Hello there. I've ordered the RB full exhaust system for my '83 GSL with the old 12a engine in it. I'll be removing both cats, muffler and exhaust manifold and installing headers, presilencer and power pulse muffler. Any top tips for me before I get started?

 

Don't torque anything until all the hangers are in place and its sitting where you want it. I
put a jack under the center section balance point and pushed the assembly up to where I
wanted it then went and started tightening the header, collector and rear muffler attachment.
This was on the RB SP system but I imagine it would work for the collected header system as
well. You may find some of the shielding may need to be tweaked to make it right.

 

I installed my RB Streetport system without much difficulty. Make sure you have new gaskets and are ready to delete the air pump with a dual alternator pulley and I think you'll need to block off the acv...

 

As Tim says, get everything in place before tightening anything down. Once bolted together the unit is very rigid so you want to be sure the flange connections are done first to be sure they are good and tight. That means whatever alignment you have at the header gets translated all the way to the muffler mounts, so everything needs to be lined up just right.

Also, I had trouble with the bolts that are welded into the presilencer, they seem to be of a softer metal and strip out easily when you tighten down the nuts that come with the unit. I fixed it by threading on another nut, but better to avoid this in the first place by not over tightening (ergo for all the other nuts).

Finally, if you don't have plans for the cats, it turns out these older cats are loaded with rare metals and can be worth quite a few bucks if the honeycombs inside are in good shape, ie not gutted.

I sold a set of two precats and a main cat from a 12A to this guy a couple years ago, he paid the shipping and deposited $150 in my paypal account before I even put the cats in the mail:

https://www.rx7club.com/se-sale-want...erters-958819/

 

I already deleted the air pump when I removed the rats nest. Unfortunately I think deleting the air pump is what fried my catalytic converter in the first place...

 

Yep, without the air pump to let them breath, those honeycombs will fill up fast. That's what fried the cats.

Should still be good for recycle however, be sure to cash in on those.

Let us know how it goes, show us some pictures! Nothing like a brand new full RB system in the mail.

 

Will do! It's supposed to get here Friday.

 

Pro-tip: use high temp anti seize paste on EVERYTHING! I'm not kidding here. The power pulse presilencer is built in such a way that if you snap a stud off, it is not replaceable from the outside. This cost me $200 to buy a new one after snapping a stud too short from the presilencer to the tailpipe. Unless you're a master welder, it not so simple as welding on a bolt or screwing in another stud, as the studs are actually bolts run through the mount from the INSIDE before the end cap is welded into the tube.

Also, anti seize will make removal of these parts about 10x easier when you go to do it again. Also, the tailpipes for our cars are NLA from Mazda, so if yours is damaged or rusted out, you may need custom bent pipe to match, or the pick-a-part.

 

I repaired a presilencer once. Broken stud (bolt) just as LongDuck described.