I recently purchased Hanks mid pipes and curious as how to reach the top nut, pass side flange connector. For those of you who installed any brand part, what tool combo did you use to reach this? Due to the front drive shaft it looks impossible to work around. ????????
The hardware is super crusty and disintegrating where the rear of the mid pipe meets the remaining exhaust run. Guess they'll have to be hacked off somehow.

 

Hello, I found to go ahead and separate the exhaust post cat and that will allow the cat to drop down due to the flex pipe. You will now have access to the fasteners.

 

You mean secondary cat delete/bypass pipes.

You will need to run a long long 3/8 extension from top of engine. Tape the extensions together so they don't fall apart.

Then just undo the nut from the top with the long extension and ratchet. If it won't budge break it.

This method is much faster than what "Blubayou" suggested.

 

Assessed this weekend and looks like I'm gonna have to cut off the bolts due to erosion. The hexes are hexes anymore. Gonna have to go after it with a cut off wheel I guess.

 

Get some PB blaster and squirt on them. I also found that by taking the back end of the stock cat loose I could GENTLY bend the primary down just enough to get a wrench up in there. It is tight but it can be done.