dailydriver

Does the front y-pipe support/hanger, which is bolted to the trans tailshaft housing (on MM6es at least) do ANYTHING/serve ANY other purpose other than support and stabilize the y-pipe and whole exhaust system?

Mine is cracked at the tailshaft housing mount, and there are NONE available any more, save for maybe boneyards (which do NOT have ANY LS1 fourth gens in them in my area ).

I am going to call Hawks Third Gen tomorrow, but I do not have high hopes they will have this either.

CAN this part be eliminated without any consequences, or will the system come apart at the joints/clamps quickly without it??

Thanks in advance,

Dave H.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

If you can't get one, I'm sure a decent exhaust shop could either do a weld repair on the crack (not sure if that's possible without seeing the actual damage), or fabricate a new brace/hanger for that area.

dailydriver

THANKS! ^^^

The GM discontinued parts warehouse in Wisconsin(??) had one, and Fred Beans ordered it in for me.

I got it off the car yesterday, and it cracked right at the bolt mounts to the tailshaft housing.

It does not appear to do ANYTHING else than support the y-pipe (and whole system, I guess?), and damp y-pipe vibrations/shaking.

Would the y-pipe start stress cracking if I do not get a chance to install this right away??

blackbirdls1

iTrader: (5)

I threw mine out awhile ago , don't remember why I did, the full exhaust including Y pipe is still nice and tucked, so I'm really not sure what's its purpose, if it does have a purpose I will have to find one also. Can anyone chime in?

JOHNNY59

iTrader: (398)

I have one if still needed.

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

Mine became useless the moment I added long tubes. I finally go around to removing it when I installed my poly trans/torque arm mounts.

dailydriver

Would weak/flexing motor and trans mounts cause enough fatigue stress on this part to make it crack at the final fold where the bolt holes attach to the tailshaft??

If so, then I may not put it back in until I get poly motor mounts and a new OEM trans mount installed.

1 FMF

iTrader: (1)

i think you would be fine without it, provided the band strap that connects the y pipe to the center pipe going down the car is snug and doesn't slide in/out easily. the next support on the exhaust is on the over axle pipe, the exhaust between there and the manifolds is not heavy so i don't think it would hurt anything missing that support at the transmission tail shaft. the thing to worry about with either the motor moving around because of bad mounts, or the exhaust moving, is torquing the exhaust system and breaking the studs holding the exhaust manifold to the cylinder head. by not having that exhaust support at the transmission tail shaft you might actually protect the exhaust manifold studs, but that's not to say it's a great idea and how you should run it.
and i don't think flexing motor mounts would cause that support to crack, i think you would break exhaust manifold studs first.

dailydriver

Thanks again!

So it was just plain old, 15 year old fatigue that stressed it enough to break right at the tailshaft mount point?

Yes, I use a good, all 304, DynoMax band clamp on that junction, re-torque it EVERY time I go under the car, and use red Loctite AND Nylock nuts doubled up on top of the one's which came with the clamp, to avoid any chance of that y to intermediate pipe joint loosening.