The polished stainless steel external exhaust system which comes as part of the kit is one of the most dramatic and visible parts of a Rush. "Get it wrong and your car will never look right," warns Patrick. "Take your time and follow the step-by-step approach of the manual and you will end up with a job to be proud of."

First step with the Pinto system is to lay out and identify the four pipes which connect to each exhaust port on the engine. Each one is slightly different, but they are easily identified and Patrick labels each one using masking tape, from number one for the front pipe through to number four for the rear pipe.

Next, Patrick offers up no. one to see where it comes in relation to the body side. Then he does the same for no. four. "Now it's time to be brave," he says. "You have got to cut a hole in the body side for the pipes to pass through. When you've got an idea of where each end is, you can make a start by cutting through in the middle."

Patrick believes it is best to fit the centre pipes (nos. two and three) first, opening out the hole as you go and leaving plenty of material in place so you can make changes. "Don't forget that you are aiming to get the pipes through the body with the neatest hole possible." He then works forward to fit pipe no. one, continually cutting, fitting and trying until it can be bolted into place. Then Patrick works backwards to fit no. four in the same manner. To allow for engine rock, Patrick uses his index finger to gauge how much space he needs to leave around the pipes.

Finally, he completes the hole by smoothing the edges to a regular shape. His top tip here is to use a piece of P40 production paper wrapped around a 1" to 1.5" piece of steel tube to get the final fit and shape. "It's tempting to use a rat-tailed file", he said, "but it ends up leaving lots of little scallops."

(A custom hole fitted to match your pipes precisely should result, but if you are not confident about using Patrick's method, the factory can supply a template for the hole.) After fitting the manifold pipes with their gaskets and bolting them loosely to the engine, the next stage is to offer up the silencer. Patrick advises leaving the manifold fixing bolts finger tight at this stage to make the job easier. The silencer needs to be pushed on to the manifold pipes as far as it will go - at least 1" and preferably 1.5" to 2", says Patrick. "It helps to have someone working with you to take the weight at the back of silencer," he adds.

The final job is to fit the rear bracket, which goes under the driver's floor. A spreader plate should be added on top of the floor for added strength. And Patrick's final piece of advice: "Keep taking a step back and make sure that the silencer is parallel with the bottom of the body - this is very important for the aesthetics of the car."