Exhaust through crossmember?

[brans72]

How are you guy's cutting the 3 to 4 inch holes so nice for exhaust to run through in your factory crossmembers? Any ideas would be great and no plasma cutter here I wish!

[TexasSteve]

I saved these pics as ideas on how to do mine. Forget where I got them but I think off this site awhile back. 2 ideas in the pics......Through the crossmember & out through the side of the frame. Both good ideas but going outside the frame limits rear tire width. I'm fat rear tire kinda guy....

[cubber]

Hole saws work great.

[nicolas72gmc]

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Here's a 5" hole with pipe and plate boxed around it. It's 3" exhaust thru the cross member.
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[nicolas72gmc]

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[nicolas72gmc]

I think they used a plasma cutter. Sorry, that doesn't help you much.
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[Tom Vogel]

Originally Posted by cubber

Hole saws work great.

Thats what we used... worked excellent.

[Daaaanz67]

I used 3 inch hole saw. I drilled through a half inch ply wood and remove the round plugs inside of the bit. You will need two plugs which are now used as guides. Then I drilled out the center of the plugs for a 7/16 bolt. I then sandwhich the frame with the plugs. Make sure you use some flat washer on the head and nut side. After I get the plugs clamped on the frame I then remove the center drill bit on the hole saw. Now the saw will spin around the plugs and cut through the steal. Just make sure you center the plus as not to cut through the holes for the brake cable. Hope you can understand this good luck it's easier than you think take you time. Mine turned out great
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[LEX]

Here are a couple pics that I saved to give you an idea.

[Daaaanz67]

That's a good idea, I just did the opposite and used the center plugs as my guide.
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[special-K]

Originally Posted by Daaaanz67

I used 3 inch hole saw. I drilled through a half inch ply wood and remove the round plugs inside of the bit. You will need two plugs which are now used as guides. Then I drilled out the center of the plugs for a 7/16 bolt. I then sandwhich the frame with the plugs. Make sure you use some flat washer on the head and nut side. After I get the plugs clamped on the frame I then remove the center drill bit on the hole saw. Now the saw will spin around the plugs and cut through the steal. Just make sure you center the plus as not to cut through the holes for the brake cable. Hope you can understand this good luck it's easier than you think take you time. Mine turned out great

What size hole saw & pipe did you use? In your description I am thinking you bolted the plugs (donut hole) through the center to the frame as a guide but in the picture I see the cut-out bolted. I'm not following

[Rctreadaway]

I'm going with sch 40 4" i.d. steel pipe. Walls are roughly .25" thick so I'm going with a 4.5" hole saw. I'm going to tackle it tomorrow evening since I'm having my exhaust done Monday. Just picked up the saw with arbor from Lowe's for forty bucks. should save me a bunch or work since I don't have a plasma cutter!
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[special-K]

I have 4" schedule 40 pipe. Isn't that 4" O.D? I'm pretty sure I used a 4" hole saw last time.

[Rctreadaway]

The guy at the machine shop I got it from asked me specifically if I wanted 4" inside or outside and I told him inside. I didn't second guess him. hopefully we were on the same page and I got the right saw lol.
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[POPO1984]

I welded a price of thin metal over the center of the area to be cut out. Then marked the center and used that to center my drill bit for guiding the hole saw
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[Daaaanz67]

Special K I used the I guess you would call it the donut hole to clamp to the frame. I called it plugs because it would be the round piece that you would knock out of the actual hole saw after you drill through the plywood. The cut out was not done by me it was by lex the post below mine. I used what I believe was a 3" Id hole saw but if you actually measured the od I think it measured out to approximately 3" 1/8 I hope that answered your question. When I get back to the shop i will look for those plugs and post pictures.
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[Daaaanz67]

Oh yeah forgot to mention that the pipe I used was thin wall so the od ended being 3 1/8" which eded up the same diameter as the hole saw.
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[sleeper69]

not sure on the sizes exactly but i also just used a hole saw. slow but just buy some beer and it works perfect!

[vidman]

Just cut my crossmember today. Used a 4 1/2 starret hole saw and going to weld in some scheduled 40 pipe. I put them in the lathe to make them purdy. About 2 hours drilling and lathe time..

[Number98]

Originally Posted by Daaaanz67

Oh yeah forgot to mention that the pipe I used was thin wall so the od ended being 3 1/8" which eded up the same diameter as the hole saw.
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I assume your running 2-1/2" exhaust?

[ehill83nc]

Im going to do this same thing to my frame. Glad I saw this!

[leftybass209]

I love the few different ideas for how people have done this. Has anyone had any problems with the parking brake cable while running the exhaust through the cross member?

[ehill83nc]

Thats a question I would like to know also. Does it interfere with the parking brake cable?

[Lee H]

Originally Posted by leftybass209

I love the few different ideas for how people have done this. Has anyone had any problems with the parking brake cable while running the exhaust through the cross member?

No, the cable is now below the exhaust instead of over.
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[leftybass209]

Thanks Lee H!!! You answered my question and gave me more work to do. Fortunately my cab is coming off in a week or so, that should make it easier to accomplish this task.