ZPOST
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Go Back   ZPOST > BMW Z4 Roadster and Coupe > Z4 DIY (Do It Yourself) Articles
  TireRack

SUPPORT ZPOST BY DOING YOUR TIRERACK SHOPPING FROM THIS BANNER, THANKS!
Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      12-10-2011, 12:01 PM   #1
MFGJR
First Lieutenant
27
Rep
341
Posts

Drives: 2007 Z4 M Coupe
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Richmond, VA

iTrader: (0)

Blacked Out Mufflers & Remove/Powder Coat Exhaust Tips DIY

While I was dealing with the aftermath of the Attack of the Teutonic Mice (http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthre...ighlight=mouse), I figured it was a good time to paint the mufflers—which we all know are kinda distracting hanging there under the rear bumper like a big pair of stainless steel cajones. And, I’ve been wanting to powder coat the exhaust tips black, to go along with the rest of the blacked-out trim and badges on the car. None of this is rocket science, but I came across a couple things that might be helpful to someone wanting to do the same.

Regarding removing the mufflers and, quite importantly, adjusting them when reinstalled, consult this great DIY by crfine88—thanks to him for the excellent info: http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthre...ust+diy+stands

Once the mufflers are off, you need to drill out the three rivets holding each tip onto the muffler. Note that one of these rivets is on the top of the tip, and so you have to either drop the muffler or remove the bumper to get at it. Dropping the muffler is probably the easier of the two. A few months ago, I asked my body shop guy to drill out the rivets and pull the tips off while he had the bumper off. He reported that they drilled out the rivets on one of the tips, but were unable to get the tip off, even with a slide hammer. They assumed that they were pressed on tightly, and/or had corroded inside, and weren’t going to come off. So, they gave up. I’m more persistent, however, and easily found the problem: They only drilled out the head of the rivet, but left the shaft inside and this had the tip locked on. To get the tips off, first squirt a little PB Blaster or the like in between the tips and the muffler outlets a day or two before. Then drill out the head of the rivet, and using a punch to tap the rivet out (I actually used a nail set).

Name:  punch (Custom) (2).JPG
Views: 6146
Size:  172.8 KB

You should see a clean hole, consistent in diameter, through both the tip and the outer layer of the muffler outlet. Note that the muffler outlet has two layers, and the hole is only in the outer one—so, you can’t see all the way through to the interior of the pipe. You should be able to insert a punch at least a quarter inch into the hole—if it barely goes in, some of the rivet’s still there.

Name:  Hole (Custom) (2).JPG
Views: 3728
Size:  123.0 KB

Once you’re sure the rivets are completely gone, you may be able to twist and pull the tip off. If not, use a blunt chisel and hammer to GENTLY tap the rear edge of the tip to dislodge it. Take your time, and move around to different points on the tip.

Name:  tap (Custom) (2).JPG
Views: 4610
Size:  217.3 KB

The tips are two layers, and the muffler outlet has two layers, and they interlock when installed. You can see the construction in this pic:

Name:  2 layer (Custom) (2).JPG
Views: 3818
Size:  160.5 KB

Next clean the mufflers thoroughly with a scrub brush and 3M pads and a degreaser like Simple Green, so that you get good paint adherence and finish. You may need to use a solvent if you have tar on them, and possibly do some light sanding. A ladder makes for a convenient way to hang the muffler for painting—use some sturdy wire as those OE mufflers aren’t light.

Name:  hang (Custom).JPG
Views: 4016
Size:  266.4 KB

I painted the mufflers with hi-temp, semi-gloss spray paint intended for barbecue grills. Follow good, basic spray painting technique—don’t start/stop the spray on the part, and apply several light coats, with 5-10 minutes in between, rather than a heavy coat that will run or orange peel.

Name:  paint (Custom) (2).JPG
Views: 4147
Size:  205.7 KB

I cleaned up my tips with solvent and a 3M Pad, and took them to the local powder coater. You’ll want the shop doing the coating to mask the interior of the tips, where they mate with the muffler, as you don’t want excess material in there that will make getting the tips back on the muffler difficult. And, talk with the shop about where/how they will attach the ground wire to the tips. They evidently attached (soldered, by the looks of it) the wire to mine at the exit end of the tips, and each has a tiny flaw in the coating where it was grounded. While I admire their diligence in getting a good ground, necessary for good, even powder adherence and finish, it seems like they could have attached it on the interior of tip to avoid the flaw. It wasn’t bad enough to warrant having them re-done, though someone more anal might think differently.

To reinstall the tips, clean the muffler outlet with some sandpaper, line the holes up and tap the tip on with a rubber mallet. Install new rivets—which theoretically should be stainless steel. I couldn’t find stainless, and so used aluminum. There will probably be some resultant corrosion at some point, but I’ll just keep an eye on it. Note that I already had the mufflers back on the car at this point, and so only installed the two rivets on the bottom of each tip. They’re on tight and don’t rattle, so I’m just leaving the third, top rivet out for now. Adjust the mufflers and/or bumper as necessary using crfine88’s instructions.

