Installation of Magnaflow #12388 on 2011 6.2 Supercab

I had been planning this for two years. The Magnaflow 12388 is a direct weld-in replacement for the factory exhaust can - front 3" inlet, paired 2.5" outlets the proper distance apart, and the length of the Magnaflow unit is within an inch of that of the factory can. Sadly, the installation job I got at what is supposed to be the best muffler shop in town is so incredibly crappy that it has spoiled the whole experience.

Take a look at this photo. You will notice that the muffler is not level, but is installed at an angle on its long axis. And have a look at the horizontal muffler "hanger." That "hanger" supports the weight of the entire exhaust system (including the catalytic converters and the resonator) from the engine all the way back to the front of the muffler - except it doesn't because it's installed 90 degrees from the force of gravity. Lastly, my truck came from the factory with over 12 inches of wheel travel. Now it has 10 inches of wheel travel.

I called the owner and told him how displeased and disappointed I was, and he told me that his installer knows what he's doing. He offered to "take a look at it." Forget it. The installation is so poorly thought out that I can have no confidence in their ability to think up an adequate fix. I'll be spending more money and the entire rest of the day fixing it myself.

Let the buyer beware.

It sounds quite good, though. I left the resonator in. It's not too loud and there is no-in-the-cab drone. The exhaust note is much deeper than that of the factory can, and only just a little louder at normal throttle settings. On a downhill stretch when you're off the gas, you can't really hear it. At full throttle it is not louder than the factory can, just deeper in tone.

Sorry Ruger,

You right, crap install job. Considering that exhaust (I have the same one) is a true bolt on, I have no idea what those guys were thinking including welding their own hanger on it since the stock system nor the Raptor have the hanger/mount point in that position. Mine is also a 2011 Scab, btw.



Correct hanger/install:

They used the cheapest hangers I've ever seen, and in fact I didn't know such crappy hangers existed. You can't even buy them at the auto parts store. They're just straight steel rod with a pivot at the attachment. No rubber. It's like a swing that a child would play on, but instead of chain it's straight steel rod. It'll pivot, but there is no give in it.

I've got a partial fix already. In addition to the horizontal steel rod, I've got a rubber hanger mounted vertically at the front of the muffler. It took some running around all over town to find what I needed, reuse of some of the hangers that the factory put on, design work, three hours under the truck, and of course my welding rig. I will almost certainly replace the solid rod hanger they installed at the rear of the muffler, but I'm beat and done for the day. It's astounding to me that the best muffler shop in town charged me $50 for such shoddy workmanship. The owner should be ashamed.

I was hoping I'd get more comments about the quality of the muffler installation I received. I was intending to print out the thread and take it to the owner of the exhaust shop. Guys?

I've got the exact set up, all bolt on WTF ?

Ruger said:

I was hoping I'd get more comments about the quality of the muffler installation I received. I was intending to print out the thread and take it to the owner of the exhaust shop. Guys?

Click to expand...

I think all you need to do is bring your pic and my pic and let him know...Wrong way/Right way.

I welded in my own Magnaflow muffler. I will say that the reason the muffler is tilted is because the stock exhaust pipes are not horizontal; check the original muffler. The hangers are a different story. I reused the stock hangers, but I had to extend the front hanger a few inches. The factory hangers are thick and work great. I didn't notice much of a sound difference either. Looks nice, sounds a little deeper.

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f160/magnaflow-muffler-install-comparison-16419/

I know how you feel Ruger. No one takes any pride in their work anymore. I won't trust my truck to anyone these days.

I just spent another couple of hours under the truck. Dear God, I'm glad I grabbed the factory hangers off the stock muffler before I left that clip joint. I've now got the factory rubber mounts on both the front and the rear of the muffler, and got about an inch of distance between the rear axel and the exhaust system back. It's not perfect by a long shot, but it's a whole lot better.

The thing is that if I didn't have the skills that I have and the equipment that I have, I would have had to take it blindly to another muffler shop and hope that they could understand what had been done wrong to a not-just-any truck.

I didn't think I could do the installation myself because I only have an oxy-aceteline rig. I still think that. With a gas rig you need to be able to see the puddle of liquid metal, and that's really a non-starter on the top arc of the tubes with the system on the truck. I also thought that the stainless steel in our Raptor exhaust systems precluded welding with a gas rig. Not so. There is apparently only enough chromium in the tubes to RETARD corrosion. It's barely stainless steel if it's stainless steel at all.

Averaged 16.5 mpg from Alabama to Nevada with new muffler - same as with factory muffler.

Evidently the factory can is a very good design. There is evidently nothing wrong with it that warrants replacement. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't.