Any hints? I've having a real hard time right now. I have the car on ramps. If I jack up the car, but leave the wheels on the ground, will I have a little more room? It's close right now, I just need another inch or two to snake this pipe in.

It depends on what you need more room on. When putting exhausts on thirdgens, the axle has never been in my way, it's been the upper bar on the panhard bar bracket that's always been in my way, but then again, I've never done an exhaust with the car on ramps, I've always had it on jack stands. Even on jack stands, a 1 piece intermediate pipe is impossible to get on unless you drop that bar I mentioned, or you jack the car up way past the height that my jack stands can go.

i usually just unbolt that crossbar/brace..

if the axle is still in the way, just undo the shock nuts and lower the axle until its not in the way... takes all of 45seconds to do.

I am in the process of having my true 3" dual exhaust put on my car, the exhaust guy just called and said he had to remove that bar to fit the 2 3" pipes over the axel. What is that bar for that has to be removed ? What does it do ?

Wow, do not remove that. It is there because it is NEEDED. GM didn't just put parts in for the fun of it. If you take a look at a thirdgen suspention (rear) and have any idea about the way forces act on anything in life it is very very very clear that it is a brace for the panhard rod to act against. Not trying to sound like I am talking down to you, but how can you think that you can just start taking parts out, not replacing them and thinking all will be OK?

If you take that out there is a good chance that the panhard rod will deflect over at its mount. Not right away, but over time. The lateral loading of the bar will make that attachment point weaken and eventually bend.

The #1 reason, HANDS DOWN, why everyone on here doesn't have a true dual set up is cuz there is no good way to get a big pipe around that area. That is why some guys have both pipes next to eachother in the stock location. While others, like myself, run duals and then dump them b4 the axle.

Tell the exhaust shop to put that part back and tell them they are retarted to start pulling out parts of your suspention without intent of putting them back. Tell him to squish it in there. It might ratlle, but it will be safe.

I've seen a setup where dual 3" pipes were run over the stock track bar brace on the right side. BMR also makes an aftermarket brace that will give you more room in that area.

permanently? or just to put it on? its a panhard bar. its one of the only things that keeps the axle level i guess you could say. it helps the handling out too

No, its still off and I have been driving it. Is this gonna be a major problem ? Anyone else that is running without this part ?

The car will seem fine. It is not gonna fail today or tomorrow, but someday. The mount for the panhardrod is a weak stamped steal part. It needs reinforcment. Modify the stock one if you need to, but I would never take it out.

And please note that I am not saying this cuz I like keeping things stock in my car. The only thing left stock in my entire car is my steering column I think. I love changing things, but I like to change things for better things, not just straight up deleting them. (Although I did delete my heat and A/C. haha).

BigBlockJason: Please believe me when I say i am not trying to sound sarcastic or demeaning in anyway, but do you understand how the rear suspention works on these cars?

Ask yourself that, and I think you will find that you really do wanna put that part back.

No, I dont know, thats why I am asking about it. If I knew, I wouldnt have to ask.
Is anyone found a way to modify the stock piece to have an arc in it and still have some strength?

Well you might want to read some of the tech articles that are on this very website. They will explain EXACTLY how it all works. Maybe grab a book. Thats what I did. Or even a Haynes manual. If you had another, shorter crossbar made, then you would be ok. I would not take any hard turns in that car. If you turn left hard, that mount might crunch down on itself. The only think making it not do that right now is the stamped steel that it is made of. Not very rigid. I am a mechanical engineer and I would never design something that thin to do that job. I would either make it much beefier, or add a cross brace, just like GM did.

All I can say is good luck, I really don't like hearing stories about TGO members messing up their cars. Be carful.

All parts serve a purpose, don't forget that.

Hop on BMR's site to see the upper PHR replacement that they sell: BMR Fabrication Inc.

Look for "PANHARD ROD RELOCATION KIT".

- Justin

GM doesn't put parts on thier cars for fun... Even if a part is only 1 dollar, over the course of two or three years leaving out an uneeded part would save them over 1 million dollars. Not to mention cost of running the machines to install, and the time lost.

They aren't going to put in anything that is not needed for either

A. Legal Reasons

or

B. NECESSITY

You should let someone drive your car while you drive behind them on a semi rough road and watch your rear end without that panhard... You'll see some very wierd side to side movement. You don't FEEL the slop in the corners? I had to drive my buddies Z28 home without his one time, and it felt like crap.

i'm going to assume bigblockjason is talking about the upper panhard bar support brace that runs from the upper part of the panhard bar mount on the passengers side to the frame rail on the drivers side. while i'm not an advocate of deleting this piece, i can say from personal experience that if the car does not see lots of lateral g's, this bar is not needed per-say...i have a 1987 sportcoupe rotting in the back yard that didn't have that bar hooked up cause the bolts broke off in the bolt holes when i was taking it out one time, and i never hooked it back up for as long as i drove the car (probably 15k or so worth before i found the new body i'm in now).

however, if he is infact talking about the panhard bar itself, the car wouldn't have gotten off the lift at the exhaust shop without severe flex in the rear suspension. there is NOTHING other than that panhard rod keeping the rearend centered under the car...likely the guys at the exhaust shop should have noticed that the panhard rod actually bolts to the rearend and is absolutely needed.

yes, it is the upper part.

just mod the pipe and put the damn thing back on.... I think is what everyone is trying to say.