I had a new exhaust put in a few months ago. I got a call that they had trouble finding the mounting from the original (odd because I saved all the parts). This is what I now have. Didn't realize welded in place till I went to remove the rear exhaust bezels and filler panel. Thoughts on what you see?

 

It's typical for a C3 exhaust pipes to be welded. The bends put a lot of side load on the pipes so if just using clamps it is common for the pipes to shift and the part that goes under the spring to eventually drag on the ground.

Mufflers designed for the C3 have a welded on tab with nuts welded to it. Your mufflers do not so the shop couldn't figure out how to hang the muffler, they used a generic hanger instead. It is functional but I would have it redone with the OEM hangers.

Here is a pic of my Magnaflows ordered with the proper tab.






Comments on what I see? I see a person who has never welded before in their life. That is an example of a first timer.

R

 

I see a very good reason to stick with the stock exhaust system.

 

Hi c1n,
Is it a 2" or 2 1/2" system?
They certainly weren't thinking about ground clearance when they were routing pipes below the spring and strut rod bracket..
The bends in this area are critical so the pipes are as high as possible.
On original 2 1/2" systems the pipes were 'flattened' a bit in this area to help with clearance.
Also, probably not doing you a favor by welding the tips in place.
The original head pipes/rear pipes were joined and supported at the transmission crossmember.
The rear pipes were welded to the inlet side of the mufflers.
The mufflers and pipes were supported by a single hanger ar the rear of each pipe.
The exhaust tips were attached to the stub pipes on the outlet side of the muffler with a clamp.
Regards,
Alan

PS: The shipping clamps should always be removed from the rear leaf spring.

 

not much you can do since they are welded

 

most shops will let you see what your getting after the job is done ,,I dont know if the guy was a friend or what your situation is but i would have blown a gasket if that was my car ,, if its a chain muffler shop i would go send them pictures .. thats just wrong ,, Amateurs ,,,it looks like after they tacked it together they never took the pipes back off the car so they could be properly welded and even left a tail from the welder on the pipe

 

Yeah, full of flattened areas and stupid bends that are not necessary or improve anything. Of course, if all you care about is stock performance, then stick with stock pipes....or if you have a car that is never driven, then nothing matters.

 

This was done by a guy the shop recommended. Big Giant Muffler in Oklahoma. I am disgusted that I never thought to check the quality, but it was in the garage after he was done. I will be calling him and giving him feedback, especially now that I know it is all wrong.

 

The under the leaf spring exhaust is way off. Your looks like it will make contact with your camber rods.



And as pointed out they didn't use the factory muffler mounts.

 

Hello Alan
I noticed you spotted the shipping clamps on the leaf spring.



You amaze me.

kdf

 

[QUOTE=Alan 71;1594471183]Hi c1n,

PS: The shipping clamps should always be removed from the rear leaf spring.


Alan,

Excuse my ignorance, can I assume that the shipping clamp you are referring to is viewed on the drivers side picture? Is that something that I can have the shop (that did the suspension) remove when it goes back to them next week?

 

Hi c1n,
When shipping clamps have been used they should be removed.
The spring is designed to have a 'variable rate'.
To enable that, each leaf must be free to move independently of the other leaves.
Depending on how tightly the clamps have been installed they may hinder that free movement.
Regards,
Alan

 

Yours look really nice. In your opinion, can this be fixed, or does the entire thing need to be ripped out and redone? I seriously doubt the guy that installed this would be willing to redo it all.

 

Since you asked I will give you my opinion.

You ordered generic magnaflows and not ones specifically made for the C3 so that is not the fault of the installer. He did the best he could do with universal handers. If you want genuine C3 designed Magnaflows with the proper bracket welded on you should order them on your dime and pay to have them reinstalled. FYI, I got mine from Corvette Central about 5 years ago. (you could have him fabricate a bracket to mimic the OEM and weld it on your current mufflers but considering the weld quality shown not sure that is the best approach)

The pipe weld quality is another thing though. You should request the installer to drop the pipes and grind/reweld them on their dime (a "comeback" in their speak) so not so hideous.

 

I an not aiming for "original" or NCRS compatibility. I DO want an exhaust that will function as good, if not better than the original AND I would like it to look presentable. I think the welding done is absolutely unacceptable, and I am concerned about the clearance. So with that in mind, could he do something about the unsatisfactory welding and the manner it is hung, or am I stuck with it.

 

Yes, the pipe welding can be redone.

 

Hi c1n,
Are the pipes on the current system clamped together or welded at the transmission crossmember?
That may have an affect on how you proceed.
Regards,
Alan

 

The welding is not the prettiest, but I doubt you would every have any structural problems with the welds. There is simply not that much stress or load on these connections. Secondly, you said you were not worried about originality, so the different and very common method of hanging these pipes are perfectly acceptable, and propably better then factory. It looks like they added supports forward of the mufflers, as well as aft, which actually supports them better than stock. I did the same on my car.

The only thing I would be worried about on your exhaust installation is if the strut rods would hit the pipes in a full suspension travel. The pictures could be deceiving in regards to this, and they might be just fine. They should have routed the pipes close together under the differential. If they did, then its all good.

As you see in some thread photos, some go as far as flattening them as they run under the differential, and certainly pull them close to centerline. This gives maximum ground clearance. My 2-1/2 inch StainlessWorks system is NOT flattened, but does travel closer to centerline than yours, and I have plenty of clearance.

 

Update on exhaust...

I called yesterday and spoke to one of the shop guys at Big Giant Muffler. It was not Ray, that I originally dealt with, that was touted to be "the best" near OKC. At first they acted like there was absolutely NO way that Ray would have done substandard work. I assured him the work was undeniably unacceptable.

He asked what car I had, as soon as I said 68 vette, he immediately had a change in his tone. As I had stated earlier, Ray had become ill during the time my exhaust was being done and and a 1 day job turned into 2 weeks! Come to find out another guy "D" was allowed to do most of the work on my car, not Ray. Apparently "D" is no longer working there due to problems like this.

I made it clear that Ray did review the work, as he was there the day I picked the car up, and never should allowed the exhaust to leave his shop in that condition. Still waiting to hear back from them, but I can assure you, it WILL be made right. I am not a welder, but have seen examples of proper welding, this is NOT one of them.

I will update this thread as to where we get on this. Thank each of you that helped inform me so that I can have an educated conversation with them about what needs to be corrected.

 

Take a peek at the retainer on the U-joint in the 3rd pic.
Looks like it's not seated all the way in the groove.
Prolly won't fall out but you may want to talk to some guy named
MURPHY.