Newbie needs some help - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

thebrad.gang · 05-10-2005, 10:10 PM

Hello everyone,
I have lurked here before as a guest and I have never really been that much into cars and modifiying them before this year in autoshop class. My final project is on exhaust systems and how they work. I have talked to him into letting me use the shops tools to put a new TRD sports muffler on my dad 2003 carolla. Im going to buy the parts and hopefully it comes in soon. I just was wondering if anyone has done this before and what are some steps on how you installed it. It looks like its just bolt on system and it shouldn't be too hard to do. Anyone got any tips on what to do? And how did it work once you installed it?

Thanks
Brad

88CorollaFX · 05-10-2005, 11:03 PM

I can only offer one piece of advice. And that is, don't let the stock muffler fall on you when you cut it off and don't burn yourself with the welding torch! Mufflers are one of the easiest things to install, you just have to have the right tools and the right place to do it. All it is, is cutting the stock muffler off of the pipe. I mean just using a metal saw and sawing it straight off. After that is the only somewhat difficult part and that is, welding. Make sure that you hold the muffler as steady as possible so as to not offset your weld. Also make sure that the muffler is straight and lined up evenly all the way around so that it looks good. Otherwise, it's pretty cut and dry stuff. Good Luck with it. Also make sure you weld hangers from the muffler to the frame. PLEASE! My friend forgot to do that and as he was driving away the muffler dragged and scraped under the car to the point that the tip was so bent he had to replace the muffler again. Good Luck though man.

IZZ-FE · 05-10-2005, 11:19 PM

With the 2003 you should find that it should be a simple bolt-off/bolt-on job with no Welding required.
The muffler should be attached with a Flange that has spring bolts on it. The weight of it is held by two hooks that simply pull out of the rubbers. The TRD unit should have its own flange that bolts into place of the old one and two hooks in identical places to the old ones that you push back into the rubbers-make sure the ends go right through.
Don't tighten the spring bolts too much - there needs to be some movement in the joint to compensate for engine movement.

thebrad.gang · 05-12-2005, 07:41 PM

IZZ-FE,
thanks for the advice, we lifted that car in auto shop and looked at how I could put on the new muffler, and how exactly the TRD kit was (bolt on), we figured it out but when I called the dealership to get a price on the parts I was told $750! That waaayyy out of my price range.