It's been two weeks now since I have installed a long lost TD Stillen exhaust made for the G35 Coupe. It's previous owner abandoned this system after he decided he needed a new car. For a few years I have been debating on getting this exhaust. I had watched YouTube video after YouTube video listening to other G35 owners who had installed their own Stillen exhaust system. I finally saw my opportunity to pick up this system after finding this guy who had abandoned his exhaust like it was nothing. I actually don't think he cared one bit it was going.
This person being our very own moderator, Sean. Naturally fitting, he's a Canuck, which everyone knows are some of the most unfriendly people in the world. How such people can just abandon such a wonderful exhaust is beyond me. And the proof of not caring can be proven by the fact he forgot what he was sending me because he included instructions on how to remove the dirt can of a vacuum cleaner.
Nonetheless, it was sitting outside my door one day after work and I just had the biggest grin on my face, I already knew what it was. I took the boxes apart (one being a box for a vacuum cleaner) got all the pieces out and sanded down the ends. Later that weekend, I went and got the necessary hardware to install the system (nuts and bolts, clamps, and some gaskets). So now I just had to let the anticipation build until the following weekend as my friend, a G sedan owner, was going to help me with the install.
The following Friday night, I attempted to see how much of this system I could load up in the G (my SUV was unavailable). Unbelievably to me, the muffler fit perfectly in the trunk, in which I laid the two straight pipes on top and put the X pipe in the back on some blankets. Saturday morning, I loaded up my tools and some Sam Adams and I was off to his house. My friend and I decided the night before we would also do my rear diff oil change and the engine oil since we would have the G up and off all fours. So we went to the local auto parts store to get some Royal Purple synthetic gear oil (75W-90 I believe it is) and ended up getting some Valvoline synthetic (RP and Mobil1 was sold out). I also had to pick up one nut as the previous auto parts store last weekend only had 3, I needed 4.
So back to his house we went and first thing was first, jacking it up, which proved to be more of a chore than what we expected. Beer time. Then we changed the oils and soon after the real fun started. The OEM muffler came off. That was a little tricky getting it off the rubber isolators. The mid pipe proved even more difficult, making our sockets white-hot. The Y pipe came off quite easily. I got all the bolts and nuts together, but we ran into a slight problem. Both of us being self-proclaimed mechanically inclined (him being an engineering grad, me just being hands-on), we both learned that on M10 nuts, the numbers after M10 indicates the thread parameters. Beer time and then back to the store. To make it easy, I just picked up an automotive parts set that had my M10 nuts and bolts.
So now the real fun really started. Beer time again. We went right in reverse to install the new system. The X pipe was a breeze. The two straight pipes proved to be a geometrical quiz at first. The muffler went on next and did it look good after getting out from under the G. I went under and tightened everything, my friend went under and rechecked everything. Now was the time to test her out. Started her right up and vrooom. Everyone there just grinned (a few friends showed up and started grilling food as we were installing the muffler section). I let it warm up and then put my foot on the gas and revved her up several times, and boy, did she sound good. I had my friend rev it up and I stood behind it just listening to the proper noise in the words of Top Gear. For those who haven't heard this system in person, YouTube videos don't do it justice. We checked for leaks and of course, it was beer time again. At this point, there was a lot of man going on. An exhaust install was just completed, grilled food, beer, and no girls.
After lowering it down, it was time for a test drive. The three of us in the G couldn't stop commenting on it (two G owners and a Z owner). It was fair to say we all loved it. We got back, I loaded up the old exhaust and headed home to shower. One thing I noticed right away was that there wasn't annoying drone at cruising like I had feared.
It's now been two weeks having this exhaust system and I love it. I find myself not listening to music as often, but driving with the windows down, keeping the revs higher for longer and listening to that noise!
So to come full circle, the abandoned exhaust found it's new, loving and caring owner on a car that is just has happy to have it as the exhaust is as happy to be on it, doing what it does best.
Thanks, Sean.
