After either struggling with removing and reinstalling the H-pipe to get the transmission out, or going through the agony of working around it such as when replacing the starter, I figured "There's GOTTA be a better way!"



I used to work in a heavy truck repair shop where we used stainless steel band clamps for joining sections of the large truck exhausts.

They wrap around the pipe and draw together at a very sturdy bolted connection. Also, disassembly is greatly simplified because you aren't working with joints where the pipes are slipped together and crimped. To install, you simply butt the ends of two pipe sections together and bolt the clamp on. To disassemble, you simply remove the band clamp and the two pipes are already separated!

I didn't know they made smaller ones for car exhausts till I saw them on the Summit website. I asked at the local independent auto parts place and they had them! I would imagine NAPA and other places would also have them. I haven't seen them on the AutoZone shelves, although I haven't asked the counter people. Summit wants around $15 apiece plus their shipment handling fee. I got them for about $8.00 apiece. WORTH EVERY PENNY AND THEN SOME!! They're very sturdy, leak proof, corrosion proof, and reusable. They even allow a little bit of a gap and angularity. Other places I've used them are to join pipe sections going over the axle and connecting mufflers to pipes. Makes everything SO much easier to remove and reinstall, and you don't ruin anything.




Here are a couple pics of how I cut the H pipe just ahead of the hangers in a short straight section. Imagine how much easier each individual front portion is to get off by itself, not to mention to reinstall! After they're off, the rest of the H pipe is also easier to get off and back on. And changing the starter is now almost simple.




Oh - disregard the extra bolt in the pictures!

-- macx