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MAC Catback
I ordered the catback from Don Walker, who can be reached on
the National Lightning Owners Club (nloc.net)
under the supporting vendors section (at
this link). It took a little while longer than I had originally
thought to get to me, but this system has just been released,
and I don't think MAC accurately gauged the initial demand for
this product. At any rate, Don was quick to keep me updated, and
never left me in the dark, while waiting.
The catback came in August 6th, and was waiting for me at the
local FedEx location. Much to my surprise, Don was able to ship
it to me with no extra costs, no duty, brokerage, etc. it's a
little thing, but goes a long way with me. Needless to say, I'm
very pleased with the service received, and would highly recommend
this vendor to others.
This is probably the closest to work my truck has ever done.
I bought the Lightning knowing full well that it was going to
be a nice weather only vehicle, a summer toy, if you will. I suppose
it's OK in this instance, though, since it was to bring home a
new toy for the truck, afterall.
Here is the kit, once pulled out of the box. It looks really
nice, and this picture doesn't really do it justice.
UPDATE: I have just completed installing the catback. I was going
to do it myself, but took one look at the old pipes, and decided
that it would be very difficult without a hoist. Off to the Midas
man I went, and got the whole thing taken care of for $35 (Cdn).
Considering how much work they put into installing it, it was
well worth the money, in my opinion.
I did have some fitment issues (I'm not the first), in that is
was very difficult to get the tips lined up properly. I actually
had to put a pry-bar in each pipe, to raise the rear, and lower
the front pipe. I suspect I will have to do this a couple more
times, as the system settles in place. Would this stop me from
doing it again? Hell no!!! These units are mass produced, and
will never be "exact" to your vehicle. I expected this,
and it is therefore not an issue for me.
Here's a picture of the new tips, after installation. As you
can see, the new tips are substantially larger than the old ones,
and fill in the hole much better. They do stick out more (about
1.5 inches), but that was in part due to my own design. I suppose
you could have them flush with the ground effects, should you
so desire. Clicking on the image will let you hear what the exhaust
sounds like. Below is a picture of the original tips, for comparison.
MAC
Stock
In my opinion, this system is well worth the money. This price
is right (in comparison to the others currently on the market),
and it looks and sounds great! Even if this is worth absolutely
no gain, I'm still satisfied. Now my performance truck screams
(figuratively and literally) the way it should. As I motor down
the street, the truck yells, "Who wants some!"
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