Premuffler install

[Jbrad]

Just received my pretty new fabspeed cat pipe. Unfortunately forgot to order gaskets. Can I reuse the old ones (metal)? I haven't had this particular piece apart yet.

[david.avery]

Hi Jbrad

I think you can reuse them, but the fabspeed ones are copper, and much thicker. The throat of the FS is a little different, it doesn't have the raised flanges that the factory cat has.

IMO, I'd also go out and buy some of the loctite copper high temp sealant for the rear connection, mine leaked on me until I used it. It held up well, no leaks when I used a thin coat of the sealant.

[Nine9six]

I would not recommend re-using old metal gaskets. They have one life, and once been squeezed, are generally known to be done. Unless of course you dont care about potential exhaust leaks.

For the $12 to replace all the gaskets you'll need to install your cat bypass, is it really worth it?

If you do the job right the first time, you'll rarely have to go back and do it again.

It is also a good idea to source SS fasteners and use anti sieze compound as noted. This will preclude rusted fasteners and make later removal a snap.

Install note*
Dont tighten any one part of your exhaust system up until you have all the fasteners installed. Then take your time, and cinch up to torque specs a little at a time. This will ensure a leak free exhaust system, and aid in proper fitment.
Have fun...

[Jbrad]

Thanks for the info. I'm not cheap, I just wanted to do the install this weekend and probably can't get gaskets by then.

[cbeers]

What the others have said is right, and I used the Fabspeed copper gaskets with my cat bypass from them.

However, you can always change them out again later. It's really only a 20 minute job, so if you can't wait, just re-use the old, then swap with new when they arrive.

you won't hurt anything.

Of course, I know nothing


-Chris

[david.avery]

Once you have nice hardware on there, the changeout is under 20 minutes, cbeers is right.

Did you follow the advice here and get stainless bolts and SiBr nuts from mcmaster.com? I've had the exhaust off a few times, they're like buttah, compared to the cutting and grinding the originals took. IMO, don't do the job until you have everything in hand. I had fabspeed overnight me the gaskets when I was planning it out, and they did... the gaskets were $30 or so.

-DMA

[Nine9six]

For whatever its worth, I have the fabspeed premuffler running into a Fabspeed sport muffler, and I used OEM gaskets from our host. Cost is abt $12 for the all the gaskets you need, and I have no exhaust leaks. I am sure our host can supply gaskets and overnight them if you so desire. The cost would still be abt $10 less than the fabspeeds.
Why spend $30 for fabspeeds gasket set?

[Jack Gresham]

I just did that install, one thing I learned is to loosen up the muffler before tighting the bolts between the cat pipe and the muffler, I got a much better seal that way, it allows the muffler to seek its new position without straining the mounting flange, the fabspeed pipe is not built to the same tolerances as the org cat and a soft gasket helps make up the difference to get a good seal, the fabspeed copper gaskets worked ok on the front end but not the rear for me, I had to run down to the local Porsche dealer and buy the cat to muffler gasket, I did buy there nuts and bolts and I used anti seize. On inspection I found about 20% of the cat inlet blocked by carbon, my car is a clean running 87 Carrera with 84k miles. Have fun, Jack.

[Decolliber]

Gaskets may be the least of your problems. It took me more than a day to heat, drill, grind and dremel out the old bolts before I could install a Dansk premuffler. Most of them were rust-welded in place.

[Warviking]

same here.

Originally posted by Decolliber
Gaskets may be the least of your problems. It took me more than a day to heat, drill, grind and dremel out the old bolts before I could install a Dansk premuffler. Most of them were rust-welded in place.

[Wavey]

Originally posted by Warviking
same here.

DITTO.

Pelican's gasket part numbers. You'll need one each.

Front (oval) H-111-192-06 $8.65
Front (triangular) H-111-193-07 $8.25
Rear (triangular) C-111-191-01 $3.00

[Jack Gresham]

I only had to dremel 2 nuts off, my car is a 1987 for reference. I did apply blaster starting 2 days before.

[Jack Gresham]

Hey Jbrad, could u weigh ur cat bp ? I weighed the Porsche Cat and got 14 lbs. Thanks Jack. The space saver spare came in at 35 ! Tool kit 7, Fire ext and jack 7.

[KNS]

Does anyone know what the Fab. Pre muffler weighs? I am curious abou the Cat/ Pre muff weight difference.

[david.avery]

I don't have an exact weight, easily under half the weight of the cat though. Feels like 4 lbs. max.