A previous owner had fitted a Bell stainless steel exhaust system which theoretically should last a long time but I was always concerned how rigid the system felt compared to previous cars I’ve had where the system hangs and wobbles a bit.
NB. Bell boasts that all of the systems listed here are made by craftsman in the UK to a standard no one else in the industry can match. All of the mufflers and resonators are constructed from .304 grade stainless steel and the pipes are made from .409 grade to give superior finish and life long durability.
Anyway I recently replaced the original type of exhaust hangers which are quite a complicated arrangement at the back as the previous ones had been fitted wrongly and noted quite a bit of tension in the pipe.
The system hangs at 3 points – front, middle and back. I knew the front and back were fitted correctly so I released the middle clamp and the system suddenly sprung down about 5mm. So there was quite a bit of tension in the centre mounting.
After refitting it i slackened all the exhaust U clamps holding the system together. Gave it a bit of a knock and shake along the pipes and reclamped the U bolts to realign all the joints to suit the brackets.
The system still felt rigid but any stress that there may have been through the system has now been released minimising any resonance from the exhaust system transmitting into the bodywork via the brackets.
MGB tips mods and maintenance 