Appointment with Wayne at “A1 Muffler Service” for next Wednesday at 8:30am, I leave seattle at 7:30 and arrive at 8:05. Spend a few minutes driving around this area of Everett. Lots of used truck lots, used rv lots, used camper lid lots, used 4×4 lots all along hwy 99. This is the car repair part of town, but wow there’s a lot of recreational vehicle businesses. Does that say something about Everett? Maybe tere is a whole nother section dedicated to boats?
Wayne arrives at 8:40, moves the vehicles and has me drive it onto the lift. I wait in the office which is a genuine old-style car repair office. Timeless look from out of the early 60s I estimate.
Vintage Office in A1 Muffler Service
The Muffler Minute-Men
Vintage Office in A1 Muffler Service
Vintage Office in A1 Muffler Service
Vintage Office in A1 Muffler Service
Vintage Office in A1 Muffler Service
Bullitin Board with Muffler Humor (and news).
Lots of “muffler industry advertising paraphernalia.” An plastic clock painted and textured like wood that reads: “We’re AP muffler Minutemen – we install mufflers in 30 minutes or less TRY US!” with of course a revolutionary war minuteman with tricone hat and rifle in hand. So… who wants their muffler installed in a short amount of time? I’d rather wait and get it done well.
I examine the other cars in the garage. An 80s firebird has several rusted holes in its exhaust and exhaust is suspended from car with 6 feet of wire. Nice looking 280z.
I mosey back into the office to sit on the big couch and wait as customers come in. Each and every one has a bitchy whiny tone with Wayne. “My alternator doesn’t work – I got a new battery but the battery light is still on”, “my brakes broke again”, etc. I speak to a fellow customer on the couch who complains that there used to be two couches. I ask about Wayne: “He’s the best mechanic there is”. Funny relationship these folk have with their mechanic. Each wants wayne to look at their issue right away, wayne politely demurs and continues the exhaust work. They grumble but tolerate it.
Some guys come in and seem really pushy, talk to fast and pretty much demand that he do something for them. Wonder what this relationship is? Does he realize that so much hinges on his ability? From 15 minutes watching and from the number of waiting people I think Wayne could raise his prices, be less busy and do better for himself.
Exhaust is finished in just over 3 hours. $200 seems a great value. I drive off into the sunset and a happy future?
New exhaust: the next day (well, that afternoon):
On driving back to seattle I notice truck has a nasty vibration throughout. Pretty harsh, loud and unpleasant sound. Dang. I’m sad. What is that? I realize… remember the snow? Shit. I bet I left the front hubs locked. Pull over at a rest area and sure enough they’re still locked. They are warm and so is the front diff. Huh.
Starting the car that evening to drive home from work the truck makes a loud clang clang clang!! Sound coming from the front engine area. The exhaust is coming into contact with the engine on startup. I put my head under and check out the exhaust. There is no flex tube at all. That is gross negligence, a diesel moves a bunch, the exhaust will be destroyed in a short while. Flex tube is not an option, it’s a requirement on this truck. Probably that is the source of the driveline vibration. I guess I’ll be driving up the next day.
The next morning I arrive back at A1 bright and early, 8:30am. Wait for wayne to show and am joined by an FJ40 from TorFab that is waiting for exhaust to be installed, then Tor arrives too. They check out the exhaust that was installed yesterday, it is not following the desired factory routing, looks more like the routing used for a 60 v8 conversion. Tor says flex tube is necessary, not optional. Explains how exhaust is supposed to be routed through the leaf springs. Wayne arrives and I explain the issue with noise and clanging, the need for flex tube. He has no flex tube. What about the one from my old exhaust? Its gone, he leaves the old stuff outside at night and its taken away by the vultures. Bummer. Wayne orders a flex tube and I’m to return in 2 hours. Shit. That’s what I get for doing no research and trusting someone to do it right. I guess I should have asked Tor to take it to A1, he’d be able to explain what was needed. Anyway, internet research shows what the OEM routing was, also the routing that wayne used. Seems that both are fine though the Wayne routing says a flex-tube downpipe is necessary to prevent exhaust from tearing itself apart. We’ll see I guess.
Black flame proof paint seems to holding up just fine.
Exhaust now exits at stock location, drivers side rear. I sort of miss the passenger side side pipe. 😦
Once exhaust is home I have at it its shiney newness with some VHT Flameproof paint. I apply per instructions with light coats every 10 minutes until the can runs out. Then I need to cure the paint by driving it so that the exhaust gets progressively hotter before cooling. Being a diesel it probably never gets hot enough but I follow the instructions anyway.
A month has passed and the stuff seems to be stuck on well. Looks good, flat black. Can’t scratch it with fingernail so I guess its permanent.
CanadianBJ 