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Lotus in the Peak
28th - 30th June 2024

Cat Pipe/decat-what Tools?


Sol

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Im planning to attempt to refit the decat pipe at the weekend and I have no idea what I need! Had the decat on but it had to be swopped with a cat when I was black flagged at Bedford (which still had the rusted bolts(studs?) in.) Im not happy with how quiet it is now, so I want to get my hands dirty. Also, Im done with paying someone to remove/refit at MOT. I want to not be so mechanically ignorant!

 

Didnt see what Sinclaires guy did exactly, so Im not sure whether he removed the studs(or how or whether its possible to refit like that), but I got the nuts back with my pipe from my original decat setup.

 

I observed someone else who had 2 huge wooden wedge ramps and saw how he did it. I dont have ramps and Im not sure if its possible without or whether theres an alternative I can use.. Saw some ramps in Halfords for about £35. If it makes it that much easier, probably worth getting it as Im gonna be swopping lots with more days at Bedford booked.

 

Also, what tools do I need/what size. I have no ratchet device or spanners. Had a peek in Halfords, and sets range from £20 to £100. I assume I only need one size, so the £20 one will do?

 

Im aware that I need copper grease, possible wd40. Thats it.

 

What I have:

1) A decat pipe!

2) Some nuts and washer things

3) 2 spare new gaskets(those thin slivers of metal that go at the end of the pipe

4) Some allen keys(hopefully one will fit the undertray)

5) One elise

6) Willingness ;)

 

Also, is there anything I need to look out for that I can seriously damage if I screwed up? And advice really appreciated..

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I find an 8mm nut runner and a set of metric allen keys removes the undertrays in seconds. I bought the Halfrauds ramps and i find they are ideal for any jobs on the rear. They are just wide enough for my S1 111s with 225,s on the back.

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Probably going to get a set of ramps as I need to get under the car this weekend. Is there a problem with the front scraping the ground when you reverse up them or does it miss?

Cheers

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Just missed on my S160. No such luck with the 340R. Felt a bit daft jacking it up to put the ramps under the wheels. Felt sure one of the neighbours was going to come an explain how ramps work!

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I find an 8mm nut runner and a set of metric allen keys removes the undertrays in seconds. I bought the Halfrauds ramps and i find they are ideal for any jobs on the rear. They are just wide enough for my S1 111s with 225,s on the back.

 

Scary, though, isn't it. The box says they're for 185s ! 205s were bad enough but 225s hang well over either side. Take care !!!

 

Probably going to get a set of ramps as I need to get under the car this weekend.  Is there a problem with the front scraping the ground when you reverse up them or does it miss?

Cheers

 

My new one was OK, and you've seen how lowered that is.

 

Just missed on my S160. No such luck with the 340R. Felt a bit daft jacking it up to put the ramps under the wheels. Felt sure one of the neighbours was going to come an explain how ramps work!

 

:D

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I bloody did it!! My first attempt at car mechanics is complete:

 

Took a trip to The Motorists Centre the other day and found the exact same ramps as Halfords at £20, and bought a ratchet spanner kit thing for £15. Also bought a tub of copper grease while I was there.

 

Took only 6 hours to do, so I should think Ill be headhunted by an F1 pit crew boss pretty soon. ;) Feck me!

 

Thanks for the pointers guys, its really not as scary as I thought(though I was being very VERY careful because I have not a clue about cars. Feels like a real achievement, so Butty is very proud today!

 

The cat that was put back still had the studs in so it was a real pain in the arse to remove it, and I still dont know how Im going to get them out so that I can save myself some time on the next swap. Luckily for me, it was only put in recently so I didnt have the usual troubles people have. I dread to think how many days it could have taken..And I had to make a trip to diy stores to find some M10 bolts as the threads on one of mine was f@cked.

 

The ratchet spanner wrench thing + extension was a lifesaver.

 

Anyhoo, I took loads of pics on the way and will take the time to post them up if anyone wants to have a go and is interested in an "Idiots guide". Just ask.. :D

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Congratulations. I put the cat back today as I had all the back off anyway for the gear linkage bushes. I'd left the studs in my cat and it went back in no trouble at all, so wouldn't go to the trouble of pressing them out if you don't have to.

 

What ramps did you get for £20? The only ones my Halfords had were £33. Bloody scary backing up those I can tell you :D

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Yup, backing up was a nightmare! Tried to do it by hand with my brother on the other side, and it was going nowhere, so I jumped in and backed it up..Feels quite easy to overcook and drop the car off the back..

 

As for the studs, now that I (finally)figured out the nut that allows the exhaust pipe to move, I might not bother either.

 

A pic of the ramps are attached - they are 2.5 tonne ones. They looked exactly like the Halfords ones I saw.

post-49-1113068625.jpg

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Reversing onto ramps works OK because its the driven wheels climbing the ramp - worse to put the front on because the ramps have a tendancy to shoot out from under the front wheels but I remember a fantastic idea I read on here a while ago - sorry can't remember who was the clever person who thought of it.

 

Tie some rope to the base of the ramp (longer than the car) and drive over it as you go on to the ramps, the wheels that are not on the ramp stay on the rope and stop it shooting out. Genius.

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Well done !

 

Spare old carpet under the ramps will stop them moving. I've had one jump backwards (on concrete slabs) and it's a bit scarey :D

 

They don't look as heavy duty as my Halfords ones. Still, they should be OK with just about 250kg when they're probably rated at 2t each !

 

You can press the studs out with a decent vice and a deep socket (larger than the head of the stud). Put the socket over the head and squeeze the socket and end of the stud with the vice. It'll go with a big bang when it does !!

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Dobbo is right, they do go with a bang when they finally come out!

 

Used the vice technique my self and I was literally jumping on the arm before they finally budged.

 

Worth doing IMHO - particularly if you refit with stainless nuts and bolts.

 

Dunc

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok, well someone has requested a guide and I have prepared one in MS Word on a pc. I should add that this is at your own risk as this was my first attempt at anything mechanical!!

I would really appreciate a couple of the more competent grease monkeys to take a quick look and post any corrections or glaring mistakes..

 

Slight problem, it wont let me upload - its 750k. Where can I put it??

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