`Cause They don't Sell them at the Auto Parts Store

[fyidiy]

The vehicle is a 2004 Chevy Cavalier. I've owned it since 2006. The exhaust predates my ownership.

A steel rod welded to the exhaust pipe as a support was so corroded, it came off in my hand as I was working to replace the corroded steel hydraulic lines to the rear brakes.

A check of Advance Auto Parts and AutoZone didn't produce any ready-made bolt-on replacements. So, it's roll your own.

Photo of the parts on the driveway are as follows:

First up from the bottom is the broken off welded-on support rod.

Second up from the bottom are two 2" exhaust clamp bodies with a 5/16" rod welded between them. The bend in the rod was courtesy of the vice and a ball peen hammer.

Third and forth up from the bottom of the photo are two halves of a 2" diameter section of exhaust cheater pipe. The pipe was cut to 4" in length then split in two halves.

Why the two halves?

Since this is going on an old exhaust pipe, I feared the clamps would crush the rust-weakened metal. The sleeves will provide a solid foundation for the clamps and distribute the crush forces over a greater surface area on the rusty pipe.

The most difficult part of the effort was grinding away the remains of the original welded-on rod. A slip with the grinder would have damaged the already-corroded exhaust. This little stop-gap measure is in order to try and put off the expense of a new exhaust as long as practically possible.