OEM Muffler Restoration....Make It Shine

[JDMike]

So I picked up an OEM Honda muffler from a 2008 Civic Si to replace the canister style muffler on my Apex exhaust, which was what originally came on my 92 Civic Si-R from Japan. Honestly I just wanted something super clean and low key that wouldn't attract any attention from the cops, and I am tired of having a louder exhaust on my car. You can't go wrong with OEM quality and with it being from a Si it will still have a decent flow (muffler is 2.25" inlet and outlet iirc.) The muffler is in pretty decent shape and came from a car with low miles on it. I just wanted to clean it up and make things look a little better. I like things on my car to be clean and in great shape. Some people would have just put it on they way it was (which is OK) but that's not me. Anyways onto the pics....

1. Here is the exhaust as I got it.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore001.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore002.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore003.jpg

2. The tip was a bit mangled up and a little bit too big for my liking. I removed the 10 mm bolt and took it off. There are also three tack welds holding it on which had to be broken loose.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore004.jpg

3. As you can see here the exhaust is pretty much straight through.http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore005.jpg

4. Here it is with the tip removed. You can see where it was tack welded.http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore006.jpg

5. Once that was off I put some cleaner on it to remove the grime.http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore008.jpg

6. Next step after cleaning was a little polishing thanks to Eagle Never Dull Metal Polish. Here is a little test spot.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore011.jpg

7. After working at it for a bit here is a portion of it all cleaned up. It just takes a little elbow grease to develop a nice finish. You can see this big difference here in the light. I will go over it a few more times once I get the entire thing cleaned up.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore014.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore016.jpg

It was cold out in the garage and I was hungry so obviously I didn't finish all of it. I will update this with more pics and info once I do some more work on it which should hopefully be this weekend............To be continued

[spastik]

nice writeup! thanks mike

[JDMike]

nice writeup! thanks mike

No problem. Some people may think that this may be a little much to polish up an exhaust, but I don't drive my car daily and never in the rain or snow. If you want to have an ultra clean car you have to pay attention to details. That's what sets one car apart from all of the others.

[InSepsis]

Awesome work... I did the same with me M3 and my 325i Exhaust last summer... they look shiny now :)

[Jserman]

looks good....so is this why you didn't come to bubble tea????

[StartingLine]

great write up

[SRLNCLT]

Nice Mike! I have read a few posts on doing this. I may do this on my wifes new fa! I'm jealous of ur si muffler though.

[Jdmitr]

Nice Mike. Looks good.

[bullet]

nice, really shiny.

[JDMike]

I finished the outer portion today and next will be the front and possibly the rear. Should be installed next week. I'm looking for an OEM Honda tip to fit also to replace the oversize Si oval one. I am thinking the newer Accords have what I want.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore018.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore019.jpg

[CarNueba]

Nice work Mike! Lets see the finished product!!

[JDMike]

I finished up the exhaust yesterday and had it installed today. It turned out PERFECT....just what I wanted. BIG props to Bob and Seth at City Radiator and Muffler in Meridian 208-888-3771. Seth did an AWESOME job installing the muffler and even put up with a bit of my "looking over his shoulder" while he was doing what he does best.

In the previous pics I have just hit the outside of the muffler with some polishing compound. It cleaned it up really well but the ends needed a bit more polishing. I started off with some sandpaper 220>500>1000>1200>2000 and then some polishing compound. I only spent about $20 for all of the materials to do this and it took me about 3-4 hours. It's pretty much a free "mod" if you are willing to do the work (it's not for everybody but just for those who are detail oriented and want to get that "ultra clean" look.) The results speak for themselves....

A little test on the end (note the finish here compared the the final product)
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore034.jpg

Here it is after a once over with the 220 grit (I didn't take pics after each step of sanding because I was in a hurry and it's hard to show the difference after each one with a picture)
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore036.jpg

Looking much better now
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore038.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore049.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore054.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore052.jpg

Don't be LAZY....do the back too
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore051.jpg

After Seth worked his magic on the install
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore061.jpg

Finished product
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore062.jpg

Still need to decide if I want an OEM tip (RSX, S2K, Accord, Civic EX.) Seth ground off the mounting bracket for it and I need to clean it up a bit more
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore064.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore065.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore066.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/cd7h22a/My%20EG6%20SiR/OEM%20Exhaust%20Restore/SiExhaustRestore063.jpg

If anyone has any questions please let me know and I will be glad to help.....

[carfreak]

Looks okay on there... Would look TONS better if the tip came out in the factory location.

[JDMike]

Looks okay on there... Would look TONS better if the tip came out in the factory location.

I agree with the factory location thing. I debated it as he was installing it. There isn't much you can do when your old exhaust is in pieces on the floor and it's only about 2" off. We got it as close as possible. This muffler is from an 08 Civic Si. The inlet is offset to the left and the outlet is in the center. The OEM EG6 exhaust is set up different with the inlet coming in the right side and the outlet coming out of the left side, iirc. It was installed as close as it could be without it hitting anything or being tilted. The pics were shot at near ground level or below while it was still on the lift. The exhaust cutout is very small. It's not noticeable from standing behind the car or driving behind it. Anyways it's a small price to pay for a smooth, quiet sounding, OEM exhaust that is still 2.25" to match the Apexi piping that I already had.

[Jserman]

look good mike.... are you going to do a tip or just leave it as is?????

[JDMike]

look good mike.... are you going to do a tip or just leave it as is?????

I don't know yet. I was hoping for an OEM tip but we ended up cutting about 1.5" off of the end of the pipe and also removed the "tip mounting bracket" after Seth was done installing it. I am going to see if I can find something to fit and/or possibly cut off the entire pipe coming out. Right now, as you can see, it has a bend in it. We may cut that off entirely and put a 3" length of pipe exiting the muffler and call it good.

[goblin]

Looks very nice.

Kevin

[imssux]

clean man good job

[BRINGTHERUCKUS]

looks amazing man, love the hatch

[jasons9594]

where did u find the muffler at? I would like that for my h2b hatch to help quite it down a bit and it looks good to top it off....

[JDMike]

where did u find the muffler at? I would like that for my h2b hatch to help quite it down a bit and it looks good to top it off....

I picked it up locally for a good deal from an IMS member.

[jasons9594]

I picked it up locally for a good deal from an IMS member.

damn ive looked everywhere and cant find one i found new ones but there like $300+

[skip2mylou]

great write up dude :wavey:

[blackhawk431]

wow man...that looks bad ass! major props on getting that clean like that!!!