Rites of passage for a girl.....
 

Ok guys and gals. I have reviewed all of the install exhaust threads and I have noticed that there is one thing missing. Maybe it's me, but this car is huge from my 108lb vantage point. We raised the car yesterday and I realized that this is the beginning of a long relationship for me. I also invisioned the entire car slamming down on my head while i am struggling with those rusty bolts on the mid pipe.

I think we could have done the whole install from the left side which is pretty safe without requiring my head completely under the car.....until we realized the bolts are rusted through. We lubed them up real good yesterday, so hopefully they will give today. If not, we will have to use the compressor which requires being held in a position that would require my whole freakin body under the car. I am just a tad bit intimidated about this.

I guess it is a fast mod once the removal is tackled. We will jack it up from behind (ha) and go from there, but I know this is a 'rites of passage' for me and I am a little bit intimidated. Did anyone else feel this way when installing the exhaust or do I finally have to admit I am a bit girly at heart.

I have help if it's needed and a heavy duty jack. I just wish I had longer arms......

Don't worry, you're not alone. I'll be the first to admit that I'm the type of person that wants to do things myself, especially when it comes to my car. But then I realized that I knew nothing about the car and unless I wanted to screw it up, I needed help.

I usually enlist the help of my incredibly nice local 8 owners and they end up doing most of the work, but I do my best to not sit on the sidelines and help with what I can. It was tough in the case of the exhaust install since while the car was on a lift, I couldn't reach the rubber grommets to help remove them. Even on my tippy toes!!

I'm taking baby steps. I had help with my intake installation, but I feel confident enough to help someone else now. Think of it as a learning experience and don't be afraid to ask for help. One of these days, a new 8 owner (who happens to be a boy) will look at yours and ask you how you did a certain mod. You can feel proud that you did it (whether by yourself or with help) and you can now help him.

get a set of jackstands

hey i live in nu tampa and work in valrico, id give ya a hand but my GF would have a problem with it. id get a heavy duty jack and jackstands at minimal. put rims, jackstands and jacks at various points around the car, so if one should fail youll be fine.

yeah, if you are planning on being underneath the car for a decent amount of time, put jackstands at all 4 corners to be safe.

I use a combination of ramps and jackstands. This provides great satibility. Also, get good jackstands. I had some that were cheaper and one started to buckle at the base.

dont be under the car with the jack alone.

jack is a shady character for sure!

Rampage....
 

I use two ramps and two stands.

If you BACK up the ramps they stay put, then put it in gear, handbrake on , it ain't going nowhere. Now you can jack up the front high enough to get stands in. It's nice to get the front as high as the back, especially for gearbox/differential oil change, has to be level.

Solid.

One tip for the midpipe job - the front bolts (between the two O2 sensors) are WELDED into the cat piece. You will just break tools. You have to take the front nuts off, and leave the bolts/studs in place.

S

-cat pipe has three studs>>

I have 4 jack stands and a heavy duty jack.....so that will be fine.....

...its the innitiation I guess....the separation of mice and men. It is times like these that I wish I owned an oil change shop or something with those beautiful hydraulic lifts.

I'll take a picture tonight. The deflowering of my me and my 8: :101384_l:

i dont think posting that is allowed. send me the pics in an email first and ill review them with the other mods
:yelrotflm :lol2: :rollingla




sorry couldnt help myself- good luck with the removal/install:D:

wow

I just did mine on jackstands. Two in the back, put it in reverse so it will not roll forward. Just be prepared to spend some time taking the hangers off the rubber. That was the hardest part in my opinion. Good luck, I'm sure you'll get it!

pics would be supar

block those tires
 

Sorry, but our drive wheels are in the rear and off the ground if you have jackstands in the back. I'd sure block the fronts so it cannot roll.

Forgot to add that I did that. :beer05:

mantis, i was made fun of too when told to get under the car. then i got shown how to jack/block/use jackstands properly. once it was up, they made me get in the car!!! yes, in the car while it was on the stands. i did it, saw how stable it was (will never do it again cuz it seems stupid to me) but it taught me that if you have it up and done properly, its really very safe.

i also bought a floor jack (which makes life oh so much easier) and is MUCH safer than that stupid scissor jack.

we sprayed the crap outta the rubber with wd-40, they came off no problem. seriously, took 10 seconds ... but mebbe we got lucky.

i also watched two grown men beat the crap outta the pipe trying to undo the bolts. figures they were welded! we just left em on (haha) and tilted the whole thing up in the side of the garage.

no worries mantis, yer doin great! *girlpowah* and at least you got the green goo to stop fallin outta yer car!! ;)

good on you, if I ever met a girl who worked on her own ride I'd be beside myself, shott, I'd even settle for one that likes cars lol Just be careful and use common sense, look through the d.i.y's even, it's not that big a deal and you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Good luck and give it hell :)

Actually, the studs are not welded into place; the shaft is splined near the bolt head which stops them from turning. Once i snapped the nut side of the studs off, i ended up pounding the f&c*ers through with a small sledge and a punch :mad:

yeah, using the scissor jack is great if you have a death wish. After looking at that puny thing I wouldn't want to sit any vital part of my body under the car whilst it's suspended on that thing.

^ whilst? GREAT word usage!

:rollingla :rofl: :rollingla :rofl:

capt dictionary to the rescue!

soak the nuts overnight with JB lube, its in a white yellow can. That should help.

Everyone is nervious their first time, its emotional, sometimes there is blood and tears...but when you look back, after youve done it a lot, its just a distant memory.

You are not alone, even when the car is on a hydrolic lift, I don't like work it under it. I don't like working in small places. But I do it anyways. As soon as I start doing the work and get into it I forget where I am working at.

I too hate working when a car is on a lift, I manage to run into 1 of the 4 tires everytime, and you would think hey rubber doesn't hurt that bad, but it hurts like hell. :crazy: