What are the torque specs?
 

Say, can someone look into what the torque should be on the exhaust manifold to downpipe nuts as well as the cat-back bolts?

If it makes a difference, I have a 2001 MC SS.

Thanks in advance!

My manual shows the specs as 15-24 ft-lbs of torque.

When we replaced the downpipe on my '03 we torqued them to 20 ft-lbs and there's no signs of leakage. Torque was rechecked after a hundred miles.

Thanks!

I did 22 when I replaced my downpipe with the zzp 2.5" and checked yesterday after about 200 miles. Everything is still tight

HOWEVER

when I throw her into reverse with the brake on, it sounds like the joints are being pulled apart ever so slightly to leave a lower grumble in the exhaust but sounds like it is coming from up front. Do you have somethin like this? I'm likely being paranoid but if I am missing something, I'd like to know. Yes, the gaskets are installed :)

Thanks again!

Your regular brake pedal is depressed and the car makes a knock going into reverse?

It could be a transmission mount too.

Tempting to say yes to but that isn't it at all.

Brake pedal on, put car into reverse and I get a louder exhaust sound with small vibration from the sound. The noise (and I hate calling it a noise because I like the sound) sounds like it is coming from the front. Perhaps the ZZP flex hose on their downpipe is making things a little louder when there is a mild strain in reverse? I don't know.

I installed a Magnaflow downpipe and replaced the resonator with a Magnaflow glasspack at the same time. The tone of the exhaust does get a little lower with the vehicle in gear versus park/neutral, but there's no difference in the sound of the idle between reverse or forward gears. It did take a couple days to get used to the new sound of the exhaust, but (on mine) it is just a difference in exhaust tone - not a leak. If you think it's an exhaust leak maybe have someone put it in reverse while you're observing underhood and see if the crossover pipe or one of the manifolds is loose/leaking.