I am restoring a 69 convertibe from the frame up and need a little advice. I really like the looks of side exhaust and am considering putting them on my vette. I have heard a bunch of "pros" and "cons" about this from people that don't really know. Maybe some of you guys out there that has experienced side exhaust can help me out. Are they too loud on the interior, do they really make the car too hot by the door, etc...? If you guys can help me out I would be really greatful.

 

1 good reason..they look :cool:

 

I say go for it! :yesnod: :cheers:

Only thing I've heard is it might be a little loud, and sometimes difficult to get out of the car cause the pipes are now on the side and very hot.

But you get to give out free ankle tattoos to people walking on the street! :eek: :crazy:


[Modified by Buffalo Dude, 7:58 PM 1/31/2002]

 

Hi Steve..
I have had the factory side pipes on for about 30 years now.
Yes, they are loud.
Some explanation..... In a coupe with the roof on, they tend to "drone" some.
With the roof panels off, the noise is quite acceptable. It is no worse than
the wind noise.

As for excessive heat by the door, completely false. The covers get warm,
NOT hot. Even on a hard run on a summer day, they only get warm.

GM designed the heat shields very well.

Now, I do not know anything about "NON" GM sidepipes.
Hopefully some other members can help.
Barry

 

I have the factory side pipes on my 69 coupe. I also was worried about getting the old leg burns. I am 6-4 and its not easy getting in and out of the car so I always seem to touch the pipes wth my leg. As Barry said the pipes only get warm and not hot. I still warn any passenger about about the pipes though. Now i am talking about the factory exhaust and not the headers. I wear shorts very often and the pipes have never gotten hot enough to burn my bare skin. Mine is a big block and the sound is great. I guess it depends what you are comparing the sound to but I think the vettes were made to have side exahusts.Not too loud. Should have been standard equipment in my opinion

 

As a fellow 69er I say go for it. I personally went with Hooker Side Pipes and not factory. One major change i noticed when going to side pipes that is rarely discussed is that my interior temperature decreased drastically from not having the exhaust pipes running under your butt. It was drastic however I now have a nice leg tatoo from jumping out carelessly. hahaha. Everthing has its tradeoffs. No such thing as a free lunch.

:cheers:

 

Steve,

If you want to go to the factory street side exhaust, only offered in 69 on C3's, they are expensive, but look great. Personally, I really prefer the pinched Coke bottle look from the sides with the black moldings and no side pipes. JCL is working on some great mufflers to use beneath the factory design covers.

The other side pipe design is the 4" Hooker setup which is what I have. I did it mainly for ground clearance. If I had a reasonably strong SB (400-450hp) I could still have gotten away with 2.5" pipes underneath and been happy; but, I went for the ~550hp L88 and couldn't bring myself to pass up all the potential power available by using anything less than a 3"+ exhaust system.

Please don't ask me to give you a practical explanation for this. Power is addicting. People can be reasonable with a little bit of gold, it doesn't control them; but, when you have more than you can ever use they seem to become even more protective of it, hoarding it, not wanting to lose any of it. So it is with engines. Go ask Merlin! (There must be an assylum for guys like us, maybe this is it, the Corvette Forum? Perhaps it is not too late for you to turn back!!:smash: )

Anyway, If you want the side pipes, heat through the door really isn't much of a problem. The car will be much cooler by not having it underneath the cabin. Your transmission and differential will also be much cooler with side pipes. However, noise can be greater. I used Dynamat Xtreme in the doors, floors, cargo area, t-tops, trans tunnel, firewall, etc. This stuff works very well to remove the harmonics or the drone of the engine and exhaust and it is very thin, ~1/16th inch thick. Summit carries it in the 32 or 36 sq. ft. packs.

The JCL spiral mufflers are the only choice for mufflers in my opinion. Reasonably quiet, ferocious under full throttle, and very free flowing. Check my website to hear mine. The recording is not the best, but I haven't gotten around to make a new one revving to 7000 rpm instead of only about 5000rpm. The heat shields JCL has are also a must with the Hooker type pipes, at least on the passenger side.

Chuck

 

I had them for about a year and really liked them when I was alone but as soon as I had a passenger it was embarassing. You can go deaf on long trips and conversation is difficult. I ended up getting rid of them and going to a normal 3 inch exhaust. Made a big difference.

 

I have the cheapo fiberglass factory style covers.
I love the sound, I love to be able to work under the car without the exhaust in the way.

I thought about the hookers, but, well check out my sig....

 

Let there be NO MISTAKE......sidepipes make the VETTE! :chevy