Does removing the horizontal bar above the panhard rod affect handling at all? I'm sure it doesn't, its about as strong as aluminum foil. It's hitting up against my exhaust pipe and I would like to remove to stop the rattling... any comments?

 

Are you talking about the piece that the PHR bolts to, or something else? I haven't looked at the rear of a F-body in a while(hehe) so I can't remember what else is up there. But if it's as rigid and strong as you say it is I'm sure there would be no problem in removing it.

 

I just installed my loudmouth catback, and although i had to remove that brace in order to get the old exhaust out in one piece i don't think i would recommend leaving it off, perhaps the one is my formula is stiffer than yours, but it seems like an integral brace.

I would suggest adjusting the fit of your over axel pipe where it connects to the intermediate pipe or catalytic. Not sure how your exhaust is set up.

 

that bar ties the rear end of the car together. the whole car is just sheet metal, no real steel frame like the old cars.

the PHR and that brace take all the side load of the suspension (like when you go around an on-ramp, do a donut, or slide it around SCCA) and pass it to the body, so i'd say it would make that one side weak, and possibly fail, where the PHR mounts, if you take away half the mounting strength (by not having the other end of the brace on the other side, absorbing G -forces.)

does that make sense?

maybe take some slack out of the exhaust somewhere else. I used a floor jack to bend my exhaust up once. way ghetto...but it worked?

 

yeah gonna try re-working the pipe