Vehicle exhaust repair device

A repair bracket assembly for use in mounting a catalytic converter to an exhaust pipe along the underside of a vehicle after corrosive failure of an original bracket welded to a pipe extending from the downstream side of the catalytic converter, that converter pipe having a downstream end connecting to the upstream end of an exhaust pipe, the connection being by means of a bulbous end on the converter pipe and a mating cupped end on the exhaust pipe, the converter pipe and exhaust pipe being held together prior to the corrosive failure by a collar and a fastener means, the collar extending around the exhaust pipe so as to abut the exterior of the cupped end, and the fastener means connecting the collar to the original bracket, the corrosive failure of the original bracket allowing movement between a first portion of that original bracket welded to the converter pipe and a second portion to which the fastener means connects, the repair bracket assembly comprising a U-shaped block having two generally parallel arms and a surface facing said collar, the inner edge of the U-shaped block being shaped to define a recess in the surface of the block facing the collar, and inwardly extending shoulders at the inner edges of said arms, said recess being adapted to receive a complementary external enlargement on the converter pipe, and also comprising a U-bolt adapted to fasten to the block such that the converter pipe is tightly held between the block and the U-bolt, the distance between the inner edges of the shoulders of the two arms being slightly greater than the diameter of the converter pipe so as to prevent said converter pipe from moving axially with respect to the block in a direction away from the exhaust pipe, the block having means for securely holding the fastener means extending from the collar, whereby after corrosive failure of the original bracket, repair is accomplished by fastening the repair bracket assembly to the converter pipe by fastening the U-bolt to the block so as to tightly hold that pipe and securing the collar to the repair bracket assembly using the fastener means or using new similar fastener means;

• said means for securely holding the fastener means comprising respective internally threaded openings formed in said two arms of said U-shaped block of said repair bracket, these openings being oriented to open towards said collar so that the fastener means which extend from said collar may be threaded into said repair bracket for pulling said collar against the cupped end on the exhaust pipe while pulling said repair bracket against the bulbous end on the converter pipe.