MAC 4.6L SOHC/COBRA & 5.0
CAT-BACK "BACK YARD" INSTALL

Written by Mustangworld.

Lots of pics, I hope your on the net at 28.8 or faster.

Backyard Mechanic. Triple Plated Chrome Mac tailpipes after install.

There is nothing that says "I have a modified Mustang" louder than a killer exhaust note. The Mustang GT base product already has a great sounding exhaust system, but for those who want more, there are many aftermarket exhaust systems out there to fill your bill. We here at Mustangworld do all our own installs, superchargers, tranny's, cams, heads, axles, etc. When it comes time to choose a product, we look for three things: Price, Ease of installation & performance. If you can find a product will all of these features then you have a winner. The Mac cat-back exhaust system is a winner. It get's our prize as the easiest to install, most bitchn' looking, sounding and cost effective exhaust system for the 4.6L.

First off it only costs $239 (1-00 update: Price ranges from $239 to $299 depending on model year). That's a great price for what you get. There are also no muffler clamps or gaskets to worry about. The mufflers are welded in place. The muflers are tucked up and ride higher than the stang's own chassis. The tips are triple chrome plated 16 ga steel. The system is HTS coated and have welded (not rolled) seams. The sound characteristics off the muffler is like a Dynomax and Flowmaster put together. A very deep bass rumble with a little high-end ripple, all under throttle control. It makes your 4.6L sound like a 5.8L ! The fit and finish are excellent.

There is a good power increase in the 2000 RPM to 4000 RPM range (and above), you can feel it at the gas pedal. This is also the RPM range where the mufflers produce the sweetest sound. Any person or car near you will now "feel" your presence. Let's just say the exhaust sound turns heads big time, double takes, triple takes and so on. The sound is not "obtrusive" in any way. You'll never get yelled at for having a loud stang unless you mash the pedal at the drive through window or something. You can be as nasty as you wanna be. It sounds like a serious performance machine. All this rumble with the stock (6 catalytic) h-pipe AND stock headers in place! It has every other sports car on the street "running for cover". The system also "looks" great.

You can hear this system and compare it to others on our sound page. We were simply not able to capture the true "bass" of the system... it overloaded our mics! In real life you can "feel" the sound.

Installation of the Mac 2 1/2" Cat back system was very easy. The hardest part about the whole install was removing the old stock system (which required hacking the old pipes), but with a little planning the whole install can be done by only one person and in only 2 hours. We like to work slow. If you rushed it, you can do it in 30 minutes. Take your time, do the job "right". Installation is similar on a DOHC Cobra Mustang, SN95 5.0 or for a 3" Cat-Back system.

OK... HERE WE GO!

1. This is what comes in the box. 2 Flow Path Mufflers welded to the extender pipes. 2 chrome plated tips. Instruction sheet & mounting hardware (bolts/studs & nuts). No muffler clamps or gaskets needed ! The system looks so good, you'll want to hang it on your bedroom wall instead of your stang !
2. Triple chrome plated exhaust tips (2). They look incredible. they are taper cut at the ends. To call them chrome "tips" is not quite accurate, it's chrome from just after the rear axle all the way to the back ! This is chrome that would make Harley Davidson proud ! (BTW Mac also makes Harley exhaust systems).
3. With a 3 ton floor jack we lifted the rear of the car from the center of the axle. We then lowered the car onto two steel ramps and further braced the axle with 2 jackstands on each side. The jackstands are there only as a backup and carry no load. We wanted the suspension loaded (on the ramps) to make sure we could check the exhaust pipe clearance in every place. We here at Mustangworld are safety freaks. Get those safety glasses on now also.
4. This is where we are going to make the cut in the stock pipes. Just after the pipe leaves the stock muffler. This is just before the pipe bends over the rear axle. The stock pipes must be cut, there is simply no way to remove them without dropping the rear axle (a pain). By cutting them, we can remove them easily. This was the straightest place we could find on the pipe, in case you want to re-use the stock pipes with a muffler clamp over the cut.
5. USE SAFETY GLASSES ! We used a reciprocating power saw. You could also just use a hand hack saw. To prevent the pipe from bending during the cut, have your buddy hold the exhaust pipe at the tip in the rear of the stang.
6. The stock pipe after the cut. This may look difficult but it's really not that hard to do at all, even with a hand hack saw. There is plenty of room to get a hand saw in there. We worked on one side at a time, after installing the Mac system completely on one side, then we started on the other muffler.
7. Next, un-bolt the rear muffler hanger assembly. It's only one 10mm bolt. Don't try to work the pipe out of the hanger while it's up on the car,why? It's a pain in the butt ! It will be much easier to just un-bolt the whole assembly and remove it on the ground. You can now remove the entire rear tailpipe section from the back of the stang.
8. Spray some WD40 on the bolts before removing the nuts that hold the front part of the muffler to the h-pipe. Remove the nuts and leave the muffler hanging on the bolts. the muffler is still being held in place by a rubber muffler hanger (at the rear) that we'll un-bolt next...
9. Here is what the Mid muffler hanger assembly looks like. Just un-bolt the whole assembly (2 x10mm bolts). Lower the muffler down and pull it back to remove it from the h-pipe.Remove the stock muffler from the rubber hanger down on the ground...
10. Use dish soap to slick up the surface to remove the rubber hangers easily. Don't use grease or oil. Soap will dry and the mufflers will stay in place. Certain oil or greases could damage the rubber mounts overtime.

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