The emissions people ordered me to get a new muffler last year (justly). I had it done by professionals (sigh!). I just noticed that they welded the bit of pipe between the muffler and tail pipe (I have a long-bed so it needs another foot of pipe.) to the hangers. Is this okay? Could they have hit my differential? They had a lift, of course.
Yes that is ok
I’m not sure I understand your question. The exhaust system needs to be suspended from the frame of the car, are you wondering if there is some other way to attach the hangers to the pipe?
As far as I know the best way to securely attach 2 pieces of steel to each other is by welding.
Possibly, but they would have to beat on it with a hammer several times (leaving marks) to get your front pinion seal to start seeping a year later.
How was it done originally? I’d think that a hanger that held the pipe up but allowed it to move would be more durable.
There should be a rubber link in the exhaust hanger to allow movement of the pipe. The rubber can’t be attached to the pipe, there must be a section of metal in the hanger between the pipe and rubber, it can be welded or clamped to the pipe.
There’s that.
There’s that too. Holding a hanger upon which the pipe would rest would be more flexible and easier to repair. My experience with welds is that they’re brittle. I probably won’t drive enough the rest of my life to break these but I don’t think they would have lasted the previous 30 years.
Gee, they’ve been welding car frames and bodies up until recently when adhesive has replaced a lot of welding of body panels. Trailers are welded etc. Done properly, it will last until the frame rots away. Brittle welds are a result of improper materials or process…
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Welds on my pickup’s body have failed.
Welds on a frame are long, not single points, and the body is made to stay rigid, not hold otherwise-loose parts. Welds are brittle. Doing them wrongly makes them weak, not necessarily more brittle.
News flash, the frame is designed to flex. There are weld segments holding it together and purposely not contiguous for the length of the seam so it can flex properly. You seem to be an expert on welding so not sure why you’re asking about a simple hanger being welded to an exhaust pipe…
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That is wrong, good welds are NOT brittle. 2 pieces of metal welded together should be as strong as the parent material. The failure of a proper weld should be next to the weld rather than through the weld itself.
Doing them incorrectly can make them both weak AND brittle.
The body is designed to be as rigid as practical but is in NO way rigid. Everything flexes, all the time, it is just a matter of degree.
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