88 YJ-CJ Exhaust, Part 1

April 24, 2022

88 YJ-CJ Exhaust, Part 1

Lonestar Roundup

Before we get to the exhaust, I went to the Lonestar Roundup for a few hours - a 2-day hot rod show and swap meet. I walked around and looked at some vehicles - this was the only Jeep(ster) that I saw, and it had the chassis and drivetrain out of a 4x4 Nissan.

Nissan engine...the radiator is not in the normal position.

I was mostly interested in the swap meet. I didn't buy any parts, but I picked up a couple of stainless steel pans for dirty component disassembly or cleaning - like the power steering gearbox or the transfer case that I did recently. They were $7 each, $14 total.

I also bought a $2 strainer for my garage sink. Spending only $16 total was a win!

Driveshafts

After the Lonestar Roundup, I went by Inland Truck Parts with my two rear driveshafts. They also wanted $250 to lengthen it. Inland was very helpful, and I had a good conversation with them. One of the driveshafts has a loose centering ball, and the other one has a bad u-joint, so either one will need some work. If I go local, I feel comfortable with Inland.

At this point, it comes down to: $350-400 for a local shop, including $100-125 new parts that I install and also including sales tax.

Or $429 for brand new at Tom Woods. So Tom Woods seems like the better option.

Orange-White Game:

Since hope springs eternal, I also went to the UT Orange-White game this weekend.

Exhaust

Some general info:

My rams horn exhaust manifolds have a 2.5" diameter outlet.
I am planning to run 2.5" pipe from each manifold into a Y-pipe with a 3" outlet.
Then into a 3" muffler and out behind the wheels.

Here's a generic picture that I annotated to show the details:

(not my Jeep)

I purchased a 2.5" universal exhaust pipe kit, a 3" universal exhaust pipe kit, a dual 2.5" to 3" Y pipe and a Cherry Bomb Turbo muffler.

All these parts are raw steel (not stainless), since I will be using MIG. I plan to use a high temperature paint on it to prevent corrosion, and will also wrap most of it to keep the interior cooler. So, not much of it will be seen.

On the first day, I got most of the driver's side pipe over to the Y.

I think I have enough driveshaft clearance...

On the 2nd day, I got the passenger side done, and worked my way back to the muffler:

Tacked together.

No pictures, but later, I welded it all together and added O2 ports to both sides.

I had to make a little joggle over the crossmember - it's very tight in this area.

A ball and socket connector was added. I went ball and socket because it gives me a little adjustment on angles. I may add another one behind the muffler - having the exhaust in 3 removable pieces would be nice for maintenance.