Flex coupler after downpipe

[turbows6]

Did a TTA have a flex coupler (the braided steel looking type) from the factory?

Here's the deal, when I got my car it already had a 3" stainless downpipe. After the downpipe the exhaust followed the factory routing, kicking out behind the passenger front tire and then towards the rear of the car. There was a flex coupler at that location when I bought it. (under the right side of the passenger floor board)

Now, in my opinion that isn't the best place to have the flex coupler because it's relatively far away from the axis of the engine's movement. Do you guys running a 3" downpipe even have a flex coupler at all? My concern is the engine rocking back and forth putting a lot of stress on the downpipe and turbo housing and cracking something.

I'm going to be redoing my exhaust pretty soon, and would like to hear some input. I'm going with my 3" downpipe into a 4" mid-pipe and catback. The car currently has a 3" pipe running along the right passenger side with a single dynomax bullet glasspack and side exits in front of the passenger side rear tire.

This had been a temporary setup, but I'm going to finish a "nice" exhaust. You can imagine that the drone with the current setup is pretty loud lol.

 

[turbows6]

For sheer curiosity, this is what a TTA sounds like with a dynomax bullet, and you can probably tell from the sound why I want to finally run exhaust out the back. You could tell that the car's gears were way too high from watching it on this pass. Some of you may have seen the video before. This was over 2 years ago now. The TTA sort of went on the back burner for a while, but I've recently knocked the cobwebs off it lol. This was the old setup.

 

[TTA308]

Yes the TTA had a flex coupler from the factory about that same location, most don't use it with a 3" dp (myself included) and have no problems...

 

[JP112_89]

Stock valves, rockers and throttle body to guys... wow

I am running the same 3" downpipe to 4" catback. I am not using the flex coupler. I bought some exhaust hangers at the local Mavis Tire. Theirs' is flexible and made pretty well. Their exhaust hanger had hook on the end. I attached the exhaust hanger to the exhaust clamp. Top of the mount is a think rubber material with a metal lined hole. This gives it plenty of flex. I haven't had any issues.

Pic is not that good. I just took it a few minutes ago and this was the best I could do while the car is on the ground.


Joe

 

[turbows6]

I bought all of the small parts to do the installation about a week ago. I really don't think having the flex coupler in the stock location would help much, if any. Sounds like the best thing to do is make sure the exhaust hangers are flexible enough to keep stress off of the downpipe.

Here's another question, how is your downpipe constructed? Mine has the Terry Houston flapper type flange off of the turbo and has about 8-10" of piping then has a band style clamp (not v-band), and it has a bracket that bolts onto one of the bolts holding on the crossover pipe. Is that how the rest of your guy's downpipes are made? I'm not totally sure who the maker is, but it's nice quality mandrel bent stainless steel. It appears to have been a relatively mass produced item because it's not welded together, but all one piece.

 

[JP112_89]

I agree on the exhaust hangers.....

Yes, you most likely have the 3"Keith Mease stainless steel DP from Jim or Steve. Those welds are some of the best custom work I have seen. I had the first 8-10" piece ceramic coated black..

Joe

 

[turbows6]

There can't be too many people that made downpipes for these cars, so that's probably it. There were some good parts on my car when I bought it, but the car wasn't/isn't super clean.

The transmission lost 2nd gear within days of me buying the car, and the oil pump pickup tube came loose and the engine started running low oil pressure shortly after getting the transmission fixed (trans rebuilt at a local guys shop, needless to say it didn't last a long time either) That's not even mentioning the small stuff like the heater core going out etc etc etc...

Come to think of it, my TTA was mechanically a pile of dog crap when I bought it. It was one problem after another for somebody that didn't have any money or experience with a turbo buick. The motor in the car is the first engine I ever built, but that was mainly because I couldn't afford to pay somebody else to do it back then lol.

I wonder if somebody on here was the prior owner. I bought it in the Chicago area in early 2006 at Napleton's Schaumburg Pontiac GMC. I used to know what number it is, but I don't remember anymore.

 

[JP112_89]

I'm going to be redoing my exhaust pretty soon, and would like to hear some input. I'm going with my 3" downpipe into a 4" mid-pipe and catback. The car currently has a 3" pipe running along the right passenger side with a single dynomax bullet glasspack and side exits in front of the passenger side rear tire.

Are you using the 4" Magnaflow straight thru muffler?

Joe

 

[turbows6]

Right now it's got a 3" dynomax bullet muffler. I don't know what I'm going to use for the muffler yet. The catback I bought has a straight pipe that clamps on where the factory muffler goes transversely under the back of the car, so I can bolt on any 4" center inlet/center outlet muffler that I want, or I can just use a straight pipe with no muffler. Might be fun to play with different mufflers since it will only take about 5 minutes to change them out.

I may put the bullet muffler where the stock catalytic converter was installed (those are about the size of a catalytic converter, if not smaller) and then run another muffler in the back. The bullet's are obviously straight through, so they don't add any restriction. The catback just has one 4" tailpipe, it doesn't have dual outlets like the factory had.

I'd say that with a bullet and another muffler in the back that the exhaust would be reasonably quiet. Just running tailpipes over the rear axle will usually quiet an exhaust down drastically compared to a side exit.

 

[JP112_89]

I'd say that with a bullet and another muffler in the back that the exhaust would be reasonably quiet.

Your absolutely right. That's exactly what I would do if I had to do it again.

Joe

 

[TT/Ameasap]

last 6 digits of vin for TTA number lookup.
I remember that car for sale.. Someone posted a pic of it if im not mistaken.
If your exhaust is a little too quiet after install, take a washer or two and put them between the dump cap and dump on the bottom studs. It's kinda like a poor mans supertrapp.

 

[turbows6]

Last 6 digits are 242000

 

[TTA308]

TTA#726

 

[Jan Larsson]

Last 6 digits are 242000

I got a note in my database it spent life in FL but I got not other details I'm afraid; and yes its number 726.

So t-top / leather correct? How many miles on it these days and I take it its in Chicago then?

 

[turbows6]

It's a t-top car. It had cloth in it when I bought it, but I don't know if that was factory. It's got tan leather LS1 interior now.

65k miles or so on the odometer now.