exhaust help...

[draggin49]

So I'm not an exhaust guy, so looking for input from those more knowledgeable.

I just picked my truck up, simple setup, dual 2.5" from my headers, to turn downs before the rear axle. Well I was recommended to this shop, the owner (who I thought was doing the job)
Wasn't there today, an employee of his was only one there. When I dropped the truck off I thought the guy was simply opening up the shop , it was 9am, when the place opens.

Some stuff just looked odd to me

Driver side header/flange/exhaust
Almost mated up at a 90 degree




Passenger side







Behind muffler where turndown is




There are hardly any bends required i got under and looked.its straight back through the crossmember.

[71K20chevy]

If it were me I'd take it back. It's a cobbled up mess and those sharp 45's can't be helping flow at all... But that's just my 2c

[elf w/capital T]

no way a shop did that!! take it back or call Holmes on homes guy to see if he has friends who do the automotive field!! lol

[draggin49]

Thanks guys, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't out of line to do so.

I shouldve scoped it out before leaving but it was off the rack parked outside and I didn't feel like laying in the dirt, and assumed the work would be legit.well I am gonna call the owner. Not to mention, I was.charged double what I was.quoted by the owner the day before. ..

I will let you guys know what transpires.appreciate the quick responses to help me with this mess

[motorcritter]

Looks like the guy was drunk or high, and never did learn how to run a tubing bender, and he was a 'D' student in welding class. Just my observation, based on a whole lotta years in shops and under vehicles.

If the shop owner won't straighten it out, small claims might be a solution.

[draggin49]

Yeah, its bad in all aspects of the system. The owner wasn't present so ill be paying a visit monday.
Hell I have zero welding experience but know that sharp bends/90 degree angles are a no no, and probably could have done close to the work I discovered when I got home.

[draggin49]

on a side note the D student line cracked me up lol

[67c10rustbuket]

That driver side pipe is unacceptable. I actually had one similar when I was a teen, a couple friends recommended a shop and thats similar (but worse) than what I got. No wonder they charged half of the other shops . But hey I was a teen and it sounded good. I didnt notice for a few months Thats what they are banking on though, hoping you never look under there and are just happy with the rumble.

[gale]

Originally Posted by draggin49

Yeah, its bad in all aspects of the system. The owner wasn't present so ill be paying a visit monday.
Hell I have zero welding experience but know that sharp bends/90 degree angles are a no no, and probably could have done close to the work I discovered when I got home.

I DO have welding experience since 1953 and those welds look like crap.

Good luck getting them to straighten it up.

[GASoline71]

Holy cats! That is quite possibly the worst exhaust job from a "shop" I've ever laid eyes on. That needs to be either redone by the shop, or they need to pay another shop to fix their BS.

Gary

[draggin49]

Oh, and the employee was trying to say that running the pipe through the crossmember was a ton of extra work??? That's why it was $300 instead of what the owner quoted me which was $100-$150 since I had the mufflers already.


I glanced under my truck and it looks like a torch was used to open holes to route the exhaust high as possible.didn't look like a ton of work to me.

Running turndowns in front of the rear axle routed through the crossmember, from the headers doesnt seem like a hard task for a legitmate welder.

I glanced at the bill and if I recall right it said $50 or $60 for the materials in pipe.
Lol so $250 was for the qualiry of welds/ pipe configuration.

Got in touch with the owner.he said to come by monday.I will keep you guys posted on what transpires .

[heyjoe]

One word - HACK!

[draggin49]

Glad to hear a resounding response all pointing in one direction.
Ill be glad to reference that EVERY person who saw the pics was blown away that it was done at a shop for a good amount of $$$. What blows me away is obviously this employee doesnt have the skillset needed to be performing work on his own. I'm sure I wasn't the first, or the last. I have had my own company and as a boss I would NEVER allow that kinda work done with my name on it.

[9teen69]

Bummer man...what a jack wagon. I know that stuff is frustrating. Hopefully the owner makes it right.

definitely jack it up and make sure he didn't damage/destroy any of your frame/crossmember.

Good luck!

[ARC190]

I had a whole two weeks of welding over 20 years ago in high school. I think I could do a better job with a few minutes to get practiced up again. I think I'd want to choke slam the asshole that welded that ugly crap to my truck.

[draggin49]

I agree !!! My brother found out about it and lets just say arc190 that he's inclined to your approach haha.

I am anxious to hear the excuse for what happened.


Quick question:
there isn't any special or time consuming requirements to run pipe from headers, through the crossmember to mufflers in front of the axles is there??

[draggin49]

It looks like a damn near straight shot, aside from the small curved piece you need from the headers.

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by draggin49

Some stuff just looked odd to me

Looks odd to me too. My dog welds better than the clown who did that. Take it back when the owner is there.

[gale]

A weld doesn't HAVE to look good to be structurally sound but if it DOES look good you can bet it's structurally sound.

[piecesparts]

The last time I saw an exhaust put in that way, was a 14 year old playing with his daddy's welder. That is poor craftsmanship and it will not provide a quality exhaust flow.

Those welds are what we farm boys called chickensh&t welding. There is a lot of crap, without any thinking applied. If you paid for that, then you got screwed.

[Boog]

Well give the shop owner a chance to make this right and if he won't then post his name all over the place to warn others of their shoddy work and high pricing. There's nothing acceptible about that piece of .... work.

[TonyJohnson]

The lesson here is to always ask around and find the right guy/shop to do the job. There are always a lot more hacks than craftsmen. If the owner let someone who welds like that work on a classic truck, I'd consider giving him the $60 for the materials and go elsewhere...

[gale]

Originally Posted by TonyJohnson

The lesson here is to always ask around and find the right guy/shop to do the job. There are always a lot more hacks than craftsmen. If the owner let someone who welds like that work on a classic truck, I'd consider giving him the $60 for the materials and go elsewhere...

Don't just ask around but ask to see work the shop has done and I don't mean just photographs. If the shop can't give you actual references just keep shopping.

Best bet is to learn to do it yourself. Then you can get a true appreciation for the work involved plus you can say "that's good enough" at whatever level suits you.

[draggin49]

Good points guys, I should learn how to weld , I had thought about it before .
And yeahbad business on the owners part using an employee not capable of welding sufficiently.

I had a go to place for exhaust but he moved out of the area

[motorcritter]

If the guy got an "F" in welding, he wouldn't have learned how to turn on the machine and hit the feed button. It looks like that all he learned how to do. I was a partner in a shop when I lived down south- we bought another shop that had been a muffler repair outfit- we inherited the bender and some stock. A couple of us messed around with the bender be got pretty good, each of is knew "some" and we figured out the rest. Of course, we had talent & training. BTW, I was an "A" student in welding class (over 40 years ago!).