Home / Ariel Atom / Improvements / Exhaust / Magnaflow 19
Installation of a Magnaflow muffler.Magnaflow is a sponsor of the Hot Rod Power Tour event, so I decided to give one of their mufflers a try on the Atom. They're polished stainless and look great - too bad they're usually not visible after they're installed.
- out of the box
I started with a Magnaflow polished stainless muffler, model 14329 - needs some polishing
the bronze color (from the heat of welding) and the welds themselves will need to be cleaned up with some buffing - cutting it open
to fit my car, the inlet needed to be moved down by an inch - let the cutting begin - welding the inlet end
the old end was removed, the internal pipe relocated, and a new stainless end piece welded in place by Furo Racecraft - welded end
the new end was welded on, but now I'll have to do something about the looks - rounded edge
an angle grinder with a flap disc, followed up by a few passes with a coarse buffing compound, and the resutls look great - in place after welding finished
polished stainless was also used for the hanger brackets and it was given a final close look before continuing - outlet welding done
a 90-degree elbow was welded in place for the exhaust, with all welding being handled by Furo Racecraft - inlet welding done
the welding was finished up - the new inlet end was on, and the inlet pipe and flange were also welded on - scratches and scuffs
even after masking and covering surfaces prior to the work, the metal still received scuffs & scratches - buffing and polishing
it starts with a bench grinder and fabric wheel, then a rotary with wool pad, finished up with an orbital and cotton pad - polishing finished
it takes time, but the results are worth it - masking for paint
although stainless was used for the inlet/outlet pipes, they still received paint to better match the rest of the exhaust - VHT header paint
VHT header paint was used - it's fragile until you heat cycle it but gives great results - work completed
once the paint had been heat cycled in an oven a few times, it was mounted on the car - close-up
the contrast of the high polish against the satin black looks great - wing re-installed
the rear wing mount and wing were reinstalled - end result
the end result not only looks like it belongs on the car, but like it came this way from the factory - invite from Magnaflow
My local fab shop and Magnaflow dealer Furo Racecraft e-mailed some photos, and they invited the Atom to be a part of their display during the 2014 Hot Rod Power Tour (event photos here).