Holidays + More Working on Vehicles

Well, Black Friday has come once again. I've gone to Best Buy for 3 years. This year I'm not going there. I don't really need anything there. Instead, I'm going to Sears. I'm looking to get some shelving units for $40 each and a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder for $25. I use the grinder when I'm working on my truck. It works great when you put a sanding disc on it to get the paint and rust off. Sears opens at 4am so I'll be up by 3am and hopefully in line by 3:15am. After Sears, I'm getting my butt home. I don't feel like dealing with all the traffic and crowded stores. Also, I want to go back to bed.

This time of year, everyone starts picking out their Christmas presents. Last year, and the first Christmas I had my truck, my mom and dad helped pay for my toneau cover. What they didn't pay for, I did. I got it early because I wanted it before snow fall to keep the snow out of the bed of my truck. Boy am I glad I got it.

This year I want to put a new exhaust system on my truck. When I bought it, the owners had put aftermarket headers and exhaust on it. Unfortunately after only somewhere around 45,000 miles (pretty pathetic if you ask me), it is falling apart. Last Saturday I towed a 6,000 pound car/trailer combo back from Milwaukee. That made me realize how badly I need a new exhaust.

I want a fully stainless steel exhaust system basically because I do quite a bit of short trips and I never want to have to redo it again (hopefully). Going stainless also means more money. A typical system is made out of aluminized steel. Aluminized steel is made out of normal steel and is then coated with aluminum. This is supposed to resist rusting, but as soon as any of the aluminum gets scratched off or dinged, it starts to rust there. The only advantage that I see to this route is that it is cheaper and every part needed for a system is readily available.

I'm running into problems because of my headers. There are 3 different types that I know of. There are stock, which come on the vehicle, shorty, which have the outlet in the same location as the stock ones but have individual pipes for each cylinder, and then there are long, which have individual pipes for each cylinder and are a lot longer than the others. ((If this is confusing just Google 'shorty headers' and 'long tube headers' to see a picture of them)) Well, it turns out mine are considered either mid-length or long tube. This means that I cannot use a direct-fit part. This part goes from the headers and includes the catalytic converters and then stops. Some guys are saying I can't use it and that I should just have a custom set made. However, this means more money.

I already have mufflers, tailpipes, and tips picked out. All I need to do is figure out this problem and find somewhere that sells stainless steel 2.5 inch tubing for custom making the other parts I need.

I know of a shop in Coon Valley and in West Salem that people have told me do custom work and do a good job. I'm taking my truck to West Salem Monday after school to get a price quote and ask a few questions.

We'll see what they say. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!