ATR 3" single system is in ...

3" Sac-mustang DP, 3" hi-flow Catco cat, 3" ATR cat-back stainless system on 86 TC.

The good news first: it sounds awesome. Much better idle sounds, and not much louder at speed. You have to open the windows to get the full effect of the idle, though.

Bad news: shop did AWFUL job installing system. It's in, and it fits, however their welding leaves a bit to be desired, and I knew going in that there would need to be some fabrication involved. I should've reconsidered when I walked in and asked if they do mandrel bending, and they said no. But the shop came highly recommended so I went for it. They had to ben up a pipe to connect the back of the atr system to the cat, and the bends are the infamous "crush bends." My 3" system is now 2" at this point. I wish I had a camera so I could take a picture of this bend. It will bring tears to your eyes. Plus they convinced me that rather than clamping up the system (so it could be removed if need be), they should weld it all together. At least there are no leaks.

Suspiciously, as I pulled away from the shop I was too busy listening to the bad-ass idle sound that I didn't notice my dead speedometer [Image: frown.gif] So I thought maybe the VSS wiring was melted by the new cat, since it's in a different location than the old one. As I get to the highway, sure enough the cruise doesn't work either [Image: eek.gif]

I got under there this morning and the sensor was hanging down, floating in breeze if you will. But it's on the side of the tranny opposite the cat. Oh well, what's one more thing to fix, right?

Bonus, turbo spools up faster. And the 3" pipe sticking out the back looks like it came off a truck.

Some kid with a black Civic was waiting in line after me. He had a 6" coffee can muffler tip, and wanted them to exchange it for a larger one [Image: biggrin.gif]

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Phil 86 TC

Well, glad to hear the good, sorry to hear the bad. I'm going to a single 2.5" tomorrow with no Cat. I hope it sounds decent as well. I don't have a downpipe yet, but this will be a good start for the T3 to flow better. You might check to see if they will fix your wiring. You didn't ASK them to ruin that...

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Les T.
88 TC - Sandalwood
Torquer cam-valves ground-lifters/springs, Garrett T3-20 PSI w/intercooler, 2.5" single exhaust, Black/Gold engine detail, Light Blue Granite dash trim-White Gauges (100MPH-7k RPM-24PSI), Kameleon CD

yeah, some exhaust shops don't seem to grasp performance exhaust work. Crush bent pipes, fully welded exhaust and "you don't want 3" exhaust on that car, you'll burn your valves" or "turbo cars need backpressure in the exhaust!" are common. Enjoy the new exhaust, and if the crush bend bothers you most shops should be willing to fix it for not too much $



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'88 Thunderbird TC
misc. mods
'86 Mustang GT

And I thought I was the only one who had to deal with incompetent muffler-shop workers. The guys down at my local Midus (name changed to conceal the identity of the real shop) told me that i "couldn't put on anything bigger than a 2-inch exhaust". 2 inches? needless to say, i'm going somewhere else if and when i decide to spring for the new exhaust. that modern performance shop i've heard so much about for 2.3L turbos isn't very far from here, so maybe i'll check them out.

I had a guy at my local muffler shop tell me that a 3 inch exhaust on my 88 TC was crazy, and that I needed at least 600 hp to need that diameter. I told him that I knew what I was talking about and he proceeded to point out a 5.0 t-bird that he had recently put a 2 inch exhaust on. He said that the 2 inch was probably bigger than what I needed and I told him that it came from the factory with 2 1/2 behind the turbo to the split. He didn't know what to say. So he just said the same to me that he was saying before and I almost got in a fight with him. In the end he told me that he would do what I wanted but it was a waste of my time and money. I left and never went back. Then I found a guy that was closer to me that is just fine with whatever you say. He's great, the name of his shop is the Exhaust Doctor. Pretty cool. You just gotta find the right guy.

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Kev
88 TC 5spd
K&N in front of the radiator, no mufflers, no cat=straight pipes all the way out the duals, bypassed BCS
Car is all black, no red stripe, blackouts, and chrome duals, red leather interior
Mean Fast and Smooth

Thanks for the input guys.

Yeah, I heard the full gamut of replies: "you need some backpressure," "three inch is overhill," "we hate pre-bent kits because they never fit right" ...

I love driving it just to hear the sound. So nice.

As it turns out, a sensor popped out of the tranny, on the driver's side right before the driveshaft. My speedo and cruise both went dead. The shaft conencting this sensor to the tranny was bent, and must have caused the sensor to pop loose due to vibration. I'm not sure if it is the VSS or not ... and I can't be sure the exhaust monkey didn't knock it loose. Sound suspicious though - it happened RIGHT after I left the shop.

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Phil 86 TC Full 3" Exh, 15 psi, 1.5" lower