Can it be removed with out hurting performance? I remember hearing it is there to catch the driveshaft if it falls out, I am willing to risk that if it doesnt effect handling performance.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...y350zunder.jpg

 

i would normally try and ignore the fact that you just asked if you could remove the cross member. but i will put it at this. NO, do not remove the rear cross member. it would severly impact the chassis stiffness and stability. and im not just talking about performance. safety would severly be compromised. either fix the exhaust or get rid of it. it's not worth your leg, or worse, your life.

 

it didnt seem like the metal was that stiff so i wasnt sure it had anything to do with chassis stiffness. Im confused on how it could effect my leg or my life, sorry about the dumb question but these are things i just dont know.

I don’t want to get rid of my exhaust, I am going to try to stuff 2 more spacers in there but with as bad as the rattle is I doubt it will help, are there suggestions as to what I should do?

This mite be even more pathetic than my last question but is there any way to pad it to stop the rattle???

 

the spacers are a poor fix. need to solve the cause. which is that when the exhaust was installed it was done with the exhaust resting on the cross member.

loosen all the bolts from the headers back and put a spacer in so its a good bit off the support. then tighten everything. it will hold up off it; and when/if it does settle itll have some room. remove the spacer after you tighten it. a peice of wood or whatever will work. its just to prop the pipe up while you tighten it.

 

there is a good amount of clearance between the pipe and the member. But when I de-celerate it rattles around quite a bit. When looking at it you wouldnt even think they would hit.

 

have you tried using washers. I put 4 washers on each of the 4 bolts on the crossmember gave me plenty of clearance.

 

I have 2 washers in right now, and it is pretty bad. I am going to try 2 more tomorrow but with as loud as it is, i dont see 2 more fixing it.

 

Why dont you buy some exhaust wrap, and do the sections of pipe where they sit next to each other, that way if they hit you wont hear it, and if they drop and hit the crossmember you wont hear a clunk everytime. That will "pad" it, and be resistant to the heat. You can get some at www.summitracing.com

 

what exhaust is worth all this grief, when 99% of the systems out there fit without incident?

 

Thanks Alberto, after I try a few more washers I will have to give that a try. This is the Nismo exhaust, and there is a good amount of clearance. I think even the stock exhaust would rattle as much as it is moving to hit that crossmember.

 

not to sound rude, but you either have this installed improperly, or you have a defective exhaust. We have installed a fair number of the NISMO's, and they went on 100% without incident

 

I bought the car with the Nismo exhaust and this is a possibility. But also I had a problem when I took a road trip, the exhaust dropped to the right. I had a muffler shop fix it but they did it to low, when I went back to have them fix it they wouldn’t touch it b/c I installed test pipes. I went to a performance shop they fixed the exhaust but the rattle remains. It did rattle a bit be4 the exhaust dropped but it wasn’t the same kind of rattle, I think that was more from the cats that cracked at the welds (I hear nismo exhaust puts alot of pressure on the cats.)

There seems to be no scratches on the exhaust, they just say it is the crossmember after test driving it and doing a few rev's in there shop. I have been under it and I see another piece it could be hitting, the black rubber coated rod that goes over the piping (a part of the suspension I believe.) I think this could be doing it as well since it wouldn’t leave a mark b/c of the rubber coat.

I am about to take some pictures

 

Here are some pics:

http://photobucket.com/albums/a251/HockeyZ39/Exhaust/

There is a pic in there of the clearance between the piping and the crossmemeber, and a shot of another peice that could be contacting but it is metal and i see no scratches so i doubt it.

 

sorry man i didnt mean to sound like an @$$hole. its just that removing that crossmember will sacrifice the structural rigidity of the car and im sure make it more prone to buckling in a wreck. im sure there are other ways of fixing the exhaust.

 

Its ok, I have been known to snap and dumb questions myself!