Stock looking dual tail-pipe tips
Originally written; May 31, 2004
To start off;
I'm installing a B18C in a 89 Civic and want it to look stock. Add to that the fact that I'm old, I just can't get into the idea of 5" diameter tips on a Honda!
When I first bought my car, I had to use it for a brief period of time (while my mom was visiting and using my Mazda). The prior owner had installed one of the worst exhaust systems I've ever seen.
Now normally, I'd just jump in with the welder and fabricate a new system (I've done several over the years), but it had to be done real quick (before my mom showed up). So, I paid to have a muffler shop do a system.
They pretty much did exactly as I asked. 2 1/4" pipe, Magnaflow muffler and resonator. I had them put on a simple chrome tip. It looked and worked OK, except for the things that I didn't think to tell them to do. They welded the complete system in one piece, all the way from the exhaust down pipe to the tip at the end. There was no way to remove the system if you had to!!
When I installed the B18C, I cut the system into sections. I installed a new cat and O2 sensor (which on the GSR's, mounts on the cat). I installed several flanges so that the system could be taken apart. What I didn't do at this point is re-work the exhaust tip.
That leads to the purpose of this page.
Most photos will be "click-able" to view them larger. Use the back button to return here.
The "how's and why's" of it all;
The system has 2 1/4" diameter pipe and I didn't want to add a restriction to this.
What is important is the cross-sectional area of the pipe. That's area of the circle. (phi-r^2)
A 2 1/4" diameter pipe has a cross-sectional area of 3.98 square inches.
A single 1 3/4" diameter pipe has a cross-sectional area of 2.41 square inches. Two of them would equal 4.82 square inches and that's larger than the 2 1/4" diameter pipe.
So, I picked up a length of 1 3/4" straight pipe, two mandrel bent sections, and two chrome tips.
Here is a photo of what I fabricated (or at least, this was the most difficult part of it). That section of "rod" is the hanger (using the stock Honda rubber hangers). The square plate under the tubes helps hold everything straight and is a good point to hold it the section in place while fabricating the rest of the pipe-work. The most difficult part of making this part was getting the "input" to match the 2 1/4" pipe diameter.
Then I had to fabricate the pipe-work connecting it to the muffler. I was able to cut and section what was already there and get it to work. The biggest part of this is getting everything to come out in the location you want.
the "Before" photos;
The original single 2 1/4" tip wasn't centered in the opening and it also was sticking out too far. How far it was sticking out was my fault due to my telling the muffler shop guy to have it end there (the end is flush with the bumper surface). It would be easy to just cut the spot welds and slide it further inward. Plus, it just didn't look "right" sitting in that long (wide) opening at the bottom of the bumper!!!
the "After" photos;
I now had the two pipes, centered in the opening. They end closer to the body. It pretty much looks stock, and yet the total cross-sectional area is larger than the main 2 1/4" piping.
Closing comments;
Use jack stands!!! Use welding goggles!!
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Wes Vann