rabbitstew Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Well thought today id fit the K1 which I bought the other week. Im a very good mechanic and this sort of job normally only takes me an hour on most cars. But omg what a total nightmare. First off took me about 30mins to work out how to jack the car up! The cars 3 years old but ive never seen one so rusty underneath. The cross members looked like they were off a 20 year old car. The exhaust nuts were so rusty they had already started to disintegrate. So, start off undoing the nuts holding the exhaust sections together. Out of 4 nuts only one undoes. Have to use a nut splitter and and angle grinder on the 2 which join the Y pipe to the mid pipe and yet still one of the studs snapped off the Y pipe. ARGH!! But at least that bits free now. So, on to the rear box. There is no way on earth the 2 nuts joining the mid pipe to the back box will come undo. The one which did come undone turns out actually had 2 nuts on it. Sigh. So, angle grind through one, but the grinder wont reach the other and because of the shape of the flange the nut splitter wont fit. ARGH! So in the end I had to cut through the actual exhaust pipe instead. Then came the awkward job of trying to get the box off the rubber mounts. Jesus they make that hard. So back to the snapped off stud on the Y pipe.... The bolts holding the Y pipe onto the cats looked like they were 100 years old so there was no way i was trying to undo them. So only option was to either try and weld some threaded bar to the Y pipe, or drill out the broken stud. I go for the drill option... 2 hours later I finally manage to drill a hole big enough through it so I can use a nut & bolt. Actually bolting the system on was nice and easy. Fitted straight on, but the whole job ended up taking me 6 hours and is one I NEVER EVER EVER want to do again. God knows what sort of mess one of these high street fast fit places would have made, as I took my time and was as careful as I could be. Start the car up once finished and the sound is awesome. It seems to rev much quicker now, but god its loud! And thats with the bungs in! Not tried it with the roof down yet, but with the window down I feel like im a nova boy racer! lol. Will see how I get on over the next week with it as it settles in. Looking forward to the underground carpark at work too...... i expect it will be setting off car alarms all over the place! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4XNY Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 ha ha, I pretty much keep the bungs in mine all the time, its fairly tolerable, with them out......well...........loud.... is all i can say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted March 26, 2011 Author Share Posted March 26, 2011 Well im off for a sunday drive out with the missus tomorrow so i`ll see what she says to it. Dont think she will be too impressed tho! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 i give it 2 months and you'll have it off lol... i fitted one to mine, it sounds awesome without the bungs, but it is sooooooo loud everything rattled inside the car. After various failed missions to silence the interior i took it off and sold it. i did enjoy it for the time i had it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Thoughtyou mentioned you were a good mechanic Yes those back box rubbers are a swine. Always need a good drop of lube to get them back on.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tez162003 Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 sod pulling of the rubbers on the car. I just unbolt the bracket then take the rubbers off when there off the car. K1 is loud, but also IMO a very poor crap quality exhaust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 i give it 2 months and you'll have it off lol... i fitted one to mine, it sounds awesome without the bungs, but it is sooooooo loud everything rattled inside the car. After various failed missions to silence the interior i took it off and sold it. i did enjoy it for the time i had it Sounds like my experience with the Buddy Club too... awesome sound with bungs in but soooo much vibration and noise in the cabin My ears love me again now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted March 26, 2011 Author Share Posted March 26, 2011 sod pulling of the rubbers on the car. I just unbolt the bracket then take the rubbers off when there off the car. K1 is loud, but also IMO a very poor crap quality exhaust. yeah, i did think about undoing the bracket, but with the rusty bolts i thought id best leave them. Lubed them up and they went on easier than getting off. your right, the K1 does seem poor quality, rusts easy. Looks like its more like chrome plated steel rather then stainless. But, thats why its cheap compared to other stuff. not sure i dare take the bungs out yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Did about 190 miles today... had a cruise upto Birmingham, over to Dudley and back home. Now my ears are ringing. Missus kept screaming "I dont like it, make the noise go away!" lol.... I think its because mines a roadster, that it sounds a lot louder and boomy in the cabin with the K1... at 2000rpm it really does make your ears go funny. Will see how I get on this week then may have to look at other options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 "I dont like it, make the noise go away!" I take it you still had the bungs in then? If you take them out, it will fix the problem..... you wont be able to hear anything she says Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 "I dont like it, make the noise go away!" I take it you still had the bungs in then? If you take them out, it will fix the problem..... you wont be able to hear anything she says yep havent taken them out yet. Cant believe it can be any louder tho! Good idea tho, will try that next time she gets in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 My old car was a ragtop with the K1 and I'm sure that having a fabric roof meant I got a lot less shaking and vibrations than the tintop guys. I loved mine, never had the bunts in except on track. Bunch of wimps That said, mine was an original K1 not the Japspeed version, I wonder if that's the reason? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.