2005 Mustang Bassani Dual Exhaust System Install Upgrade

After you have all of the exhaust hangers unbolted from the car you can loosen the factory slip clamp that retains the muffler to the mid-pipe just behind the rear axle.

The mid-pipe will need to be cut back to fit the Bassani-supplied Y-pipe assembly to convert the single exhaust to duals after the axle housing.

The instructions call for cutting the mid-pipe 21/2-inches after the upward bend in front of the rear axle. We used a multi-angle Craftsman reciprocating saw to get into the tight space we needed to make the cut in the right place. Don't worry if the cut isn't 100 percent straight, as the slip fit of the Y-pipe will cover it. If you need to, you can remove the mid-pipe (there's a slip clamp farther forward under the car) to get to the cutting spot.

Once you've completed the cut, remove the aft section of the mid-pipe and introduce it to the nearest garbage can.

In this photo you can see the freshly cut mid-pipe's outlet. One thing to note here is the pipe's penchant to lean toward the passenger side. Later, after completing the install we found the system lined up better after loosening the aforementioned slip clamp forward of the cut and slightly rotating the new outlet to the left a bit.

There's a fuel vapor vent tube that needs to be carefully modified to clear the new Y-pipe tubing. The Bassani kit includes a brass fitting that you install into the cut vent tube, allowing you to rotate the outlet of the vent to best clear the installed exhaust system.

Now that the stock exhaust system has been prepped you can move forward with installing the first part of the new Bassani system; the Y-pipe assembly. Slip a 21/2-inch clamp over the inlet of the Y-pipe and then slide the Y-pipe over the modified mid-pipe. Snug the clamp up with a ratchet, but don't make it too tight you can't adjust the Y-pipe.

Next you'll install the right-side intermediate pipe to the Y-pipe. Again, first install a 21/4-inch clamp on the end, slip it on the Y-pipe, and then add another 21/4-inch clamp to be tightened later for the muffler. Snug the clamp at the Y-pipe to hold the intermediate pipe in place.

The left-side crossover pipe requires a little finesse to get around the axle housing and suspension, but once you've snaked it through all of that you'll see how it should route. Again, place a 21/4-inch clamp on each end and snug the clamp at the Y-pipe end for now.

Transfer the original passenger-side muffler hangers to the new Bassani right side muffler and install the muffler. Tighten the brackets completely, but leave the pipe clamp loose for now

On the driver side you'll need to tap four existing holes with a 5/16-18 tap. These holes are identified by their thick inserts and not just a hole in the sheetmetal. These threaded holes will take the retaining bolts for the Bassani-supplied muffler hangers.

Temporarily mount the driver-side muffler using the Bassani-supplied hangers. You'll need to do this to locate the muffler outlet against the rear fascia so that the fascia can be trimmed.