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Ground clearance on long tubes

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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 11:10 AM
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Default Ground clearance on long tubes

For those running long tubes, how much of an issue ground clearance and how often do you hit?

I have a 79 and debating on shorties or long tubes. No plans to lower it "yet", dont know if i really want to.
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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 12:00 PM
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Collector ground clearance is not an issue unless you lower the car.

The only time i've ever hit the headers on anything just happened to be in your fine state headed East on I-80 out of Park City. It was light rain, at night passing a semi-truck going over 100 mph. That's when I saw the dead big doe in the head lights. It tore off my power steering lines and dented the pipes when I launched over the deer.
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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 12:34 PM
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I used to scrape occasionally with my long tubes on those darn speed bumps in parking lots, etc. It was never bad enough to damage the pipes. I always figured that they "saved" my oil pan...
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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 12:41 PM
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Ocassional "hits" in parking lots with speed bumps but, they protect my oil pan so I can live with that.
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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 01:36 PM
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No hits on these...and I avoid speed bumps like the plaque...6 quart oil pan only 4" off the floor....

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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 02:00 PM
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Thanks, just what I needed.
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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 05:58 PM
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I haven't had any problems, either. And mine appear to hang a little lower than Rich's.

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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 06:09 PM
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Originally Posted by gkull
when I launched over the deer.
Did you floor it before the launch
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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 07:22 PM
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If you are really concerned, try Dynomax, they are a little shorter.

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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 08:11 PM
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the pipes under the rear axle seem to be the dragging point not the long tubes. at least for me
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Old Mar 23, 2006 | 10:45 PM
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drove around with open long tubes for a few weeks... never scraped.
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Old Mar 24, 2006 | 12:52 AM
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Originally Posted by KapsSA
I haven't had any problems, either. And mine appear to hang a little lower than Rich's.

Think the issue with the big blocks is depth of oil pan,not so much headers..in my case,the oil pan depth being behind(aft) of front wheels means wheels will roll over speed bump and be going down far side of bump before pan reaches top of speed bump....of course,I'm writing this after a few brewski's....but that is my thought....
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Old Mar 24, 2006 | 02:44 PM
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Originally Posted by MEGALADON
Did you floor it before the launch

It was more like OH $HIT! time. I was driving straight through about 1400 miles and trying to make time. I felt that deer smash under my feet. I was watching the gauges thinking how lucky I was when I noticed that my power steering was gone. Then like a dummy i drove it the rest of way and burned up the power steering pump.

I should have just cut the belt and saved lots of money. I had to buy a new ram and steel hoses
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Old Mar 24, 2006 | 02:58 PM
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Originally Posted by gkull
It was more like OH $HIT! time. I was driving straight through about 1400 miles and trying to make time. I felt that deer smash under my feet. I was watching the gauges thinking how lucky I was when I noticed that my power steering was gone. Then like a dummy i drove it the rest of way and burned up the power steering pump.

I should have just cut the belt and saved lots of money. I had to buy a new ram and steel hoses
Was on old 66 in Arizona just going the speed limit.. , when a pickup coming from other direction flashing his headlights..I stopped and they told me of a dead cow up the road...sure enough...there was one right in our lane.....good thing we knew...
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Old Mar 24, 2006 | 05:17 PM
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Since we started talking about running over road kill... I hit a ratcoon duing about 40. Could feel that thing vibrate from the engine all the way to the back seat. half of it was still stuck somewhere on the exhaust system. Took about a week to burn the rest off. You would not believe the the smells that came out while sitting at lights. Everyone next to me would roll up the windows and give me some nasty looks.
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Old Mar 25, 2006 | 05:51 AM
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Originally Posted by My White 79
For those running long tubes, how much of an issue ground clearance and how often do you hit?

I have a 79 and debating on shorties or long tubes. No plans to lower it "yet", dont know if i really want to.
I just bought a pair of chrome shorty headers and they're being put on Monday...the shop is gonna put on a new, larger diameter cross-over pipe back to the first connection point, this way opening the whole system to 2.5 inches...my concern was the hitting of long headers and this was my decission...just my 2 cents...
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