Ok I sitting here waiting for my tax return, and I firgured that I would start thinking about installing an exhuast. This ? is for those of you that have installed your cat back exhuast system your self. My question is how difficult is it to install the exhaust? does it bolt up to the cat, or the flex pipe? Does it use the stock hangers? Is it a straight forward install? Also about how long would it take to do the install? Thanks for the help.

The 2 hardest things of the install is cutting the exhaust before the resonator and the muffler. Kinda hard if you don't have the right tools is hard. The other hard part is the hangers need to be lubed with some WD40 to get them to come off rather easily. The total install took about an hour or so. Here's a How To:
FocusHacks Cat-back (http://www.focushacks.com/index.php?modid=33)
My ZX3 Cat-back (http://www.myzx3.com/how-to/cat-back.htm)

Thanks for the info, now I can't wait to get my tax return and some nice weather to get under the car and do some work. I just might keep those instructions handy.

fairly straight forward bolt up. the 2 bolts the connect the stock system at the front of the car were a pain in the rear to loosen. once those were undone the next herdest part. cutting the stock system. (i did with elbow grease and a hack saw. not fun!) the higher you can get the car, the better. i spent an hr on my back sawing away. elbow bangin the ground, knuckles bangin the car.
note: dont try and slide the posts out of the hangers. turn the whole rubber hanger 90 degrees and it will pop off, then take them off when you have the stock system out. much easier!

job took about 2hrs of work, the hard way(hack saw and lil floor jack, and rusted bolts) but i can see that being shortened alot with the right tools and space to work.

never knew about focus hacks... now i d o :)

The only thing I have that would make the job quicker is that I, thankfully, have a reciprcating saw, but I'm stuck with use jack stands though. Hopefully this would a quicker install than when I installed my t/b, 1 1/2 hours grinding the throttle braket with a dremel.

So, there are two bolts connected to the cat that needs to be remove, and the stock exhaust needs to be cut out. One of these days I need to pop under the car and check out where the hangers are and the bolts on the cat.

cant the exhaust bolts be grinded off?