Redoing a c1 and asking what are differences. longevity is more important than original. Pro and Con. Thanks Don

 

Use aluminized exhaust.

Cheaper $

Seals better

Won't corrode either

 

I am on the other side of that discussion....SS.....you will never regret it......asI went through my car, I ended up redoing a number of pieces I had gotten that were not SS.....after a while, that is all I wanted to put on the car unless SS was not offered and in some instances that was the case.

Herb


(did we give you a clear cut direction?)

 

I always recommend aluminized. My 81 left GM with a factory aluminized system, it's still on the car 27 years and 45,000 miles later. Oh and it looks darn near like new. Besides the benefits that crw41 listed, if you have fit trouble, the aluminized is alot easier to bend or adjust. Also, if your putting it on a big block 67, bigblock67, and plan on having it NCRS judged, it is a deduction.

For as much as these cars get used, it should last just about forever.

 

Sorry, like the dope I am, I noticed the "c1" after I posted. Obviously that's not a 67 big block.

Considering all the bends and twists that the early exhaust has to get it to fit through the X-frame, over the axle and out and over the rear spring, I think the aluminized would be alot easier to install.

 

Type 304 stainless is a poor thermal conductor -- rejecting heat on the order of ~20 to 25% the rate of carbon steel. I'm not familiar with solid-axle Corvettes; if they, too, suffer from exhaust heat entry like midyears with their under-car pipes running along the trans tunnel, aluminized c-steel would surely be a "cooler" choice.

 

Maybe won't corrode on outside, but it will on the insides - that's were all the rust-out problems begin. SS is more costly, but would you rather pay for that once, or many times over (depending how long you own the car) with a non stainless. C-1 exhaust systems are poorly designed and allow a lot of moisture and condensation to collect and remain inside the system.

 

I have SS side pipes under the rockers between the side of the car and the frame on my 60. It still put out a lot of heat into the car. I fixed it after doing a search on CF and found that many people had success with header wrap along the entire length of the side pipe. I did that and it significantly reduced the heat coming into the car.

The issue is how do you keep the exhaust pipe from radiating heat at all. Best way is to stop it at its source by insulating it.

 

One thing not mentioned. S.S. will expand (lengthen) when hot and may create rattles when it comes into contact with other parts, frame, etc.

 

Thanks for note Herb and no you didnt
Son

 

Don

 

I have sold and bend tubing. Stainless is the way to go. Only aluminized if you cant afford SS. Stainless Exhaust advertises on the forum. Free 800 number. Plus it fits correctly.

 

My bigblock 67 has side pipes. This 58 will probably get Aluminized. It wont get in weather. unless I screw up and get caught. I am 60 so it will probably be a probelm for whom ever winds up with it. I am just planning ahead. Last Friday. I hauled the shell with doors and lids to a industrial shop the soda blasted the paint off. Im doing this whole car myself and cant imagine sanding. It turned out good.
Don

 

That is a good point. I had a bigblock with under pipes in the 60s and remember wet pants after a cruise. Terrible. Now I have one with sidepipes and now my wet pants have nothing to do with exhaust heat....
Don

 

If that was true there would be millions of new cars rattlleing down the highways. It's another urban myth

 

Pipes/mufflers are not aluminzed on the inside. On a C-1, due to the angle of the mufflers and some pipes, water and condensation always collect in the low spots and rust out - from the inside out and it will happen a whole lot sooner than you think - go with the stainless and never do it again.

 

I know we're talking C1's here, but the message is basically the same. I've used both aluminized and now 2 1/2" stainless on my C2 and I prefer the stainless. Mike McCoy correctly commented that "S.S. will expand (lengthen) when hot and may create rattles when it comes into contact with other parts, frame, etc." but I have not had this problem. The only time I hear any noise is when I shut the car down after running it hard - you can actually hear the pipes contracting as they cool down. No big deal.

- Pat

 

That's cuz you scared yourself with the big block...

 

Yeah, I have done that a time or two.

Don

 

I have personal experience with SS exhaust on my 56 (I repeat again, I don't do the C1, C2, C3, etc thing because its too general and difficult to know the specifics). I kept it for many years because I hated to get rid of an expensive ex system. Finally, I did and I wish I had gotten rid of it sooner.
SS ex on a 61-62 may not be so bad, but on a 56-60 (and possibly a 53-55), fixing rattles is a CONSTANT battle. As already mentioned, SS pipes expand SUBSTANTIALLY MORE than carbon steel (aluminized) pipe. Plus, I have noticed that my aluminized pipe does seem cooler. The SS system that I had on the 56 was the stock size 2in and 1 7/8in pipe. When it was adjusted so that there was no contact between pipe and chassis/body, and then driven long enough to thoroughly heat up the ex system, the pipes would expand so dramatically that it rattled almost everywhere. I would try to get it jacked up as soon as possible after driving and make adjustments so that none of the pipe was touching anything. Fine. But after cooling down, it would contract and then something would be changed enough that it would rattle again. I fought it for years and just never seemed to be able to get the ex system adjusted to a point that there was a happy medium because the pipes always seemed to expand and contract to a different dimension each time.
After many years, I FINALLY got rid of the SS system. I had a guy at a local muffler shop fabricate a 2 1/2in aluminized system for the 56 (although I had to go with 61-62 style tailpipes since 2 1/2in won't pass through the ex bezels). Even though the 2 1/2in pipe is a much tighter fit through the frame X-member, I have finally got rid of the constant rattles. Another plus is that there was a very noticible increase in performance when I stepped up to the 2 1/2in system!!!!!!
I have always had the 62-65 style 2 1/2in manifolds on the car, but the front pipe was for a 62 which is 2 1/2in at the manifold, but immediatedly reduces down to 2in. I always thought my engine should perform better than it did, and now I realize that the smaller pipe size was just too restrictive for a 400ci engine.
An SS ex system may be OK on a 63-later car, but NOT on a 56-60!