Exhaust - Need someone good in Northern IL/ Gurnee area

joeyboy777

Regular
Mar 2, 2008
163
12
Hi All, Been a while since stopping by here. I have a 98 GTP, the current exhaust is TOG headers to 3" straight back to 2 SS Magnaflows. My muffler cracked at the union where it splits from 1 pipe to 2. I am looking for a new muffler shop in the Northern IL Gurnee area preferably. Also, my car is lowered and has a bodykit, sop the place needs to have a lift I can drive over.
My current exhaust wasdone by James Dean 4 years ago, and really didnt want to drive that far this time. Any ideas??? Thanks,

Joe A
 

joeyboy777

Regular
Mar 2, 2008
163
12
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SINr247 @ Aug 6 2008, 07:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
I would suggest fair muffler in lagrange but that is just as far of drive.
Good luck let us know what you find up there[/b]

Well, I decided that to get a good exhaust, go to someone that others recommend. Others said to go to Fair Muffler in lagrange, so I went there this past saturday..... Not a good experience. I will make a more thourough post later with pics of before and after, but in case this post comes up in a search for exhaust places, I would note that I do not recommend them, and should of just done James Dean again.

When I got there, I was informed that the exhaust I had - 2 SS magnaflow mufflers I got for a great price from http://hottexhaust.com/ had to be replaced because when James Dean installed them, he cut the necks real short. I should have packed up my stuff then and went to James Dean to show him what he did and see what he could do. MJ sold me on a cherry bomb because he did not have the other brands in the right size in stock. In all it turns out that due to the cost of steel, and him selling me a muffler at 2 times the cost I could buy it anywhere online, I paid a HEFTY price...... I am doing a second vehicle, my 93 GMC Jimmy, nothing special, but this time up north by me. Then I will get a better idea of what another shop sells exhaust product for.... I may just be sour cause I would of liked to use that money to get a tv or vacation to cancun....

Moral of the story - buy all your parts so you do not have to pay a crazy cost for product at the shop, and plan your system.....

As far as the exhausts I have had -
Flowmasters F40 - good tough sound, LOTS of drone, took it on a trip to florida, and it is difficult to hear the other people in the car, and to listen to music, you had to turn it up loud. Would not buy again.
Magnaflows SS - I was impressed with them. Not too loud, but you could hear them in the cabin, was not raspy at all, mellow tone. I would deffinately buy again.
Cherry Bomb - So far they are not bad, at WOT they seem to have a little raspiness, but I am going to have someone else drive it so I can hear it from the outside. I am hoping it does not sound like those fart can cars.... that is just the worst..... So hopefuplly I can do a full report on everything once I get new pics of the exhaust and a good listen to what I have.........
 

joeyboy777

Regular
Mar 2, 2008
163
12
Also, from my first paragraph - the only reason I think I should of gone back to James Dean is so I knew totally that what they did may of made it hard for Fair Muffler to use my old exhaust. And if they said the same thing that I needed a new muffler, then I could poke them in the head. But with Fair muffler, I felt kinda stuck with them doing the system , but it was my choice to stay there and have them work on my vehicle. I could have left at that time to verify/get a second quote.... I only had the mufflers for 10,000 miles.
The exhaust looks good, sounds good.... Fiar does fo good work, and did ask me to come look at the progress because we were redesigning the layout of the exhaust. They did do a good job though.
 

joeyboy777

Regular
Mar 2, 2008
163
12
Here is the new exhaust - vs - old exhaust -
The old exhaust was 2 Magnaflow mufflers - they were positioned to hug the spare tire wheel well, then pipes came out to the rear in the center, almost like a Corvette.

The new exhaust is 1 Cherry Bomb exhaust to the 2 pipes but is put on a slant -


I have a video clip, but it is 30M, and I cannot upload it here, not sure how good the quality is, but it sounds decent. does not do it justice though.
 
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