I jacked up my car tonight to see what I am in for tomorrow when I was planning to install my GMPP Exhaust. The bolts from the cat to the resinator are giving me trouble. First off they are rusted on and I can't get them to budge. How can I get them off? Secondly, they look to be about 1/2 the diameter of ones that came with my cat back exhaust. Will I have to drill out the holes in the flange? I'm new to this so as detailed a response as you can would help me out. Its on a 2002 SS with the stock DP/Cat

 

PB Blaster those bolts next time you get under there- soak them. The way I've always used was to get a set of those sockets from Craftsman that are made for removing stripped bolts/nuts (they've got these teeth that cut in)- put that on a decently long breaker bar- and they've always popped free fine. I've heard some people use some heat from a torch, but I haven't had ones on there that tight. Do you have a quality impact? That might do the job also if its rated at high enough torque.

 

x2

soak them up good with penetrating oil, let sit for a couple hrs and repeat if necessary. then if that doesn't work, heat the sh*t out of it with a torch. works for me every time against the ongoing war against rust!! a few curse words and some grunting always helps too

 

Thanks guys I will give that a try.

 

Buy the ZZP downpipe and just hack the stocker off

 

www.wrighttool.com

jk, thought i would try my sales pitch.

yeah 96 has got it down. believe me i work on machinery from the 40's 50's and new stuff too.

PB blast works great, do a couple soaks, use a quality usa socket and turn.

i personally have used torches on rotors and such, but wouldnt on somethin right next to the gas tank. if you end up snapping them off theres always easyouts. that will for sure grip and the threads shouldnt be rusted like the head. GL

 

no worries of using the torch on cat to res bolts unless there is a gas leak. you lucky guys in the usa up here in canada theres a lot more salt on the roads in the winter and the bolts are usually just little rusty nuggets by the time they need to be removed. my dream would is to be a technician in texas or arizona maybe where rust doesn't exist on cars hardly. a 10 year old car here unless oil sprayed underbody is junk most times.

 

its not the gas you have to worrie about it is the fuems that catch on fire. brother is a firefighter and showed me miths on some things. gas needs 5k of heat to catch on fire when the fumes need just a spark or a lit flam to just catch. what i am saying are you going to just sit the torch on the tank and let it heat up to the point of blowing up with a fire ball. i doubt it no one is that insane so be care full where you point the torch and dont let it just heat up the tank or point it neer the tank do to what ever the posibilitys.

 

I talked with my buddy who works at a GM dealer and he recommended the torch as well. I won't get to it until next Saturday at the earliest now anyways.

ChibiBlacksheep - Before I even posted this thread I knew thats what your response would be lol.

 

yeah i did this with a friend a while baack and we just used the pb blaster, but then we had a hell of a time getting it back on.