Adding Custom Exhaust to Your Wrangler for Under $70

You don’t need to spend hundreds to give your Wrangler a throaty grumble. 

An aftermarket exhaust system is a popular upgrade for the Jeep Wrangler, but for the amount of work involved and the power gains, a custom system or a full system ordered online can be very expensive. However, as forum member rfrogman points out in this great custom exhaust DIY write-up, you can get all of the benefits of an expensive exhaust system with a few changes to your stock setup – with the total cost being less than $70.

Introduction

When the OP first shared his Wrangler cat-back exhaust DIY, he started by giving us a simple introduction with prices and the parts needed, along with a list of the tools that you will need for the project.

“This modification uses one Summit Racing glasspack muffler ($21.95) and two Walker mega – clamps ($13.99 each) to produce an inexpensive Cat-back style performance exhaust without having to weld. It is very easy to do and can be done in your driveway.

Modification time: 1 hour

Tools required:
15 mm socket
5/8 inch socket
Socket wrench
Torque wrench
Breaker bar
Sawzall with metal cutting blade

Parts required:
Glasspak muffler
Stainless steel band-style exhaust clamps (Lap Joint style)”

Getting Rid of the Stock Muffler

The Jeep Wrangler has a large muffler running across the rear end of the vehicle. It doesn’t look great and it doesn’t create much engine sound, so in making your own custom exhaust system, the first step is to get the ugly stock muffler out of the way. The stock muffler is just bolted up to the exhaust pipe, so you simply loosen the clamp, loosen the hangers and the whole assembly drops out of the vehicle.

Some Wrangler owners will want to run a simple tailpipe out of the back of vehicle from where the muffler was attached, but this DIY does not have the extra piping out back.

Once the factory muffler is out of the way, the OP figured out where he wanted the Summit glasspack muffler to sit by measuring and marking the long exhaust pipe that runs under the cab of the Jeep. Using the Sawzall, he made two cuts, removing a section of the stock pipe and making room for the new muffler to bolt into place.

With the lap-joint style clamps, the muffler was secured in place and the project was complete.

Finished Project

In the end, this DIY cleans up the underside of the Wrangler’s rear end while adding a touch of grumble from the exhaust muffler. The OP also states that Summit claims a 21-horsepower gain and while that seems a bit extreme, it seems reasonable that the added exhaust flow improves engine performance by at least a few horsepower.

“I did enlist my wife to approve of the sound test and I am proud to say my JK passed. It has a deep throaty sound without the ‘too fast too furious’ rice burner tone. It has improved felt horsepower along with my CAI. Summit Racing estimates at least 21 horse power increase with their products.”

More importantly, the system looks and sounds better than stock, all for well under $100. Click here to check out the original custom exhaust DIY post with the step-by-step explanation of how to make your own custom cat-back exhaust for your Wrangler.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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