Here are the results:

Name:  coat (Custom).JPG
Views: 3615
Size:  110.1 KB

Name:  result (Custom).JPG
Views: 3562
Size:  227.6 KB

Name:  balls (Custom).JPG
Views: 3552
Size:  343.0 KB

And, now everything matches, even the dog!

Name:  dog (Custom).JPG
Views: 3575
Size:  187.1 KB
__________________
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2011, 12:20 PM   #2
DataStream18
Lieutenant
45
Rep
556
Posts

Drives: 2003 ESS TS1 Z4
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Muskegon, Mi

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Nice!
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2011, 12:22 PM   #3
aftercorbu
First Lieutenant
aftercorbu's Avatar
United_States
403
Rep
380
Posts

Drives: 20 M2C, 20 S3
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: South Carolina

iTrader: (1)

clean as ****. nice work. love ur badd ass dog pic too.
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2011, 12:22 PM   #4
dubsesd
#dubspec
dubsesd's Avatar
No_Country
6317
Rep
5,200
Posts

Drives: G05 X5/ 2016 F80 M3 INDVL
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Ottawa

iTrader: (2)

Looks good. I like how the mufflers turned out, but I would have left the tips polished
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2011, 12:53 PM   #5
MFGJR
First Lieutenant
27
Rep
341
Posts

Drives: 2007 Z4 M Coupe
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Richmond, VA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by DataStream18 View Post
Nice!
Thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by aftercorbu View Post
clean as ****. nice work. love ur badd ass dog pic too.
That's his "Can I have a cookie?" face. Uses it 24/7.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dubsesd View Post
Looks good. I like how the mufflers turned out, but I would have left the tips polished
Yeah, honestly, I'm kind of back and forth on it. The car has a black grill, black chrome badges and the carbon fiber lip, so I was thinking the black exhaust would be nice. The tips were done in gloss black, and i think a "black chrome" look would be better; guess that's a plating process as opposed to coating.

And, I think it's not working with the wheels, but I'm old school and believe wheels need to be silver. Not really sure what to do from here--I'm on sort for a bit on it.
__________________
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2011, 01:19 PM   #6
Kgolf31
Brigadier General
Kgolf31's Avatar
459
Rep
4,531
Posts

Drives: 2007 Z4MC, 2012 128i
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Ohio

iTrader: (4)

Very clean. Awesome DIY.
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2011, 02:42 PM   #7
Shipkiller
Colonel
Shipkiller's Avatar
United_States
187
Rep
2,138
Posts

Drives: Me
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Virginia Beach

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
Hound from Hell...

I can just read his mind: "What the Hell are you doing moron. Lying in the ground is MY job"
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2011, 04:22 PM   #8
BIMMERGUY91
Captain
112
Rep
855
Posts

Drives: 2014 335I M Sport
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Huntsville, AL

iTrader: (2)

Doing this to my mufflers and having C6 exhaust tips welded on over Christmas.
__________________
2014 335i M Sport
2010 328i M Sport
2007 Z4MC #1019/1815 (Sold)
1997 M3 (Sold)
1991 325i
Appreciate 0
      12-13-2011, 01:24 AM   #9
vortex_tuning
Banned
United_States
36
Rep
1,349
Posts

Drives: E92 M3
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: SoCal

iTrader: (3)

Nice and clean look!
Appreciate 0
      12-13-2011, 07:55 AM   #10
Mirko
Major
Mirko's Avatar
Canada
182
Rep
1,031
Posts

Drives: E86 Z4M, E90 328i, E84 X1
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (2)

I contemplated doing this as well but ended up getting an exhaust. Only thing I would've done differently is leaving the tips chrome instead of blacked out. Eitherway it looks good
Appreciate 0
      12-13-2011, 08:57 AM   #11
nmulax
Brigadier General
nmulax's Avatar
United_States
378
Rep
4,320
Posts

Drives: '07 Z4 M Coupe
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Metro-Detroit

iTrader: (5)

Garage List
2007 Z4M Coupé  [7.66]
looks good, and great post - I just think it would have been a good time to do an aftermarket system
__________________
Appreciate 0
      12-13-2011, 09:06 AM   #12
Incompatible
Major
United_States
55
Rep
1,224
Posts

Drives: 07 AW Z4C 3.0Si
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: San Diego

iTrader: (1)

I like the blacked out tips. Good DIY.
__________________
If you can't take the time to teach a kid something good, someone will take the time to teach them something bad.
Appreciate 0
      12-13-2011, 09:07 AM   #13
3002 tii
Lieutenant General
3002 tii's Avatar
2272
Rep
12,559
Posts

Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: CT

iTrader: (99)

Garage List
Wow, not only does it look good but like you said you don't notice the saggy balls effect lol.
__________________
Follow for latest mods
Appreciate 0
      12-18-2011, 12:50 AM   #14
BIMMERGUY91
Captain
112
Rep
855
Posts

Drives: 2014 335I M Sport
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Huntsville, AL

iTrader: (2)

