With a small batch of universal exhaust parts in hand from the auto parts store, I dragged the welder and some other tools out and got to work. I started by lining up the 45 degree elbows up, putting them on the stubs of the flange pipes to see how they sat, starting with the left side. On the left side, with the elbow fully in place, the bottom end would be sitting at about 15 degrees downward angle. I had to remove the elbow and trim off some from the narrower side, using a flared coupling on the flange pipe. Reason for doing this is to get the flared end of the elbow on the output side so I can just plug a pipe directly to the elbow. After making cuts and test fitting the elbow, I finally got the angle needed with which to weld the flanged coupling to the end of the elbow. It was then when the welder wanted to give me grief.
For a while this welder would have a habit of stuttering in its wire feeding, with the wire sticking inside the gun, seemingly at the copper tip. I replaced the tip, with the same symptoms. I ended up having to break the gun apart and inspect the coiled wire tube, finding that the last inch or so of coil was burnt, causing the wire to probably stick on burrs and what not inside the coiled tube. I trimmed that last inch or so of the coiled tube off then adjusted the wire for the switch, reassembling everything to take into account the shorter coil tube in the gun. Once this was done, the welder was able to feed more freely, allowing me to weld up our elbow and flanged coupling as intended. With the elbow done, I was able to do a final test fitting to confirm that everything would sit just right, as far as horizontal lines are concerned. I can now slide in a straight length of exhaust pipe into the elbow and run back to where I'll situate the muffler and fully assemble that portion of the exhaust system. I still had to attach the flared coupling end of the elbow to the flange pipe on the exhaust manifold. This would of course be done by welding. I loosened the bolts holding the flange pipe in place, allowing me to rotate the piece as needed, then removed the exhaust manifold entirely, welding the elbow to the flange pipe. With the elbow welded in place and still loose in the flange bracket, I installed the exhaust manifold/elbow back onto the engine. I rotated the elbow to get it back in line with the imaginary line for the exhaust system, then tightened the bolts to secure the flange pipe. With that, the left side of the exhaust system is ready for the advanced assembly. I will do this same sequence on the right side and have that ready to go before I start actually assembling the rest of the exhaust system, just so I can try to have everything done in a manner where its even with one another. At this moment I will probably just stop right after the mufflers, only adding a short straight length of pipe based on where the axle sits relative to the muffler valleys. If the muffler valleys are forward enough, I may just add elbows and route the exhaust pipe out to the sides just behind the rear wheels, otherwise for the time they'll just terminate under the car until I can source a couple of axle sections from the junkyard to make a full exhaust run straight out the back.
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May 2023
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