I ordered a full kit. 4" down pipe, 5" straight pipe and 6" tip. A bolt on kit. Is it relatively hard to install or pretty easy? I've done muffler back and headers and all that on gasers. But nothing to a diesel. Currently I have the cat and muffler just cut out and its loud as hell. Its the 03 so has that Turbo scream. Just wondering if it is trelatively easy to do the down pipe install? Do I need to heat wrap it also or will it be fine without all that cause I noticed the down pipe now has wrap on it.

 

If you got a true 4" downpipe, then you probably can't even fit heat wrap in there. It's going to be tight as it is, and it will probably hit on the firewall at some points. Definitely going to take some patience getting that in, and don't be surprised if it starts rubbing a few thousand miles down the road.

Start by taking all the stock crap off, hardest part is the stock downpipe, you're going to have to cut in half with a sawzall. On the early trucks, they had a wrap around the stock downpipe. You need to cut it all off before the downpipe will even come out in most cases. It's a royal PITA. It was all fiberglass insulation. My arms itch just thinking about the last one I did.

Once that is out, installation is a breeze.

 

Hahaha. OK. Thank ya bro.

 

Make sure when you do put it on, that you only snug all the clamps and stuff before you have it fully on, tighten from the turbo back and try to keep the pipes as much distance from them hitting on anything if possible.. you can always put a high temp rubber stick on thing like i have on mine near the fire wall and frame and stuff so when you rev it and it vibrates or you go over a bump it went hit it and bend it and stuff like that..

But that down pipe isn't going to be a breeze ..

i hope you the best of luck pics please when its finished!!

 

The biggest problem I had while doing my exhaust was the transmisson cross-member. While swapping trannies recently, I looked at the situation and came to the following conclusion: support the trans/x-fer case, take out the crossmember, and the exhaust would FALL OUT! The exhaust goes under all of the other crossmembers.
Going this route you could mark the two piece down tube, have it welded and do away with that el lameo muffler clamp.

That's just my 2 cents worth.

 

If you want to make it real easy to install down pipe remove the turbo first, it will save you about 2 hours and alot of torn up insulation and itch arms. Doing it this way is a breeze, alos it really helps to take the pass side fenderwell out if you got the Magnaflow kit because there is a clamt there and it is alot easier to get to with fenderwll out. Place a small block of wood between trans crossmember and pipe when you tighten everything up then remove it, that way when it settles down you still have clearance. With turbo removed you can put the down pipoe in from up top.

 

Sounds good everyone. I'll definitely check out all the options once I tear into it Saturday. I'll bring up sone pics too. Good thing is I have skinny arms. So it might help. I'm gonna take it to the auto hobby shop on base when I install it that way I can have the truck on a lift to make it easier after I get the down pipe on. Thank y'all I appreciate the advice. It may save time but I'm probably going to leave the Turbo on. Its just the one clamp on the back of the Turbo right? The one that's visible from the passenger side on the Turbo?

 

Right. The clamp comes off easy enough. Bob was suggesting turbo removal so you could pull the downpipe up through the top. Otherwise it's going to have to come out the bottom and you will have to wrestle with that fiberglass insulation. It sucks. Do-able, but it sucks. Wear long sleeves, and bring an extra shirt to change into when you get it out cause that fiberglass is going to be everywhere.

 

Plastic wrap your sleeves then tape blue gloves to the plastic wrap, or some of those hot, plastic lined/impregnated, disposable coveralls. Sure yer gonna look like you're on the HAZ-MAT emergency response team, but you won't be scratching at your skinny arms in Wal-Mart looking like a tweaker 2 hours later, either!

 

Haha. OK sounds good. I'm part of the hazmat response team for my squadron so I might get a suit to use.