pipes intakes and super n00bs

thinking of getting a Gibson dual sport exhaust and the k&n fipk yall have been talking about.

my question is would you recommend that i, who has never done anything more complex that change oil, try installing either of these systems myself or should i pay someone who knows the difference between a header and an alternator, to do it for me?

i have the tools and am mechanicaly inclined but have zero experience. gibson claims to provide all i would need, minus the tools, to successfully complete the mission...comments? personal experience?

also, will i need to install a "High-Flow Mass Air Sensor " or will the stock one suffice?

Stock Mas will be fine just remove the factory resticter screen in front of the sensor first, careful not to touch the sensor wires that you will see suspended occross the contacts. The FIPK by k&n is a no brainer and will take about ten minutes to install, comes with excelent istuctions. It uses existing bolt holes, no drilling and the only thing you must be carful with is the MAS just dont drop it or stick a screw driver in it willy nilly and you should be fine, also when reoiling your gause filter donot over oil it, just follow the instuctions and it should be ok(over oiling i believe has caused some MAS failure codes reported by some posted threads) . I have not bolted on a exaust but again it should be easy, exept for laying on your back to do it, if you donot have a lift. Again the only thing you should be careful with i would think will be the oxy sensorers in the system, just use common sense. I plan to get a flowmaster exuast system and plan to pay a few bucks to my friendly machanic to bolt it on while on a lift...JJ

the gibson is a cat-back system, no need to worry about the 0-2 sensors, you will need some type of saw to cut the old exhaust out where it goes over the rear end, not that bad though, with a little elbow grease a hack saw should do it.

After you remove the old sytem, the new one should bolt right on using factory hanger locations. Easy as pie.

I installed both a FIPK and a Gibson Extreme Dual myseld. Same here, i havent done more than change oil, it was relativley easy for both. I think the part that took the most time was makin sure all the pipes celared everything and that they came out straight. The extreme dual system comes out behind both rear wheels, was a little trickey gettin everything even. You should have no problen with your straight duals. Other than that, it was pretty easy. You might want to have another person help you.

Jumpingjack66 is right, the K&N FIPK is a no-brainer. The only problem I had with the Gibson catback system was the bolts on the flange behind the cats. No matter what I did they would not budge so I broke the nuts off then heated the flange with a torch and popped the bolts out. Replaced them with some stainless nuts, bolts and lockwashers and was in business.

On another note, just installed a set of Gibson stainless shorty headers. Gibson's instructions were perfect and everything bolted up very nicely. One thing they should add however is that you need to support the Y-pipe that comes off the manifolds so that it doesn't fall too far when it's disconnected. A block of wood or a jackstand work fine. If it does fall too far, it can yank on the wires to the O2 sensors in the pipe causing them to break. A friend of mine found that one out the hard way. Anyway, the whole system performs and sounds great!

gentleman, thank you for the comments

does anyone know if id have to remove the spare tire if i went with a flowmaster force II system with dual rear exhaust?

you see id like dual rear exhaust but gibson indicated that id have to dump my rear to get them to fit and that is not an option

also, gibson recommends that one DOESNT use rear pipes when towing. while i dont own anything to tow, i have a thing on the back of the truck that wold allow me to put that ball thing on and tow something, so id like to keep the option open. does anyone tow stuff with dual rear pipes?

"Not recommended for towing, because carbon monoxide may be drawn into the interior rear of a vehicle when an exhaust pipe directly exits to the rear of the vehicle"
http://www.gibsonperformance.com/products.asp?pid=17692

I know many people with dual rear exhaust that tow stuff, I personnally think that the disclaimer is just a legal thing.

I have rear exit pipes and I pull a 18.5' Bass boat often and have no problems whatsoever. I also dont have any carbon-monoxide problems (that I know of lol). As far as removing the spare tire, you should not have to remove anything for it to fit. They design the systems for that purpose.

I know many people with dual rear exhaust that tow stuff, I personnally think that the disclaimer is just a legal thing.

I agree.

once again, thank you

i double checked gibson's website and sadly, yes, the spare would have to go on my model/trim package but i am hopefull there is a dual rear somewhere out there that doesnt require spare tire removal...any ideas for a shortbox, standard cab 4 x 4?

http://www.gibsonperformance.com/products.asp?pid=17692&make=22&model=491#491

99-04 4.3L-4.8L-5.3L 2/4WD Std Cab Short Bed Stainless 65542

from the footnotes icon

1. Stock single inlet muffler
2. 4wd's must remove spare tire
3. Kit comes with 3.5" stainless tips
4. 2-1/2" Tailpipe

so im in the process of reading all 77 pages of this forum and come to find that most of the dual exhausts ive been looking at, arent true duals in the sense that there is only 1 muffler and it splits from there

if anyone has the time, and desire, could they illustrate the pros and cons of the dual dual or the single split, in a language that the common fool could understand?

thanks.
chris

Ya know, why don't you take it to a muffler/exhaust shop and let them see what they can build you. I got a 40 series 3"inlet, dual 2½" outlet Flowmaster, all 2½" pipe and 2 chrome 3½" tips for $250. All of this with free repairs if it ever needs it seems to be better than mail order to me.

Ya know, why don't you take it to a muffler/exhaust shop and let them see what they can build you. I got a 40 series 3"inlet, dual 2½" outlet Flowmaster, all 2½" pipe and 2 chrome 3½" tips for $250. All of this with free repairs if it ever needs it seems to be better than mail order to me.

let no one every say that you arent "the man"

i will heed your advice and head to the local muffler/exhaust shop

from your picture i see that your truck, or more specifically my truck, is the same model, year and both are short/regular, with the box in the back...mine just happens to be red with a clown behind the wheel

you have most of the mods that i desire and in the future, if you are amenable to answering my questions, i shall most likely be first off, comming to you for advice.

thank you,
chris

If I can go outside in a few minutes, weather permitting, I'll take some pics of the exhaust if you'd like. My camera isn't great, but it can give you some kind of idea or a starting point.

Ok, here's 2 pics I just took. Sorry they're not great, but its the best I could do at the time. Everything from the muffler forward is factory (cats, pipe). Excuse the dirty truck, every hurricane seems to be going through here the last few weeks and my driveway is dirt and its kinda long!
Muffler (http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/93396Photo_091504_002-med.jpg)

View from back (http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/500/93396Photo_091504_001-med.jpg)

thanks for the effort

what kind of gains did, or didnt you get, running from only the muffler back?

do you still have a spare tire under there?

Yes. My spare tire is under there still, and I can remove it as I need to. I noticed a gain in power, and noise lol, and a slight gain in mileage after getting ti installed. I've heard Magnaflowshows better gains than Flowmaster and I've been debating on whether or not to switch to a Magnaflow muffler.