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The down pipes, test pipes, and X pipes that we make, are all made in fixtures that the factory parts fit into from flange to flange.
We have done our best to address what we can to allow adjustments that could be needed from car to car.
We oversize all of the bolt holes on our parts............
Over-sizing the holes allows adjustment, but can make the fitment worse if the installer does not align the parts as they are installing them.
Rotating the test pipes will change the height they sit, and also change where they sit left to right under the car.
For example: If both pipes are sitting to one side of the tunnel, the pipe that is pushed to the most outside point will seem longer than the pipe that is now more to the center.
Many of these cars have bent hangers at this point, this happens from jacking the car wrong, hitting objects with the pipes , people installing poor quality pipes in the past, ect.....
When installing pipes, it is best to install all the parts loose, this allows the pipes to find their "happy" position.
You want to slowly tighten from the front to back, this will keep you having the least amount of issues.
When buying used parts, the pipes or hangers could be bent, the cars could have been wrecked, or the pipes being tossed around in a garage or shipping can also easily bend the test pipe hangers.
Another issue with the Z and exhaust fitment, can be the exhaust manifolds.......
The exhaust manifolds have very large holes to allow expansion, this keeps from snapping studs. When you install manifolds, it is a good idea to try to center the manifold on the holes....Most people seem to just tighten them up without centering them. If one manifold is all the way forward, and the other is all the way back, you can easily have a 1/4 variance.
Also having one tilted up and one tilted down will cause exhaust fitment issues. A little off up front is huge 6 feet back.
Stock original manifolds can also move forward and back, if you hit a stock mid pipe hard and bend it, or jack it up and bend it, your adding a lot of pressure to the exhaust system. As the exhaust heat and cools, it is easiest for the manifolds to move forward and back, or up and down on the bolt holes as they heat and cool, rather than the pipes moving to relieve the pressure.
When installing mufflers, you want to hold the tips straight when tightening the bolts.I would suggest looking under the car to see if your exhaust is farther to one side than the other. If it is, loosen all the bolts and see if it finds it's home in the middle. If it does not find it's home in the middle, you probably have bent hangers or your manifolds are not center of the bolt holes.
You can try to bend the hangers to get the exhaust centered. In an extreme case where one manifold is all the way forward and the other all the way back,you could add a flange between the X pipe and test pipe.
If the exhaust is off center it is a hanger, rotation problem, (Provided they are quality parts that are made correctly) If the pipes are center, you most likely have the manifolds not centered on the bolt holes.
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