Exhaust help and peugeot exhaust brackets

[mystic sport]

Tried to fit my ACS exhaust today but one of the brackets snapped when trying to remove the totally jammed bolts as below:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/330paul/1.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/330paul/2.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/330paul/3.jpg

Because of the lip at the end of the pipe on the backbox there is no way of fitting a new connecting flange to the exhaust other than getting the broken one mig welded which is my first option tomorrow morning.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/330paul/4.jpg

Now, this is where the peugeot bit comes in. I have heard that peugeot exhaust brackets are hinged so that they can indeed by fitted around my exhaust with the lip. Can anyone confirm if this is the case? If this is indeed true then I will buy four tomorrow and cut the rest off and use those.

Also, a HUGE thanks to Roy who I phoned for advice to see if he has encountered this before and he has offered to find me a spare X OEM pipe for me as I want the option of being able to bolt my OEM exhaust back on which at the moment is prohibiting me from welding the ACS box to the current centre pipe. Roy, you are a legend sir http://forum.e46fanatics.com/images/smilies/worshippy.gif

Any advice appreciated, wish me luck tomorrow.

[mystic sport]

Ah well, this is not going too well :( . Have decided to try and get the bracket welded. The exhaust is now with a small real old fashioned engineering workshop in the backend of kent :D . The guys there are proper engineers, the workshop is a den of lathes and milling machines and not one CNC machine in sight, hopefully they have the skills to sort this for me. They are going to try and weld it but failing that will attempt to fabricate new brackets then cut the pipes off to get the brackets on and then reweld the pipes. They can't look at it until tomorrow so I am really up against it now in terms of possibly getting it fitted by thursday night :( .

[peppernick]

Paul, it's a very tight fit between the centre pipes and the exhaust. Once the pipes for the centre section are inserted into the flanged pipes of the exhaust, there's hardly any movement at all. The clamps just prevent the pipes from being pulled apart. However, one clamp is enough to hold them in place as don't forget that the centre pipes and rear exhaust are fixed in position so there is no forward-backward action. Only side to side because of the rubber hangers.

I reckon if you seal up the pipes with exhaust sealant, they are not really going to come off unless you drop the rear box and twist and pull the pipes off.

[mystic sport]

Paul, it's a very tight fit between the centre pipes and the exhaust. Once the pipes for the centre section are inserted into the flanged pipes of the exhaust, there's hardly any movement at all. The clamps just prevent the pipes from being pulled apart. However, one clamp is enough to hold them in place as don't forget that the centre pipes and rear exhaust are fixed in position so there is no forward-backward action. Only side to side because of the rubber hangers.

I reckon if you seal up the pipes with exhaust sealant, they are not really going to come off unless you drop the rear box and twist and pull the pipes off.

Ah Nick, where was you when I needed you yesterday :p . Ok, what I will do is see where we are at tomorrow as the engineering place is taking the remaining bolt out of the good bracket on the backbox and I will take it back to the exhaust place on thursday regardless if the broken bracket is fixed or not and ask them to just go for it and we will see how it is. I really want this on by thursday.

I can't tell you how upsetting it is to drive around with an ACS exhaust in the boot and not on the car :( .

[Juber]

Ah Nick, where was you when I needed you yesterday :p . Ok, what I will do is see where we are at tomorrow as the engineering place is taking the remaining bolt out of the good bracket on the backbox and I will take it back to the exhaust place on thursday regardless if the broken bracket is fixed or not and ask them to just go for it and we will see how it is. I really want this on by thursday.

I can't tell you how upsetting it is to drive around with an ACS exhaust in the boot and not on the car :( .

PAul i wish you all the best on this mate, hope it gets sorted before the Ring! :)

[mystic sport]

Cheers Juber, just want to hear this thing on the car now rather than looking at it :( .

[benny boy]

Good luck pal im sure it will sounds ace