Today was a day of minor compromises, a slight setback, and a couple moments where I felt my stomach pack up and move in with my feet. Lucky for me, those guys don't get along at all, so my gut would show back up and apologize before doing the whole routine all over again (kinda like a girlfriend I had years ago).
The compromises centered around how many 90s I was going to end up using after surveying the space under the car from yet another angle, and whether it's really wise for me to spend my time making and welding pie cuts for each of them when I have an actual bundle of unused Jeep exhaust pipes tied together and propped up in one of my metal piles.
The pipes being crush-bent was my main reason for deciding against using any of those pipes in the first place once the actual exhaust construction started. That decision was made before I became aware of how much larger than necessary the 2" pipes were (I think? Not going to go back and check). Basically, I'm not going to be running a risk of introducing too much restriction by using crushed pipes. Also, I doubt that any impedance that results from using them would be worse than what would come from me having to pile filler wire into the burn-through and pinhole voids permeating the spiderweb of metal that I would produce by trying to do the slice and stack.
So I hacked the exhaust pipes apart and collected the 90s.
The setback came in the form of the 90s that came with the side pipes being wayyyyyyyy too damn long for me to use them as-is. If I laid them where they would be placed on the vehicle, there'd be maybe a foot of space between them. Aside from minor things like the subframe rails being in the way if I don't want to drag the pipes on the ground, it's just too damn much 3" pipe. Ideally, there'd be no 3" pipe at all, but this is what I've got and I'm gonna have to make it work until I have a grown-up's exhaust system in place.
All of the clearance issues I was somehow only just identifying made me fear that the pipes just weren't going to cut it and I would be totally stuck unless I ended up making my own glasspacks. That's when my gut checked out and hit the floor. Then I replayed my thoughts in my head, or more accurately, two words from my thoughts: "cut it".
So I'm hacking part of the sidepipes apart and shortening the 90s.
I also spent some time getting some 1/2" round stock bent in preparation of welding it on as hanger bars.
When I do the torch and bend, I have to restrain myself to avoid being overcome by the urge to touch the red part (just for a second!). Every. Single. Time. It's only a matter of time before my sense is asleep on watch and my stupidity sees the opening to grab hold of that glow candy. I just hope I don't bite it when that day comes.
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