Exhaust relocation

[jimbo486]

Alright, so I've got this little itch that I want to scratch. A pair of homemade 6" Cat stacks will accompany this. I know stacks aren't to everyone's liking but we all have our opinions. I think if done tastefully, they can look good. The bed kit shipped direct from Diamond Eye so it'll probably be a week or so. I'm in no hurry and as such, I'm going to take my time putting it all together. Check back soon for more pictures!

This is a photoshopped picture I made a long time ago. They probably aren't scaled right to resemble 6" but all I was going for was the look. I'm set on the Cat stacks but I also photoshopped some miter cuts as well. The plan is to have them sit a little closer to each other rather than as wide as can be. I'm thinking of trying to get the middle of the stack in the line with the middle of the radius at the roofline of the cab. They also won't be any higher than the height of the cab.

Since buying the TDI, the truck has pretty much become a weekend warrior.

 

[jimbo486]

Pricey bastards! Even through a connection, they're still $111 plus shipping. But they are nice pieces.

 

[zfaylor]

There are other companies selling stack mounts for much less money. Ill see if I can dig some up.

 

[zfaylor]

http://ktperformance.net/i-8784018-silverline-stack-mount-clamp-5-black-stainless.html?gclid=CN_Ds7Hp8boCFeHm7AodrWIAvQ


That is just a quick random one I found. So don't flame me if it isn't a sponsor but you get the idea. 23 beats the heck outta 111. Smeding diesel has cat stacks for a decent price as well.

 

[jimbo486]

I've seen those clamps everywhere. With the way my bed is, I'd have to figure out a way to use a threaded insert for the bolts. I'd rather not use self tapping screws either lol. Smeding is who I looked at for the stacks. They are good looking pieces and not badly priced for stainless.

Anybody have sources for 6" aluminized exhaust tubing? I've seen a lot of places linked in random threads here but been searching but hasn't turned up much yet.

 

[jimbo486]

Not sure if 7" would look too big. There's a point at which the stacks would look like 33gal. drums.

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4.

 

[BC847]

Anybody have sources for 6" aluminized exhaust tubing? I've seen a lot of places linked in random threads here but been searching but hasn't turned up much yet.

These folks have a good selection of everything . .. http://store.airflo.com/exhaust-tubing.html

 

[jimbo486]

That they do. And I've been using them for a long time but their 6" only comes in plain steel. I probably shouldn't worry so much if I plan to paint them or have them coated.

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4.

 

[700 sportsman]

If I were you I would go with whatever pipe you can get 6" and then have it powder/ceramic coated for longevity.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jimbo486]

Powder or ceramic is what I was thinking of. There's an industrial coating company down the street that does all kinds of coatings including high temp. How does ceramic hold up to day to day stuff, does it scratch easily, etc.? Not sure if either powdercoat would be similar but I'd want something durable.

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4.

 

[700 sportsman]

I don't have much experience with ceramic coating, but a good amount with powder coating and depending on the powder it would be a great option and extremely durable. I have a very light texture flat black on my motorcycle wheels that would look great on cat stack. The guy that does my coating uses sherwin williams powder and they have some that are good up to about 1000 degrees that would plenty for high for the stacks.

 

[jimbo486]

Cool. Thanks! Definitely have to keep them black.

I'm stoked to get the stacks in. This thing sounds pissed off enough as it is through straight 4" over the rear end. Can't wait to hear it from the stacks!

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4.

 

[4x4dually]

I may have missed it, but is that bed stretched with photoshop too or is it a custom 14 foot bed?

 

[jimbo486]

I may have missed it, but is that bed stretched with photoshop too or is it a custom 14 foot bed?

The picture then was photoshopped. That was before I actually stretched the bed.

Before

After

Not quite 14 feet long. 10.5 feet to the tailgate.

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4.

 

[4x4dually]

:rockwoot:

Pure sexy right there.

I can't wait to stretch my mega.

 

[jimbo486]

I think so too! All kinds of colors to choose from. Including plenty of iron oxide :lolly:

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4.

 

[4x4dually]

Like you say, "to each their own." Can you have someone mandrel bend the tops? I'm not a fan of the 45 deg miter. Just my $.02.

 

[BC847]

Regular ol Rust-Oleum BBQ black works very well.

 

[Scooter's Roofing]

I dig the loooong bed!

 

[jimbo486]

Regular ol Rust-Oleum BBQ black works very well.

I figured it would. Doesn't quite get that warm back there.

I dig the loooong bed!

Thanks! Still needs a lot of work but hoping for a single color soon.

Like you say, "to each their own." Can you have someone mandrel bend the tops? I'm not a fan of the 45 deg miter. Just my $.02.

Do you mean instead of having the "tip" angled? I'd have to look around for any machine shops who can mandrel bend large pipe. It would be a lot easier than cutting, welding and trying to grind the welds smooth. With my welding skills being still very amateur at this point, I'd opt to grind them smooth :lolly:. I do like the look of the Cat stacks myself. I think they'll fit the truck well.

I found some scrap 4" aluminized tubing to practice on today, just for gits and shiggles. The cuts were made with a 10" chop saw which cut shy of 4" no matter the angle. Dimension from the edge of the blade to the arbor was barely 4" and getting smaller with each cut. I had to flip the tube and reset the angle of the saw and do my best to line up the existing cut. Surprisingly, I managed to do alright. Rolled the mig welder out and tacked the joint in a couple spots and then filled the entire joint. I was running out of daylight and ground all the welds down before I took pictures of the end result. Sitting on the bed rail shows about the overall height I'm going for. The bed kit is supposed to show up tomorrow. With the elbows in the corners, I think a 36" OAL stack will put it there. We'll see what dimensions I come up with.