Stebro thumbs up (long)

[pmatulew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Since I'm here I probably ought to tell you all how this adventure worked
out.

The exhaust system on my 86 GTV6 expired not long ago. It had been repaired
many times previous and there wasn't much point in trying to save it any
longer. To add insult to injury, the front section was damaged and
"modified" to the point that I really needed to start from scratch. What to
do?

Spend $400 on cheap pipes that won't last long?
Spend $600 on quality pipes that might last longer?
Spend $800 on stainless pipes that should last a lot longer?

After a week of driving with nothing past the cat. convertor I had to make
a decision. (without the pipes everything in the cabin resonates from the
shear volume of the cacophony going on under the floor). So I bit the
bullet and called Stebro. (pheww, I hate making those kind of decisions!)

A week later the new pipes arrived looking like a specimen destined for a
paleontological museum. The guy in their shipping department is serious
about his business. It took almost 20 minutes just to unwrap them. If
you're concerned about Stebro pipes surviving the U.P.S. gauntlet, don't
be. One look at these pipes and you know you're getting your money's worth.
They are clean, smooth, well crafted, and seriously heavy duty pieces of
automotive artwork. They are also completely stainless. The pipes, the
cans. the welds, even the steel wool packing in the muffler is stainless.
Yahoo!  Then comes the dreaded "uhoh..."

For some reason yet to be determined. The proper location of the O2 sensor
on GTV6's and Milano's is a matter of much heated discussion. Apparently
Stebro has had a great deal of difficulty in finding a location that suits
all of these vehicles. Just when they think they've got it, the next guy in
line calls and says it doesn't fit. I was the next guy in line. I called up
Dan at Stebro (patient guy, I must say) and told him the problem and told
him where I needed the sensor to be and he had another pipe fixed and sent
out pronto. No problem. When it arrived it still wasn't quite right, but
close enough to be adjusted with a big hammer and a welder. Now let's get
on with things.....

Once I got the O2 sensor  to fit I discovered that the new connections to
the manifolds are slightly thicker. This meant that I needed the threads on
the very ends of the studs. Threads that had long since evaporated. Took
another time out to pull the manifolds, twist off and re-drill and tap the
studs. Ran all over town looking for replacements, (Can you say "metric
wasteland"?) Had to get "creative."  Bought new studs at a Honda/Suzuki
dealer. Oficially they are Suzuki exhaust manifold parts. Unofficially I
didn't care what they were originally intended for, they installed in my
manifolds quick as a wink.