I just purchased a Bassani cat-back and I plan to put it on this weekend. I noticed that it came with a little tube of anti-seize grease.
Do I put this on the threads of all of the bolts that came with the system including the pipe clamp bolts?

Thanks,
Eric

 

Screw those band clamps

If I had to do it over again, I'd go to the store prior to the install and buy 4x2.5" u bolt muffler clamps... or re-use the 4 clamps off the stock exhaust.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...threadid=85334

I only used the anti-seize on the connecting bolts for the tailpipes. Muffler clamps are easier to snap off than thread off anyways

 

what he said about the Bassani clamps, unless you have a driveshaft loop like the PSP, the exhaust will get f-uped when it blows off.

I used the never-seize on the round gaskets between the mufflers and tailpipes

 

I'd put it on the bolt threads and on the pieces that slide over each other if you have enough.

I know you don't have a choice but here is the best ant-seize I've ever used.

http://www.bmpd.com/bmw/parts/catalog/tuneup_11a.shtml

Dan

 

Can someone explain the problem with the Bassani band clamps to me?
Is it an issue of getting them tight enough? I assume they expand by some factor when they get hot and one would need to re-tighten them while they are hot.
It would seem that they would be better than the standard U bolt clap because they squeeze all the way around the pipe. The U bolt clamp just pushes on either side at the two tangential points of the pipe. I would just like to hear a more logical explanation to why the clamps do not work well as opposed to someone just saying that they suck. I guess it's just the engineer in me.

If the clamps are that big of a problem maybe I should have the joints welded. Any thoughts?

 

The ones they sent me wouldn't tighten enough. If you tightened them up all the way, the muffler could just slide off no matter how much you tightened them. I found it easier to spend the $4 on u bolt clamps and be done with it.

 

I might try tightening the clamps all the way and see if the pipe or the clamps still move. A buddy of mine had a good idea for me. I told him that I was afraid the pipes might come off and hang down if the clamps don't work. He said I should rig up a temporary safety wire on the x pipe and muffler just in case they come loose while I am testing them.

 

The clamps don't seem to hold the pipes tight enough. There are a lot of stories of them blowing off or just plain leaking. I used the heavy duty 3/8" ones from NAPA. I used the Bassani's on my Mustang and never had a problem though.

If you look, the clamps are a thinner metal than the pipes....

 

Looking at the clamps, you would think that they would hold better than the standard U-bolt muffler clamps. But that not the case. I pulled down the Bassani clamps with an air ratchet and they still blew off at WOT. Put the u-bolt clamps on and never had a problem