Help with down pipe

[watermain]

I got a new downpipe for my 95 PSD. That's the good news. The bad news is that my local muffler shop told me no way will it fit without cutting a chunk out of the floorboard/firewall for clearance and then welding a new piece in around the new down pipe. Any ideas would be much welcomed.

Thanks

[mike100]

It's a bit tricky, but you don't have to cut all that much to make it fit. Removing the old pipe is the most difficult.

You need to cut the top of the pipe with a sawzall and drop the rest of the straight portion out the bottom. Then some cuts along the spot welded body seam lip will make it bend up a little easier. Once the lip is folded flat, you can take a 2x4 or baseball bat or something to coax the body to bend a little to make a space for the new DP. It won't take long, you just have to mock fit the pipe loose and see where to smash (i mean contour) the firwall to gain clearance. The new DP will be in two pieces and will fit into place easily. Make sure it has some heat shielding on it. I've heard some people double up on the shielding by using some of the original pipes metal sheet foil.

Like I mentioned at first... cutting the old pipe in half is the hardest part of the job.

Mike