 The factory exhaust is meant...  The factory exhaust is meant to adhere to strict smog emission laws that vary from state to state. We first began by unscrewing all the O2 sensors, as there are two fore and two aft of the catalytic converters. The stock Y-pipe that contains the twin cats was saved as the kit required cutting to use with the Bassani Xhaust system. The rest of the factory exhaust came out without an issue. |
 Bassani included bags of hardware,...  Bassani included bags of hardware, fasteners, and even their own brand of anti-seize for the header bolts. We coated each bolt, allowing easy threading with our fingers, especially in hard-to-reach areas. |
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We took the Ram back to the shop and readied ourselves for the Bassani Xhaust. The good people at Bassini provided us with two exhaust kits: an avant-garde dual side-pipe, doglegged design, and a more traditional single-tube kit, which resembled the factory layout. The whole direction that we wanted to go with this build was to improve the performance of the stock Ram without it looking like a project vehicle, so we opted for the single-tube setup for this test.
The Bassani system required a lot more fabrication than a simple bolt-in. Considerable cutting and welding were required. The tabs on the nuts for the bolts on the upper A-arms needed to be moved to allow the tubes to pass. The factory catalytic Y-pipe needed to be cut and welded to the pipe bends that Bassani provided. The single-tube system was so large that Tech Editor Dave Young joked that we might had been sent the Turbo Diesel exhaust system by accident.
With the exhaust leak-free and finished from the headers back to the massive polished chrome tip, we arrived again at the track. With little effort, the Ram blew off a 9.71 at 75 mph, equating to a 15.2 on our calculators. With each pass, the truck began to show other modifications it would require to knock more time off the e.t., such as an anti-spin differential (since ours came with 3.92 gears, but with only a peg leg) and better tires. We opted to switch the Superchips program to the 91-octane as we filled it up with the expensive gas for our final bout at the track. The truck struggled to keep the tires from spinning all the way down the track, indicating that it was making far more power than its rearend could handle. The best we could muster was a 9.64 at 78 mph, another 15.2.
The final time might be deceiving since certain factors need to be inserted into the equation, such as the truck's lack of traction due to the steep 3.92 gears and only having a peg-leg, while the 91-octane program was producing so much power that we consistently hazed the tires off the line. As of now, we need to sit back and think of the best way to get our Ram to hook up.
 The elbow pipes that bolt...  The elbow pipes that bolt to the header are meant to mate up to the catalytic converters. Cutting the Y-pipe forward of the weld allowed us to fit the elbow in nicely. Keep in mind, a saws-all and welder will be needed with this exhaust kit. |  The headers required some...  The headers required some "encouragement" into their locations. The Bassani headers come with a beautiful billet flange that is the thickest we've seen in ages on a header. |  We loosely fit our exhaust...  We loosely fit our exhaust to let us properly lay out the final position of our pipes before we did any welding. We welded up the pipes with little trouble. |