Real tech discussion on design, fabrication, testing, development of custom or adapted parts for Pontiac Fieros. Not questions about the power a CAI will give.
Many of you have already installed an cat. back on your fiero V6.
I'd like to know the correct way by steps in order, and doing it so nothing is "stressed" on the exhaust.
I'm aware that and exhaust system can't be stressed.
The way I would do it is connect the front part after the cat. convertor (just slide it in the pipe, but don't tighten the "U" clamp), then have the rear part hanging by the left & right hangers where the tips are. Tighten the "U" clamps at both hangers (left & right), then come back to the front after the cat. convertor and tighten the "U" clamp. Finally finish up with the support springs (the 2 before & 2 after the cat. convertor) and the 3 springs on both sides of the muffler. Does this sound correct??
The Dark Side of Will wrote:A hoist? Step 1 needs to be installing jackstands.
Yes, a hoist...anotherwords a lift. Some of us prefer that. I'm not an ass that likes to wreck your back and have 1 1/2 feet of clearance to work with.
That's more realistic, ehh? Sounds like you like to work like a idoit. Those are the ones that should be fired on the spot. Work with pride, and lets get back to my question.
If I had a lift, I'd use it. A lift is not a hoist. Use the correct terminology and people won't treat you like an idiot; then you won't have to call people you don't know idiots because of your mistake.
Stress on the exhaust is a non-issue. Just set it up so it's not tapping, banging or clattering on anything and you'll be fine. To just replace the cat, you shouldn't have to disconnect any of the springs.
What you have in you picture is known as a chain block.
Come on, you guys are just dicking around on simple words for a lift. You know that a hoist is a lift in our hobby of cars. Whatever I call it, lets get to the point...about the exhaust please. I don't understand why you guys enjoy this board. We never get to the facts right away, you go around it.
You guys seem to like argue about shit that doesn't even have anything to do with the subject. You have an answer for everything. I'm wasting my time here probably, it seems. If this was "real fiero tech" we would of had answer a long time ago. Feels like being in a loser forum club.
I don't see why folks spend hours on this board every week just to talk crap. Simply, that what it is...
fierogt28 wrote:You know that a hoist is a lift in our hobby of cars.
A) No, I don't know that, and refuse to know that because it's incorrect. "Hoist" has a definition that doesn't describe a car lift. The picture above was the first result when I typed "chain hoist" into Google images.
B) I have never heard anyone make that association before anyway.
fierogt28 wrote:Whatever I call it, lets get to the point...about the exhaust please.
The Dark Side of Will wrote:Stress on the exhaust is a non-issue. Just set it up so it's not tapping, banging or clattering on anything and you'll be fine. To just replace the cat, you shouldn't have to disconnect any of the springs.
Will, I didn't say "chain hoist", I said hoist. Maybe I should of said "car hoist". Look on google images, and you'll see nothing but hoist's used for cars.
They are just making sure you are using the correct way to lift the car, support it, and being safe about it. Lots of people just lift their car up with a hydraulic jack and work underneath it. You need jackstands to support the car because a hydraulic jack can just drop the car on you if it fails. If they thought you were using a chain hoist or something like that, you still need jackstands to hold the weight as it can let go and drop the car on you. A vehicle hoist usually has an internal mechanical lock so it doesnt rely on the hydraulic lift to hold the vehicle. It is better to assume the worst and give pointers, than to assume the person knows every little detail and leave out parts that should be done and have that person not do that and get hurt or something.
There are some smart people on this board and there are also some dink-nuts too.
As for your question, you dont want lots of stress on joints like the manifolds, or muffler, but replacing the cat is easy, it is a straight piece of pipe so you just cut out the old one, and leave enough room to overlap the old and new exhaust pipe, and clamp them. I would make note on how tight the exhaust mounting springs are and try to get them just as tight by pulling the exhaust together when clamping, if they are loose I would think they will rattle around and possibly fall out. You could try wedging an object between the exhaust and frame at the springs to keep tension on them while you cut and clamp, or use a pry bar to tension them when you are tightening the clamps, but it doesnt have to be exact, nothing is going to get stressed down there unless you screw up and cut the cat pipe too long by a few inches and try to just pull the Fiero exhaust together to make up the difference, lol.
No stress on the exhaust... Lolololololol. I have what amounts to a 20 lb muffler hanging from a super tight donut bend, which in turn is hanging off the rear manifold, all of which expands and contracts like crazy from the heat cycling. The hanger springs are almost there for decoration. I'm surprised it's lived this long.
For the record, when you said hoist, I assumed you meant one of these:
It's not unusual to see a shade tree mechanic lifting their car with one of these and not supporting it. People like to use them to lift the rear of the Fiero by the trunk latch, which I think is insanely stupid. Will, like the rest of us, was concerned you'd do something like this and potentially wind up with the car embedded in your torso.
