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Cheapest way to get an exhaust system


STPL

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The exhaust system of my 94 2.3l ranger is completely shot. The down pipe banjo bolts are one solid piece of rusted metal with the manifold flange and I had to cut the bolts to get it separated. I think I can save the manifold by drilling out the bolt holes in the manifold flange but the rest of it is full of rot including the cat converter. I called around to a few scrapyards and they wont sell exhaust pipes because they either get crushed by the lift or its against regulations to resell cat converters. I'm trying to keep this truck as low budget as possible and I would rather not spend 100$ on pipes and another 100$ on a new cat converter. What's the cheapest option to replace everything? Are exhaust pipes not commonly re-used? Thanks in advance!
 


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Yes, it is against the law to sell used Cat converters

All exhaust has water vapor in it, this is why tail pipes drip water and why exhaust systems rust from the inside out.
Water vapor also condenses on the outside of the whole system causing exterior rust

Used exhaust pipes are a gamble for this reason, you never know how thin they may be in some areas from rusting.

While running a vehicle that had Cat converters without them is a $2,500 Federal Fine, it is rarely found out.
Exhaust shops can get a $25,000 fine for removing and not replacing Cats, and even for working on an exhaust system if there are no Cats and there should be
If your location has smog testing or inspection then you will need a Cat

All that being said you can run a straight pipe out in front of the rear wheel on one side, that save money by not have the bends to go up and over the rear axle.

You do need to wash the rear wheel on that side often because the exhaust WILL stain it
 
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Watch craigslist for guys parting out trucks. FWIW I had the exhaust pipes and muffler from a '97 F-150 on my Ranger for quite awhile.

Or once you get the cat situation figured out just get a muffler and enough pipe to get it behind cab and dump it with a turndown.
 

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Depending on your geographical location, if you're not the salt belt aluminized piping will last for some time, if you are then it will be rotted out in a few short years.

Rockauto is just about the least expensive location for parts. The pipes are cheap there, so is the basic muffler, the cat is another story.
 

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Depending on your geographical location, if you're not the salt belt aluminized piping will last for some time, if you are then it will be rotted out in a few short years.

Rockauto is just about the least expensive location for parts. The pipes are cheap there, so is the basic muffler, the cat is another story.
Most later model trucks have a somewhat stainless exhausts.

Rockauto has cheap prices but the freight for big stuff is terrible. I am looking into using parts from Dynomax to rebuild the dual exhaust in my F-150. $64 to ship it, parts are a little higher but Amazon has free freight.
 

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Watch craigslist for guys parting out trucks. FWIW I had the exhaust pipes and muffler from a '97 F-150 on my Ranger for quite awhile.

Or once you get the cat situation figured out just get a muffler and enough pipe to get it behind cab and dump it with a turndown.
Thats a great idea! Ill keep an eye on craigslist and try to snag someones exhaust system.

Depending on your geographical location, if you're not the salt belt aluminized piping will last for some time, if you are then it will be rotted out in a few short years.

Rockauto is just about the least expensive location for parts. The pipes are cheap there, so is the basic muffler, the cat is another story.
Living in the north east everything eventually turns to rust :( Rock auto is normally my go to, but dropping 250$ on exhaust is not ideal for my wallet right now. 100$ for the pipes and muffler kit, isn't horrible but, then 100$ for the cat alone and then shipping on top of that is what puts it over the top. It might be my only option unfortunately.
 

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I got SUPER lucky and found a muffler and tailpipe off of another ranger at the junkyard. No rust at all and still has the stickers on it. They only charged me $35! Ill have to figure out how to separate the two to get it installed up and over the rear axel, they were crimped together pretty good by an exhaust clamp. But that got me thinking about a side exhaust dumb before the passengers axel. Anyone have any experience with doing one of these? Can i go straight from the cat to the muffler? It looks like i might need an intermediate anyways.
 
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I got SUPER lucky and found a muffler and tailpipe off of another ranger at the junkyard. No rust at all and still has the stickers on it. They only charged me $35! Ill have to figure out how to separate the two to get it installed up and over the rear axel, they were crimped together pretty good by an exhaust clamp. But that got me thinking about a side exhaust dumb before the passengers axel. Anyone have any experience with doing one of these? Can i go straight from the cat to the muffler? It looks like i might need an intermediate anyways.


They make a tool to separate it and straighten out the clamp crimp. Not sure if Autozone or Advance Auto rents them, I know I used one years ago and didn't buy it. I've largely given up working on my own exhaust, I found a good local shop that specializes in it and they're not ridiculously expensive, so I let the pros deal with it. And I have them do stainless pipe.


