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Help! Got a Corsa Exhaust Question

05 GRAND DADDY

Seasoned Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2011
Messages
2,728
Location
South Central PA (Littlestown)
My XLR/V(s)
2005 Light Platinium Silver XLR
Hey XLR Friends
I need some advice here, Roxy in the shop getting the rear end plates exchanged with the new plates, they removed the Corsa exhaust and I decided to go ahead and get the pipes ceramic coated to help reduce the center tunnel heat. Mean while today the shop called and said they noticed black exhaust soot at the exhaust pipe connections, and told me the clamps need to be replaced with new one's, and should not be used over because of stretching or something like that, then they break the news there is 6 of them and they are $53.00 each. So 1st is this true? and 2nd where can I check on buying the clamps if I should need to replace them. Honestly I can see exchanging the bolt, nut and center piece wedge pieces, but the clamp trap should be fine, the way there designed they on close to wedge anyways. Also while doing some searching on Google the Corvette Forum they mention using an exhaust gasket cement that seals the pipe connection :dunno: I should have the pipes back next Thursday from the coating company and the shop wants to put the exhaust back on before putting the rear end back in. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance :wave:
 
You might want to try calling Corsa - the clamps come from them & they should know best, "get it from the horse's mouth!" Mike had to call them with a question about putting their exhaust on a different car of ours & they were very helpful.

Here's the info from their site:

CORSA Performance Exhausts
140 Blaze Industrial Parkway
Berea, Ohio 44017
P: 440.891.0999
F: 440.891.1868
Toll Free: 800.486.0999
sales@corsaperformance.com

I do seem to remember Mike had a problem with the phone # listed on their site, so if that doesn't work post back & I will double check with him.

Good luck!
 
COOL! Good ideal!
Hope you 2 had a wonderful Valentines Day!
Thx Amy


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"
 
After having the h-pipe ceramic coated the "male" end is gonna be .030-.060 bigger. Depending on how careful it was removed the roundness of the pipe should be perfect " no flat spots". I would have them test fit the pipes before mounting so their not banging it around under the car. I personally didn't replace the band clamps on the axle over pipes. I reused the originals which were only disassembled the one time, and with the coating on the male end it acts like a seal when clamped tight.
As for the donut gaskets that mate your headers to the h-pipe. I also didn't replace those either. My car had 6k on her when I did all this. Everything was disassembled once,they weren't all carbon up. So I reused them. Now if you look at the tapered sealing edge of them,you'll see the shiny sealing surface where the two pipes seal together. If you see a sooty leak somewhere around that surface then I'd probably replace them.
You will love how it looks under there. It's a shame it really doesn't get seen. Good luck!
 
Thx Stella there is some soot on donuts to. Called Corsa this morning they are closed Sat. I was wondering what color you went with. Mine are going to be a satin black as this was rated the highest for the heat and he has this color already in stock from another job! Did you do resonators and hump tail pipes to the mufflers? I am doing all back to the mufflers, but not them! I believe that will help the heat in trunk also with do the hump pipes! Thx!


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"
 
The color of the coating I got is like a dull chrome finish. Maybe like aluminum foil. Yes I did the pipes going over the axles but not the mufflers they already had a silver finish on them. That's why I had said its sad that its all underneath. It looks good with all the undercarriage aluminum plates which I had meticulously cleaned. If the trunk temps are to hot there's a heat shield above the muffler area that you could put a self adhesive ceramic matting to better reflect the heat away from the trunk area. I put this kind of material on the back side of the tunnel plate thats above the h-pipe. I wrote about it in a thread on here believe under tunnel plate upgrade. I saw it on a plate they sell for the vets for a primo price. They sell the material at summit,jegs,etc.
 
Cool! Did you do the resonators right on the front of the H pipe off of the back of the motor but after cat. converters they said they extremely hot too soon doing them also. This material does it go on the inside of the tunnel plate or on the H pipe side?


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"
 
Cool! Did you do the resonators right on the front of the H pipe off of the back of the motor but after cat. converters they said they extremely hot too soon doing them also. This material does it go on the inside of the tunnel plate or on the H pipe side?


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

I don't know what you mean by resonators? On my X there's the header which the cats are welded too. The h-pipe is bolted to the header/cat Assy. Then the axle over pipe to the mufflers. Now I know on some after market systems they use a resonator too overcome drone noises. I used the material on the tunnel side "topside". I've read of people making heat shields for the cats because yes they get very hot.
 
Thx again Stella that must be what they are, they said at the shop they were resonators! So maybe they are for the DRONE control. Do you think I can reuse all the clamps they said they can stretch from the heat? What's your opinion? Wondering if I can just replace nut, bolt & center spacer parts?


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"
 
Thx again Stella that must be what they are, they said at the shop they were resonators! So maybe they are for the DRONE control. Do you think I can reuse all the clamps they said they can stretch from the heat? What's your opinion? Wondering if I can just replace nut, bolt & center spacer parts?


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

Did you buy just a axle back Corsa system or h-pipe back? If its with a new h-pipe I believe they put resonators on theirs. You'll have to ask someone who has it?
I reused all the original hardware, the donuts and the band clamps. No leaking. What they mean by stretching is the actual band. The more its tightened time and time again it'll stretch. My exhaust was never taken apart before so I new it was in good shape. You can get those band clamps at any local auto store for 2 1/2 pipe. They also sell lap band clamps which cover the connection and about a inch on each pipe. Do not use the old style u bolt clamp style that will deform the pipes.
I think you'll be okay just as long as they're not deformed,twisted. If all the pipe diameters look good and circular youll be okay. Same with the header area connection. It's a ball and cup with that donut gasket. If they crank on the bolts unevenly or to much it will bend the flange and cause the cup part of the pipe to deform causing leaks. Good luck!
 
Do not know bought her March of 2011 and it was on when I bought her but had these strap clamps on all! Has 80 k on her now!


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"
 

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