Mystery Box of Dark Power

Driving home this evening beneath sackcloth Florida skies, I was stung by an increasing sense of uneasiness as I pulled into the driveway of my lifeless homestead. From beneath the garage door, a strange glow emanated, pulsing with an unholy light. I considered turning back, perhaps seeking out a warm meal at a nearby Carrabas, or perhaps a more sensible Olive Garden salad with a post-meal stumbling to Harbor Freight, but nay! Something beguiled me, something beckoned me to enter.. something wanted me, to see.

Beyond the door, the box of evil greeted me. What dark machinations did it hold? What insane, Lovecraftian nightmare did it restrain? I had to know...
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The relic inside, obviously being of great power, required a secondary sarcophagus, imbued with a holy symbol of packing tape. Against my better judgment, I pressed onward, breaking the seal of the coffer to usher forth my certain doom.
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Digging through layers of protective shielding and runic bubble wrap, I found it. The answer.

A hastily scrawled manuscript, likely the last page from the Diary of a Madman, would surely lay forth the damnation I have now brought upon not just myself, but my family, my neighbors...

I, the new bearer of this horrible device, must fulfill my destiny. Hands shaking, I collect the parchment and find my answer.
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May the gods have mercy on my neighbors and passengers! An abomination of sound from the dark lord of metal himself.
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I give you the "Gothspeed CBxAG 348" exhaust!

After shopping exhausts for several months, I loved the sound that Goth's setup produces, the focus on light weight, and the all-business look. Included the Challenge mounting bar, all the hardware, donuts, really good instructions and packaging, and some sexy welding... the man has skills.

I admittedly also like the idea of having a one of a kind made from someone in the community, and supporting the awesome people that help make these cars so much fun.

Rest assured, install pictures and video will be coming as soon as I have time to get this beast fitted!
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I'll let you know once it's in so you can swing by and check it out.

 

They are fixable in most cases, and are pretty simple devices. Look for a thread on here about repairing them. I re-soldered one of mine and sealed it. No issues since.

 

Good news, bad news:

Good news: Exhaust is in! Didn't have time to get sound clips yet, but it sounds A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Sound at idle is about like a typical muscle car, aggressive and throaty but not overpowering. Around 2,000 RPM there is a slight resonance, but it sounds good, almost harmonic. If you keep the revs under 3k it is very tolerable, but once you put your foot on it... bat outta hell. Fantastic shriek! My dog will need therapy now, but it was worth it.

Car now has Goth exhaust, no cats, and the old 2 can removed for the single. About 80lbs less and breathing much better. Throttle response is noticeably faster, especially on heel-toe downshifts. Feels much snappier as well. Definitely picked up a few horses and lost some weight, and you can feel it!

Bad news: I didn't realize I'd need a second set of exhaust gaskets for the cat to header connection, and mine were fried. Took hours to source some locally, and due to a slightly thicker size, the factory bolts were a bit too short. I had a few spare bolts (since I removed a 2 can exhaust) so I cut the springs on the bolts in half and they fit ok now. Always something!

I also painted the exhaust shield black, instead of silver, as I think it looks much cooler matched to the rest of the engine instead of that awful silver semi-metallic.

Have a slight exhaust leak by the header I need to fix, likley the gasket just a bit wonky, but after that, pics and videos!

Can't say enough good things about Goth's kit. Instructions were great, all the hardware was there, and it fit perfectly with minimal adjustment.

 

I can see why! Some of the most basic parts for these cars can be a real challenge to find in a pinch. Thankfully I used a thread on here to find a Felpro version which was close enough to work, albeit slightly thicker. They were stocked at Autozone PNJ 60155, in case anyone else ever needs one in a hurry.

Can't say enough good things about all the efforts the 348/355 brothers have put into the parts exchange database. While I'm never against going with OEM or factory parts when needed, it is often the 2 day shipping more than the price that drives me bonkers. Nothing worse than having a 30 minute repair hosed by a $5 gasket!

Fixed my small exhaust leak last night. One of the donut gaskets was a bit thicker than the other (even with the same part #) which resulted in one side being BARELY close enough to get a nut on the bolts. They clearly didn't have enough torque, or I didn't torque them evenly enough and the gasket was blowing by. After modifying another set of bolts, I was able to re-install and everything looks great.

I'll keep my modified blots, along with my home-crafted mounts for the engine lid (adjusted to use a more common gas strut), but hold onto the factory parts as well. It's nice when you can tweak the designs to use commodity parts without affecting the ability to make it completely factory again if needed.