Another Magnaflow Cat-back Installation!

[Rick]

I just installed my new Magnaflow cat-back dual exhaust system. I bought it about 10 days ago from www.premiertruckaccessories.com. I shopped around and found the best price there. $458.95 plus shipping. (You have to add the item to your cart to see the lower price!)

The install was a breeze! It only took about an hour and a half. I did have to go to Sears to buy an offset 15mm box end wrench to get the nuts off the cat connection. It was the only way I could find to access the nuts holding on the system... This is the type of wrench you need...



After taking off the two nuts that hold the pipe on... The hardest part was getting the mounting points out of the rubber keepers. You'll definitely work up a sweat doing this! It helps to use a small screwdriver to help pry it off... Then rock it back and forth and pull like hell! They are greased so after you get it started it's just a matter of working it back and forth to get the mount out.

After removing the mounts and taking off the nuts... You need to cut the exhaust pipe in order to be able to take the pipe out. (It's one unit and WAY long! I used a Sawzall with a metal blade but you could use a hacksaw.) The directions are pretty good about explaining this... And you'll see why when you take off the stock exhaust.

So now you have the stock system removed. The directions say to start at the front. I started at the rear and hung the muffler. (I really wanted to see what the tips look like!) After mounting the rear I mounted the front... Then added the connection pipe in the middle. I am very impressed with the fit of the Magnaflow system! It is a little off from the stock system as far as how the hanger line up but not by much... But the system really gives you a lot of leeway in order to move things around to make them fit. I left all the clamps loose until I had everything where I wanted it then I tightened them down. The rear tips are perfectly even and very shiny! And man do they look nice! Yeah... The hardcore wheelers are going to say they stick out too far... But I'm mainly a street driver with occasional offroad useage. If it bothers me... I'll make them removable!

Now... Starting it up was music to my ears! It sounded EXACTLY like my wifes BMW 325Xi! There is absolutely no droning while driving down the road.. Just a slight, sweet sounding rumble when you punch it off the line. The tips look SWEET on the back of the truck! I'll post pictures soon!

The only issue was the syrofoam beads that clung to the inside of the muffler and pipes. (Part of the packing broke loose and got inside. Static cling kept them in there.) After running it for a few miles I pulled over and the stink was incredible. The exhaust was smoking with the burned styrofoam. There wasn't a whole lot so I'm not too worried about it. Tomorrow I'll be putting 250 - 300 miles on it... That will definitely blow the system out! The instructions are clear in telling you that you need to make sure you adjust the pipes so that they are more than 1/2 an inch away from the body. The only place that was close was the primary muffler up front... And Hummer has a heat shield to protect the sheet metal so everything should be okay.

I'll post again tomorrow after a long road trip to fill everyone in on the performance, sound and general comments.