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New Gibson axle-back kit in the works
- Thread starter jrgoffin
- Start date
Well, it's been nice here in NE Ohio so while I wait for the Gibson, decided to do the bulk of the labor and saw off the stock exhaust per Gibson instructions. My battery operated Bosch mini reciprocating saw with Diablo 6" metal cutting blade took about 45 seconds each side. Cleaned up the burrs with a dremel. I reattached the stock axeback with a pair of butt-joint band clamps. The Gibson should be no fuss to install now. I hate doing car work when it's freezing cold--which is coming soon enough, no doubt!
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#45
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#45
Coincidentally, just got shipment notification that mine will be here Saturday. Unfortunately, the warm spell coming tomorrow will be short-lived, so I'll be looking forward to breaking out my reciprocating saw on chilly Saturday. Still have the MRT H-pipe attached, so I'll be curious how it sounds with this kit. Worst case, I'll give it a couple days then maybe have the stock resonator welded back in first thing next week.
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#49
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#49
My kit finally showed up today despite being listed for Saturday. Looks great and the tips will be a nice change. Unfortunately, the band clamps I have are one step too large, so I have to run up to NAPA and see if they can exchange them. Was going to install it today, but maybe tomorrow if the clamps roll in.
Interesting you got a T-shirt!!
Installed the axle back this morning. Took longer than I thought, mainly just making adjustments to the alignment--I would recommend some silicone spray on the pipe overlap to make it easier. Be prepared to fiddle trying to get the double outlets level, the left side hanging and sticking out like the right side and then lastly the position of the tips. You should shoot for enough pipe overlap so the tips don't stick out too far. The 2.25" band clamps I linked earlier worked well. In any case, everything seems high quality. Hope to do some driving later today to hear the sound.
Installed the axle back this morning. Took longer than I thought, mainly just making adjustments to the alignment--I would recommend some silicone spray on the pipe overlap to make it easier. Be prepared to fiddle trying to get the double outlets level, the left side hanging and sticking out like the right side and then lastly the position of the tips. You should shoot for enough pipe overlap so the tips don't stick out too far. The 2.25" band clamps I linked earlier worked well. In any case, everything seems high quality. Hope to do some driving later today to hear the sound.
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OP
Thread Starter
#51
Thread Starter
#51
The rep at Gibson threw in the shirt for me since I put in the effort to promote the kit on a couple forums as well as some Facebook groups. It definitely helped their sales, which was nice to hear. Got a bit more of a discount on mine, too.
Glad your band clamps worked. Mine were too big, so NAPA ordered the next size down, and those turned out to be too small. I guess I’ll be hitting up Amazon for the ones you found, and should have them tomorrow. If it isn't too cold, hopefully I can knock this out. Looking forward to more video clips.
Glad your band clamps worked. Mine were too big, so NAPA ordered the next size down, and those turned out to be too small. I guess I’ll be hitting up Amazon for the ones you found, and should have them tomorrow. If it isn't too cold, hopefully I can knock this out. Looking forward to more video clips.
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Sound is deeper and a little louder--most noticeable when cold starting the car. It is pretty mellow overall which is what I wanted. The sound is not loud enough to cause problems with the neighbors. On the highway, there is some drone when cruising and giving slight throttle to maintain speed at 2k rpm. When I'm playing my tunes, I don't notice the exhaust sound very much at all. Basically, if you are looking for loud, aggressive sound, this is probably not for you. If you want deeper, slightly louder sound, then this is perfect. I like the sound and love the large, black tips. Looks a lot better than stock.
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Yeah, that MRT H-pipe with the Gibson may as well be a complete aftermarket exhaust. Curious what the result will be.
So I had to redo my tip install. They really need to be installed on the parallel portions of the outlet tubes or they will be cockeyed. No one will probably notice but you, but maybe my OCD was kicking in so I moved them out. This is why I said earlier that when mating to the stock pipe, you need to get the axle back as much overlap as possible while keeping left and right equal.
So I had to redo my tip install. They really need to be installed on the parallel portions of the outlet tubes or they will be cockeyed. No one will probably notice but you, but maybe my OCD was kicking in so I moved them out. This is why I said earlier that when mating to the stock pipe, you need to get the axle back as much overlap as possible while keeping left and right equal.
We discussed this briefly earlier in the thread. Gibson did get back to me to answer my question. Not that this matters to anyone but their pipes and mufflers (619718) are made from 409 Stainless and the tips are made for 304 stainless. That may only matter to those who observe their pipes from behind and then over the long haul, 409 tends to surface rust a bit more.
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#58
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#58
I figured that was the case. Probably not a big deal though, since 409 cleans up real easy with ScotchBrite if it starts to get brown at all. This this kit is easy to get at, so it shouldn't take much to wipe it down as necessary for a nicer look.
Yeah, mine will be kind of similar to the MBRP kit (but for a lot less), with the exception of the 'H' vs their 'X'. I'd imagine I'll just put the factory resonator back in, but I'll be willing to try it out this way first. Just too bad I had back luck with the clamps and am waiting on replacements, since I probably won't get around to installing it for at least a couple weeks.
Otherwise, if you can get a start-up and idle video clip, that would be fantastic. I have one linked on Facebook, but can't download it. Sounded great for sure and looking forward to posting some clips of my own at some point.
Yeah, mine will be kind of similar to the MBRP kit (but for a lot less), with the exception of the 'H' vs their 'X'. I'd imagine I'll just put the factory resonator back in, but I'll be willing to try it out this way first. Just too bad I had back luck with the clamps and am waiting on replacements, since I probably won't get around to installing it for at least a couple weeks.
Otherwise, if you can get a start-up and idle video clip, that would be fantastic. I have one linked on Facebook, but can't download it. Sounded great for sure and looking forward to posting some clips of my own at some point.