Painted my mufflers earlier tonight. Waiting for them to dry while I work on the car all night. Trans mounts are in, trunk is dynamatted, and H&R coilovers are almost done. So excited haha
__________________
2014 335i M Sport
2010 328i M Sport
2007 Z4MC #1019/1815 (Sold)
1997 M3 (Sold)
1991 325i
Appreciate 0
      12-18-2011, 06:57 AM   #15
MFGJR
First Lieutenant
27
Rep
341
Posts

Drives: 2007 Z4 M Coupe
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Richmond, VA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by BIMMERGUY91 View Post
Painted my mufflers earlier tonight. Waiting for them to dry while I work on the car all night. Trans mounts are in, trunk is dynamatted, and H&R coilovers are almost done. So excited haha
Busy weekend! Pics when done, please.
__________________
Appreciate 0
      12-18-2011, 01:07 PM   #16
BIMMERGUY91
Captain
112
Rep
855
Posts

Drives: 2014 335I M Sport
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Huntsville, AL

iTrader: (2)

I will try and take some pics today. God it looks way better with the black mufflers. Cant wait to have the C6 tips welded on tomorrow and the windshield tinted
__________________
2014 335i M Sport
2010 328i M Sport
2007 Z4MC #1019/1815 (Sold)
1997 M3 (Sold)
1991 325i
Appreciate 0
      12-21-2011, 04:06 PM   #17
BIMMERGUY91
Captain
112
Rep
855
Posts

Drives: 2014 335I M Sport
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Huntsville, AL

iTrader: (2)

Well the windshield tint looks great but the c6 tips were a bust the spacing between the outlets on the factory mufflers is too close together and they won't fit so im saving them for when I do exhaust
__________________
2014 335i M Sport
2010 328i M Sport
2007 Z4MC #1019/1815 (Sold)
1997 M3 (Sold)
1991 325i
Appreciate 0
      01-21-2012, 12:16 PM   #18
STIHLBOLTS
Lieutenant
STIHLBOLTS's Avatar
United_States
25
Rep
446
Posts

Drives: 2013 335is
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: South Georgia

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2020 Z4 M4.0i  [5.00]
I agree with your comment about blacked out wheels, on some cars looks bad, most of the time it's just to much.

I do like the black out mufflers. Try a thin silver ring at the end of the tip for a accent. About 1/4 of inch from the end deep. Get a little tin foil to wrap around it to give you the general idea and take a picture, that might help you decide if you like that idea.

Happy Motoring.
__________________

2013 335is E93
2018 X5 35d
BMWCCA / ZSCCA Member
Appreciate 0
      01-21-2012, 11:06 PM   #19
Ron Stygar
Lieutenant
9
Rep
421
Posts

Drives: 2006 Z4 M Coupe
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: USA

iTrader: (0)

Tips

Quote:
Originally Posted by MFGJR View Post
While I was dealing with the aftermath of the Attack of the Teutonic Mice (http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthre...ighlight=mouse), I figured it was a good time to paint the mufflers—which we all know are kinda distracting hanging there under the rear bumper like a big pair of stainless steel cajones. And, I’ve been wanting to powder coat the exhaust tips black, to go along with the rest of the blacked-out trim and badges on the car. None of this is rocket science, but I came across a couple things that might be helpful to someone wanting to do the same.
If interested you can use the longer E46-M3 tips.


Appreciate 0
      03-07-2012, 01:59 PM   #20
mgwatson48
Lieutenant
mgwatson48's Avatar
Canada
21
Rep
507
Posts

Drives: 2008 E86 M
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Canada

iTrader: (2)

Love it. Gonna do this to mine asap.
__________________
SOLD: 2008 M Coupe
Appreciate 0
      04-17-2012, 01:49 AM   #21
J-Thurm
Second Lieutenant
25
Rep
204
Posts

Drives: 2007 bmw z4 coupe 3.0si
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Crestwood

iTrader: (0)

Did you have to cut the mufflers off, or did you find an easier way to disassemble them?
Appreciate 0
      06-12-2012, 12:26 AM   #22
XMetal
Colonel
XMetal's Avatar
United_States
1097
Rep
2,846
Posts

Drives: Anything
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SoCal

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2008 Z4M Coupe  [10.00]
2018 Audi S3  [0.00]
2004 X5  [8.50]
OP...thank you for putting together this great DIY. I followed most of the instructions (minus the powercoated tips) and the results are unbelievable. While I had the Supersprint mufflers on the car, I took advantage of the situation and painted the OE mufflers. I used matte black instead of semi-gloss because I wanted to hide these "sacks" as much as possible. I had initially planned to use engine paint, which is a higher temperature paint, but found out that those required priming. Didn't want to go the extra steps required to prime it, I went with the matte "grills" high heat paint instead.

The end result is night and day. You don't even noticed the "sacks" anymore when standing behind it. Now...just wondering how durable this paint would hold up
Attached Images
   
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:24 AM.




zpost
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST