Exhaust fitting

[LF.280]

Hi,

In regards to a 1971 280SL whose exhaust I recently exchanged.

The new exhaust seems positioned too low (close to the ground) and the centre pipe is not fixed to the chassis.

Attached pics.

I appreciate your feedback.

Ed

[Rick]

It is difficult to see specifics from your pictures, but --  It does not appear to be fitting correctly.  I am assuming this is an aftermarket exhaust system.  Some do not fit correctly.  You can only do so much adjusting by loosening the various connections joints and if this does not bring it to the correct location then you have a few choices.    1)  Contact the supplier and tell them it does not fit --  See if they have a solution or- return the system.  It is likely they would be resistant to this option. but- it is worth the contact.   2) Take your car to a muffler shop - show them where the positioning should be (mounts, etc) and have them fit / heat bend the system to where it should be.

[jameshoward]

It appears to be missing the middle hangers, which would hold the exhaust up to the underside of the car by means of two tough little rubber doughnuts. You should see two protruding hooks (for want of a better phrase) on the underside. The little rubber doughnuts hook onto these and then onto hooks on the exhaust. They take the weight of the exhaust in the middle part of the car.

[LF.280]

Thank you all for your responses...

[alchemist]

I struggled with the same problem; the middle hanger requires a thin long rubber donut that I cannot find anywhere. A regular rubber donut is too fat to fit in the hanger. So, I fix it by using a coat hanger wire, I supported the central muffler with a jack and tight up the muffler to the hanger with the wire. This has fixed it for now until I find the skinny rubber donut; perhaps the dealer may be able to get the correct size donut. I hope this helps.

[Bonnyboy]

I went to the local Mercedes Dealer and they had the donuts in the correct size and they were cheap.  I tried three automotive stores and the various local muffler shops and they had only 1 donut between them and it was 3X more expensive than I got from Mercedes.

[travellerdogs]

Hi Ian, I'm on the island. Did you get your exhaust system fixed. I remember a year or so ago you were mentioning that you were going to do your exhaust. Was wondering about finding someplace in Vancouver or local where I  could get that siamize piece, the one that looks like two pipes formed into a weird looking single piece that is just before the resonater. Thanks Carey in Bowser/ Deep Bay.