GUMZ201

ok im in a bit of a dilema, got my nismo exhaust coming in this week so i go check how much it is to install it. i first go to Nissan, they quote 240 im not sure if the exhaust has to be installed by the dealer to not void the warranty cuz i just got this car 3 months ago its an 06 Base. Anyways i chek the local shops here in town, so far 150 lowest ive heard, what surprised me is that i told him it was a nismo exhaust and he said bring it in cuz he hasnt seen one. kind of bothers me when i hear that from a shop, they probably dont do alot of work on Z. In fact i dont see that many modded Z here in san antonio to begin, ive only seen a few, i guess that pretty good in a way lol or i just dont see them around.

Anyways, should i do it myself with help from some buddies, if so, im assuming my problem would be getting the car up? dont have a lift, what is a good way to install this myself. If anyone has did the install of a Nismo yourself, some input would be nice or advice. and how long would it take for a novice, cuz i work alot and also full time student in college

davidv

iTrader: (2)

If you are uncertain about installation, shop around for a price. A local shop that I trust installed my cat-back exhaust for $80.

HyperSprite

iTrader: (6)

If you or your friends have any mechanical inclination whatsoever, you can do this. You will need a set of ramps, an open end box 14 and socket wrench, Liquid Wrench (or some other penetrating oil) and a pry bar.

Plastic Rhino ramps sold at most auto parts stores and cost under $30 bucks.

Back the car up the ramps so your back end is in the air.
Let the car cool if you have been driving it.
Put Liquid Wrench on all the bolts.

Starting at the back, take out the bolts on the back box.
Laying under the car on your back, get the third hanger (the one that sticks out of the front of the muffler). Now using the pry bar and the exhaust piping as your pivot point, push the rubber off the hangers. Have a friend hold the muffler for you so it does not land on your chest.

Laying on the side of the car with your head and shoulders under the car just in front of the back wheels reach in and take off the two bolts at the back of the Y pipe and slide the B pipe out.

Find a box and lay it under the back of the Y pipe so it wont fall off when you take the bolts out. Laying on the side of the car, reach in and do the Y pipe to Cat bolts. The are so close to the edge of the car this is easy and there is no need to jack the front of the car up.

Install in revers, use the same box to hold up the Y pipe tail while you bolt it on, do the B pipe and then have a friend help hold the back up while you get those rubbers back on the hangers make sure you attach the grounding strap on the back box. Double check that everything is tight, drive it off the ramps, and your done.

Chris

jakesford

also, when you are taking the stock exhaust off, you end up putting pressure on the bumper cover while moving it around... Towards the middle of the bumper there are two plastic tabs attached to the bumpe that attach to the car body above the exhuast. I would loosen those so you don't tear them off the bumper...

KwanZito

iTrader: (5)

Yeah man it's definitely a job you can do yourself. I've done a bunch of exhausts myself and its' really not too bad. You can back the car up onto ramps like someone already said, or you can put the whole thing on jack-stands (I happen to not trust jack stands while I'm under the car, so I use the ramps, but that's just me).

If, however, you don't feel like doing it or don't trust yourself to do it right, you can still bring it to a shop even if they haven't seen a Nismo exhaust. Any competent mechanic can install this no problem, whether or not he has even seen a Z let alone worked on one. The one thing is that if you bring it to a mechanic who HAS worked on Z's, he'll probably quote you lower, because it'll take less time if he's familiar with the job already.

One more thing if you do it yourself, make sure you check for leaks after you start it up. You can put your hand near the gaskets (don't burn yourself) to feel for hot air leaking out, OR if you it's still cold where you are in the mornings, just start it up the next morning and take a peak, you'll see it.

If you do get a leak that you can't fix by checking the gasket placement and re-tightening your bolts, then just drop it by any exhaust shop, they can likely fix you up in a few minutes.

MustGoFastR

iTrader: (13)

I did it myself with hand tools and jackstands in about an hour. Very easy job.

Tony@Performance

iTrader: (16)

It takes me about an hour to take off the stock exhaust and install this one, with just a jack, some stands and hand tools. You don't need a lift at all. I've done plenty of exhausts on my car and friend's cars. We charge 1 hour labor on a Nismo exhaust here usually, labor here runs about $80-100.
Too bad you're all the way in TX....

kpiskin

iTrader: (5)

There are no welds or anything, I plan on installing this myself as well. I had considered letting Nissan do it simply for the warranty, but I don't think it's worth the cost.

Kolia

iTrader: (2)

Just to add to what has been said:

-Silicone spary helps a lot with the hangers (NO WD40, it's bad for rubber)

-Be careful around the carbon drive shaft. You don't want to hit it. Carbon is strong but britle.

Hedotwo

I did my Nismo catback a couple of weekends ago. Cake. Go for it. The only thing that I did that wasn't planned was removing and shimming the passenger-side rubber hanger bracket to get the tips to line up. Required removing the splash guard and another small plastic cover to get at the third mounting bolt to remove the bracket. Then it was just a matter of putting a couple of flat washers between the bracket and the mounting surface. Voila... tips level. **** me. Most people would have left it.

A few pix of the exhaust on my car: https://my350z.com/forum/new-owners/179746-if-touring-pics.html

Rich

MustGoFastR

iTrader: (13)

I had to level my tips as well, but I just bent the pass side hanger down a bit with a pipe. Worked like a charm and I didn't have to disassemble anything.

GUMZ201

how long did it take u do do the full install, time is the issue with me thats why, i practically dont have a day off school and work its like 2 full time jobs LOL

Hedotwo

Mine was off a good quarter inch and I didn't have a cheater the right size to get good leverage on the "prong" to bend it, otw I would've bent it too . That hanger bracket is pretty stout. It only took me an extra 10 minutes to do it the other way, so no biggie.

Rich