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I know Advance does, but the tool can't be used if you can't get the pipes apart because it goes inside the pipe.

The tail pipe and muffler can be installed together. You just gotta twist everything around while putting them in so the tail goes up and over.

I did a before the wheel dump on my truck. Factory cat, standard cab int pipe (use that if you need to replace the pipe) cut off to just enough to crimp on to, 32" glass pack, then and elbow and pipe out to the end. Throw on a few hangers to keep it all off the ground, and go.
 

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I know Advance does, but the tool can't be used if you can't get the pipes apart because it goes inside the pipe.

The tail pipe and muffler can be installed together. You just gotta twist everything around while putting them in so the tail goes up and over.

I did a before the wheel dump on my truck. Factory cat, standard cab int pipe (use that if you need to replace the pipe) cut off to just enough to crimp on to, 32" glass pack, then and elbow and pipe out to the end. Throw on a few hangers to keep it all off the ground, and go.
Ill check my local advance and see what they have for rental exhaust separator tools.

I'm going to do a side exit setup to save some money on pipes and just to do something different. I've got to replace everything anyways so why not. I'm going to get a new cat, find a int pipe for cheap, crimp that to the muffler and chop up the tailpipe to dump the exhaust off the side. Sounds simple enough. Whats the legality on side exits? I think the only laws around here pertaining to exhaust are for the sound levels.

The cats from rock auto have the fitting pipes and are about $100, but other places sell inline cats for around $40. Would it make sense to attach an int pipe on the flange from the manifold, crimp the cat to int pipe, crimp the muffler to the cat and the tail pipe out the side? Now that I think about it I might run into problems with that because there wouldn't be a bend in it to flatten it out along the frame. Am I just going to make this a bigger problem by trying something like that?
 
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My F-150 had a side dump until it rotted off. Legal here is that it must have a cat (federal reg), must have a muffler of some type if originally equipped with a muffler, and must exit from under the body. My choptop runs a universal inline cat, flowmaster 10 series and exits from the body so it passes.


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Ill check my local advance and see what they have for rental exhaust separator tools.
It's not a seperator tool. It's a pipe expander. It does nothing to get the pipes apart.

The pipes don't come apart because the clamp crimps them down and makes a section where the outer pipe is dimpled into the inner one. The tool Advance rents out is meant to go inside a crimped pipe and straighten the crimp out and put it back to round so it goes back on easy. The pipes have to be apart before you can use it.
 

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It's not a seperator tool. It's a pipe expander. It does nothing to get the pipes apart.



The pipes don't come apart because the clamp crimps them down and makes a section where the outer pipe is dimpled into the inner one. The tool Advance rents out is meant to go inside a crimped pipe and straighten the crimp out and put it back to round so it goes back on easy. The pipes have to be apart before you can use it.


I had rented an exhaust kit from somewhere years ago that had a chain cutter, separator and expander in it. Don't remember where I rented it from and have no idea if anyone rents such a kit anymore though.


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Best bet is to get an eBay catalytic converter. And get a cheap turbo style muffler. And make a dumped exhaust. Or a side exit.

Fwiw. Advance sells tailpipes for around 45.00 and a muffler is about 30.00. Ask them for the cheap walker mufflers or house brand muffler.

Also check around some small mom and pop exhaust shops. You might be surprised at how inexpensive some can be.

Where you located anyway?
 

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UPDATE:

I had no choice but to order a catalytic converter off of amazon ($100+ free prime shipping. Ouch.) and I was going to hunt an intermediate pipe out of the junkyard but they are only $25 on Amazon. I decided the $10 or $15 difference from what the junkyard would charge me isn't worth the headache and ordered one of those too.

I was considering a side exit exhaust if I couldn't get the tailpipe and muffler separated, but when I went to put a few gallons of gas in the tank about 1/4 of what I was putting in was ending up on the driveway. Looks like I'll be removing the bed to install a new fuel filler neck ($45 on amazon).

With the bed off I think ill be able to finagle the muffler and tailpipe into place. I'll also assess frame and body rust while it's off and probably wire wheel and rust coat the frame. I'm nervous as to how much rust I'll find, the back end is pretty rusty, but I haven't gotten a good look at it yet. Fingers crossed its not that bad.

BTW amazon has pretty good prices on car parts, and a lot of it is prime shipping eligible. Saved me a good chunk of money over rockauto's shipping cost.
 

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