Well, this afternoon was a disaster at the shop. So I got to work this morning at 6:45AM, 1/2 an hour before the 8AM opening time I get a call on my cell from the front counter guy, he's got a family situation and needs the day. Ok, he's a good guy, so of course I give him the day without a guilt trip. But at that point I had the exhaust off and was working on extracting the broken bolts so there was no turning back. The plan was for me to clock off about 3:30pm, so I'd have a couple hours to complete it but with him gone that wasn't going to happen.
So I was trying to get everyone to pick up their cars by 4:30pm so I could at least have an hour to concentrate on it. One guy comes in right at 4:30pm and wants to talk and talk, about the work done and another car he wants to bring in. He wasn't being a jerk he was just going on and on. 4:45pm he leaves! One car left in the parking lot, I'd called her several times and kept getting her voicemail. So I lock up. No sooner do I get under the truck with the intermediate pipes but I hear someone pounding and pounding on the front door. It's about 4:59 and 59 seconds (or so it feels) and it's the person I couldn't get hold of. I unlock the front door, turn the lights on, reboot the computer and the credit card machine, She was very appreciative and apologetic for not getting back to me. She leaves it's now 5:15pm, I should have been 1 hour and 45 minutes into finishing the truck but instead I've done nothing. I've got a truck with down pipes on and nothing else! I need to be to the farm no later than 6:30pm which means leaving the shop no later than 5:30pm.
Thanks to one of the guys that stayed with me off the clock the intermediate pipes, and mufflers went on quickly. Each side got one hanger. And we both drank one of those cans of crown and cola while doing it and I cannot tell you how badly I needed it. And we had the place locked up by 5:45pm. So I drove home without tail pipes.
I think these mufflers will be fine. They are definitely not to load, but at certain RPM like just off idle the rhythm of the exhaust is pretty noticeable and at that RPM there is a little much bass from it in the truck. It's not to loud, but a little annoying at that point of just off idle. But this pipe kit puts the mufflers a little closer to the engine, not much but the start of the mufflers about lines up with the bed / cab split, so I think without tail pipes I was getting about maximum exhaust note in the truck that those mufflers can give.
It is not practical to turn the passenger side muffler side ways as I had planned. It would make the muffler hang down a fair bit, and I'd hate to catch it on something or have a problem with dry grass in a field. So I have the muffler mounted just a little on the low side so the corner of the muffler ends up directly under the pump. I think I will take that shield I bought and attach it to the top of the muffler. I might just use those giant sized screw clamps, you know what I'm talking about, they look like a giant hose clamps to attach the shield.
So I'll have to get into the shop early again tomorrow. I want the tail pipes on it. Once that is done I can refine the hangers / add them as needed. I will most definitely need to protect the hydraulic hose from the end of the muffler and the tail pipe. I've got two 50' rolls of header wrap sitting on the shelf at the shop, so I may wrap the first bit of the tail pipe. Maybe I can wrap that stuff around the hose too. After that it will be adding a shield to the muffler for the pump, then shielding the tank valve and rubber lines there. I think, what I'll do and I'll probably do it at the farm, is to just take a piece of sheet metal and bolt it in place between the tank valve and the exhaust. At least that will prevent direct heat.
Order of business for the exhaust:
#1. Get the tail pipes on
#2. refine the hangers, adjust as needed possibly add additional hangers.
#3. Protect the hydraulic hose for the bed lift, from the muffler and tail pipe.
#4. Install the shield on the right side muffler to help protect the pump for the bed lift from the heat.
#5. Make a shield to attach to the frame to protect the tank valve from direct heat. If needed wrap the pipe there too.
#6. After having driven the truck for a week or two and assuming I'm happy with the set up I'll weld the pipe joints. Not sure if I will do full welds or just tacks. But I'll cross that bridge last on the exhaust trip lol.
Then it'll be done.
Getting the tail pipes on should further mellow the mufflers, and as we all well know sometimes they will change sound a little after a few runs, so I'm waiting to judge them until after the tail pipes are on, but I think I'll be fine with them.
I will say when I was cruising at 60MPH for a bit I could not hear the exhaust at all unless I really got on it. That's a big plus. The last thing I'd want is to be listening to the exhaust when I'm on a long freeway run for feed.
Thanks
@Ricko1966 for the H-pipe info I will keep that in mind.
