Starting any job with the right tools and hardware on hand keeps the sailing smooth

More time is wasted with DIY exhaust system repairs running back and forth to the parts store than is ever spent doing the actual repair. We’ve all done it (on exhaust work or any other vehicle or home project) from time to time. We get in the middle of a task and find we either don’t have the right tools or parts or hardware, and it’s off we go to waste a morning or afternoon shopping. There is a better way.

Before you haul out the saws or cutters to remove a rusted piece of exhaust, check the entire system from front to back. Assume that every nut and bolt you’ll have to remove will be rusted beyond reuse or will snap off with the least amount of wrench force; make sure you have new hardware on hand including clamps and gaskets.

Get a pipe expander tool. Yes you might be able to borrow one from a parts’ supplier or friend, but these lendable devices can suffer from misuse, such as turning the expander too fast with a power wrench. New ones start at $50, and even the cheap ones can last if they’re used properly with a hand wrench. They’re invaluable when trying to mate aftermarket replacement pipes with original equipment pieces that have to be cut due to assembly welding.

Keep a spare saw blade on hand. Most DIY techs will cut off pipes with a metal saw (either a hack-saw or powered sawzall). You’ll almost always be working at an awkward angle when trying to cut out a rusted pipe; the number one cause of broken blades.

When trying to separate a slip-over joint that’s rusted tight, you can hammer and twist all you like; you’ll only tire your arms and possibly break something you’re trying to reuse. It can take a serious amount of welding-torch heat to get a pipe to come off, and most DIYers would rather use a cutting wheel in the name of safety. But it’s easy to go through both layers of a joint with a large cutting wheel on a heavy power tool. Using a small Dremel-style hand-tool makes it much easier to cut through just one layer, allowing you to peel the overlapping pipe off the one underneath.

Broken stud and bolt removers are a necessity when working on almost any Canadian vehicle that’s seen a winter or five. Never try to tackle drilling out a stud or bolt with a dull drill bit. Keep a few new ones on hand with your set of easy-outs just for the express purpose of this unpleasant task.

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