Exhaust finished!

The exhaust system went on today. Combined, it took basically 2 good days, 3 trips to Shuck's, 1 trip to Hankins Hardware and 1 trip to Baxter Auto Parts. Lucky for me, Eli was down with my cost cutting complex and I was able to return the most expensive parts and custom some stuff together.

The first day I drove home with half an exhaust system and it was pretty funny. The second day I drove home with half of my new exhaust system installed, and it was miserable. Doubling the size of the exhaust pipe more than doubled the volume, my ears hurt just remembering the trip blasting down I-205 to catch "Avatar". I'm sorry to everyone I passed.

The following day I got a message from Eli that he'd finished up all the welds and the rest of the exhaust was ready to bolt on. It was a short and sweet day, and I love the new car's new voice.

First work begins on the SR5.

My friend Eli from the 3TC forum has been pretty psyched to help me get some work done on my Corolla. I drove over on Tuesday with a project list and a car full of parts, most of which won't happen till 2010. The day was dry but cold, and we started mapping out my new exhaust system.

There were a few reasons this upgrade was high on my list of things to do. First, 1974 saw the big increases in safety and emissions requirements. For the Corollas, this meant bigger bumpers (ugly), a complex system connecting the seatbelts to the ignition, and a very restricted exhaust system. The emissions changes resulted in a loss of more than 10hp and significantly slower track times. Also, I find the exhaust note of a car to be one of the best ways to give a car some personality. It's one of the easiest ways to free up 5-10hp, improve mpg, and unleash the beautiful and unique sound of a cars soul. Well, it's not always such an experience (YouTube search "Dinan m5 exhaust" or "Porsche carrera gt exhaust").

The stock exhaust system with 1" piping will be replaced by an unknown model of exhaust header, 2.25" piping, a high flow cat (to quiet the sound a bit), and a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler.

We got about half way done mocking up the new exhaust. And rather than putting the old one back on, I drove home with half an exhaust system and no muffler. LOUD : )

I expect the system to be completed Sunday.








Posted from my iPhone

Off to east Vancouver for old Toyota parts.

I arrived a little early and while waiting for my new friend Chris to get home, a man came out to ask what I was doing. He was suspicious until I mentioned I was meeting someone about Toyota parts. Then Kenny offered to show me around while I waited. It turned out to be a great trip with tons of parts I needed.