Disclaimer: I had an exhaust shop do this, so it wasn't DIY, but I didn't think it belonged in the Vehicle Build section, so here it is.
2nd Gen (and I think 3rd Gen) Tacomas have a questionable exhaust route that most people reroute if they go off-road enough. The section of piping going from the driver's side to the passenger side crosses underneath the transfer case, and hangs lower than the chassis cross-member directly in front of it. It is the lowest hanging component in that area.
I bought full skids from Pelfreybilt for stock exhaust, which are designed to account for this, but I was still getting some rubbing in two areas. One, in the recessed section of the skid protecting the lower hanging pipe, and two, at the exhaust pipe flange on the passenger side.
You can see in the first pic that there is plenty of room between the exhaust pipe and the heat shield to move the pipe up. I had an exhaust shop put a new piece of pipe in here to address the first bit of rubbing (I probably don't need the recessed part on the skid anymore, but it would be close if I didn't have it). They also were able to raise the passenger side length of pipe up (about 1") for the full length of the vehicle with a little heating of the pipe and a couple of exhaust hangers, eliminating my second bit of rubbing.
Also, had the hanger on the driver's side moved so I can now get the box end of a wrench on the innermost nut.
If you do this right, you can probably use the exhaust reroute transfer case skid. I just have extra room now.
There is plenty of room now, and no more rattles driving me crazy. The Pelfreybilt skids are well built and I am a big fan, but the tolerances or variations between vehicles make it a tight fit with no alterations. It only cost me $95 to have the exhaust shop do this. I think it is worth getting done (or being legit and doing it yourself if you can) even if you don't have a rattle like I did.
I've seen some other reroutes that go behind the transfer case, but I was worried about the plastic on the transfer case without a heat shield as well as the tapered part of the skid plate, so opted to cinch it up where it was. Hope you all like this and maybe it can help someone else with similar issues.
2nd Gen (and I think 3rd Gen) Tacomas have a questionable exhaust route that most people reroute if they go off-road enough. The section of piping going from the driver's side to the passenger side crosses underneath the transfer case, and hangs lower than the chassis cross-member directly in front of it. It is the lowest hanging component in that area.
I bought full skids from Pelfreybilt for stock exhaust, which are designed to account for this, but I was still getting some rubbing in two areas. One, in the recessed section of the skid protecting the lower hanging pipe, and two, at the exhaust pipe flange on the passenger side.
You can see in the first pic that there is plenty of room between the exhaust pipe and the heat shield to move the pipe up. I had an exhaust shop put a new piece of pipe in here to address the first bit of rubbing (I probably don't need the recessed part on the skid anymore, but it would be close if I didn't have it). They also were able to raise the passenger side length of pipe up (about 1") for the full length of the vehicle with a little heating of the pipe and a couple of exhaust hangers, eliminating my second bit of rubbing.
Also, had the hanger on the driver's side moved so I can now get the box end of a wrench on the innermost nut.
If you do this right, you can probably use the exhaust reroute transfer case skid. I just have extra room now.There is plenty of room now, and no more rattles driving me crazy. The Pelfreybilt skids are well built and I am a big fan, but the tolerances or variations between vehicles make it a tight fit with no alterations. It only cost me $95 to have the exhaust shop do this. I think it is worth getting done (or being legit and doing it yourself if you can) even if you don't have a rattle like I did.
I've seen some other reroutes that go behind the transfer case, but I was worried about the plastic on the transfer case without a heat shield as well as the tapered part of the skid plate, so opted to cinch it up where it was. Hope you all like this and maybe it can help someone else with similar issues.
