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Rob Kennedy, one of our many dedicated customers, sent us a series of photos illustrating the process as his mechanic installed the SPS Stainless-Steel Cat-Back Exhaust and Straight Through Muffler System on Rob’s 1997 SC2. Keep in mind that this is intended only as a visual addendum to our complete instruction guide - which is included with each cat-back exhaust system and can be found online here.
Just like Christmas morning! Your new cat-back exhaust and muffler will include front and rear piping, muffler, muffler strap and cat-back installation kit (which includes the gasket, clamps, and new nuts for the converter flange.) Notice the smooth mandrel bends in the piping. Mandrel bending is a special process that maintains a consistent diameter of the piping throughout every bend. If a system is not mandrel bent, then the diameter is reduced and restricted at each bend. Mandrel bending is critical for performance since it allows a smaller pipe to have the same flow capacity as a larger crush-bent pipe while maintaining much better exhaust gas velocity. 
Before beginning the removal of the old exhaust, it is a good idea to first spray penetrating oil onto the old catalytic converter nuts. The chances are good that they will be rusted solid. If you spray them at the start, then by the time you can get to them, they should be a bit easier to remove. 
Using a reciprocating saw (or a hacksaw if you need the exercise), cut off the old muffler where it attaches to the exhaust piping. You cannot remove the stock system until the muffler has been removed. We suggest leaving some inlet at the front of the muffler in case it will be reused in the future. 
If the bolts on your catalytic converter flange will not budge, you may want to use a blowtorch (which will heat the nuts, causing them to expand and loosen.) However, the blowtorch is not for the faint of heart and is definitely a fire hazard, so you may want to ask your parents before using theirs. 
After removing the bolts from the catalytic converter and separating the piping, there will probably be an old gasket still adhered to the flange. Peel the gasket off and take a wire brush to the flange to remove any residue that remains. 
Raise the new piping into position and insert the hanger rod on the piping through the rubber hanger on the car. This will allow the pipe to hang while you prepare it for installation. 
Here is a trick used by exhaust professionals: treat the flange surface at the catalytic converter with a coarse file. This can create a better sealing surface at the gasket. 
Use the file trick on both flanges – the converter flange and the exhaust pipe flange. 
Slide the new gasket over the studs at the converter flange, align the two flanges, and slide the flanges together. Then add the new nuts and tighten them to compress the gasket and secure the new piping to the catalytic converter. 
Install the new muffler strap in a similar fashion as the old strap. The SPS strap is adjustable, and you will need to choose an appropriate slot to position your muffler properly relative to the rear bumper cover. Notice that the SPS Saturn-specific muffler utilizes an outlet that is offset toward the bottom of the muffler. This allows better clearance between the tip and the bumper cover and eliminates the need to mount the muffler too low to the ground. 
Your muffler and strap should appear as it does in this picture. Be sure to check for clearance between the muffler tip and the bottom of the rear bumper cover. If there is contact, you will burn the bumper cover. Make fine-tuning fitment adjustments as necessary. 
Finished! A properly installed muffler is a critical part of any performance car. According to Rob, his coupe looks, sounds, and accelerates much better with its new cat-back exhaust! |
