need a breaker bar. It was also hard getting the pipe disconnected from the cat. The spot where they meet was rusted together and I ended up having to carefully chisel them apart which worried me since I didnt want to mess up the cat pipe. In the end it worked but was a pain in the ***.

 

Just unbolt and pull down the brace above the panhard bar with the car on jackstands. It will slide over the rear once you find the correct angle. Turn it both directions till you figure it out. My wife and I did hers in our driveway. Took about 45 min.
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Oh yeah, I cut the old exaust off with a reciprocating saw.