I visited a local muffler shop yesterday to have my new Dynomax mufflers installed. I was told I could get the entire exhaust from the headers back replaced for $425. ( I already own the mufflers) This is a 2.5 inch pipe mandrel bent for my 68. I do need the exhaust since Bubba has really been cutting and chopping on it over the years. I this a good price? I have been looking at buying complete exhaust systems but have decided to hold off due to price.

Check out Mid-America Corvette , I got a complete 2 1/2 system
in Stainless steel cheaper than that even with shipping .
Fit real good and installed easily . Mid-America is really cool supplier for us . Check 'em out online .
Bill (redstingray74)

That's an average to decent price for a custom mandrel bent setup.

Many of the comments I have read here indicate the need to take the systyem to the local shop and have them bend to fit around the TH400 trans (which I have on my 68). That being the case, I don't really look forward to doing all that work then driving the car to the locak shop with the exhaust disconnected. Does Mid America or anyone else have a system that doesn't need to be tweeked?

I agree with the previous poster, $425 is a average to decent price for a custom mandrel bent system. I wouldn't purchase from Mid America. I purchased a chambered exhaust system from them and it had to be fit to the car. The right pipe behind the header had to be crushed in to a "d" shape to get around the tranny (I have a TH350) That exhaust system form MAD cost a little over $300 excluding the shipping. That was in 2006. I would go with the custom exhaust from the shop. that way you can tell them how you want it made so if you have to do any work beneath the car you can take your exhaust apart without cutting it up. Besides, how much work is it to drive it to the shop?

Oh Yes I forgot to mention the system I got from Mid-Amer. fit easily
as a direct replacement . It comes in several pieces just like stock and slips together as you put it in . The '74 I got it on has Turbo 400 .
Check YouTube GmcBillJ for a video of this car idling in my driveway. I got a couple of Thrush mufflers from Napa auto and a guy in La Pine made a couple of turndown ends for me. the only thing is the old system was 2" and the bigger pipes leaned it
out some because they flow easier but I had real easy time
in my shop on 4 Jack stands. I just went back to the Quadrajet
and adjusted it and it feeds the engine OK !

Take it to a muffler shop, make sure they are good and weld everything, no clamps or bands, here's my mandrel bent 3 inch system, print out the pics if you like and ask them if they can do the job the same

Upon reflection here I also agree with the $425 shop price.
I would ask them to not weld it up though,as you may need to
get into it when working on something. Also if you can get it
DONE by the shop that is easier on you!!!!! Exhaust is really nasty dirty work and can be very frustrating. A good job by a good shop
can be a pleasant experience because they have all the stuff needed
to fab it quickly. And then you can be DRIVING, that is the fun part of our hobbie; Enjoying the ride !!!!!!!

Because of the individual measured pipes (approx. 18") that run from the header around the trans to the rest of the system, no one makes a system that must not be "tweaked"......too many variables, different headers are different lengths.
I got around this problem once by buying some inexpensive flex pipe from Pep Boys and bent it to shape and attached it for my drive to the muffler shop......that piece then became the template for the permanent pipe.

i agree a good exhaust shop will do a better job then a good off the shelf exhaust. they can use proper 3-bolt flanges after headers and before mufflers that way its a breeze to get it out if you have too. the downside to a custom job 30 % more cost but depends if you think its worth it and dont want u-bolts holding it all together.

Welding is good but you will have to cut it up to remove your trans. My current exhaust system is welded and i have to cut it up in order to remove the transmission. I am going to use band clamps this time around when I get my new exhaust done so i can take my exhaust apart if I have to remove my transmission again. I see no reason why bands cannot be used.

I've used band clamps in a few key places and been very pleased.
Here's some pics of my 3" system. These are old and I had to redo it when I installed the TKO.

Check the 3 bolt exhaust flanges near the rear crossmember , entire rear of the exhaust and mufflers can be dropped in 5 minutes for the drag strip.

Tranny comes out by unbolting headers like you have to do on any Vette and dropping the crossmember. Like I said weld it up, but do it right



Old mufflers

Check the 3 bolt exhaust flanges near the rear crossmember , entire rear of the exhaust and mufflers can be dropped in 5 minutes for the drag strip.

Tranny comes out by unbolting headers like you have to do on any Vette and dropping the crossmember. Like I said weld it up, but do it right




Old mufflers

Smarter people realize early on that the exhaust through the cross member makes it overly complicated. It is a pain to run the dual exhaust through it and it is a pain to work on or ever remove the exhaust for tranny and motor changes

So Smart people custom fab or purchase a Bowtie Over Drive cross member where the exhaust passes under the cross member.

Wayne's three inch looks great, but the time fabing it up could have been spent modding the cross member and doing a nice straight shot 3 inch.

This is from an older posting!


trannies don't like heat.

routing through the holes complicates the initial pipe job

pipes through the cross member complicate R&R of the tranny and with 700 hp you are going to be working on stuff quite often.

the best systems for sub 700 hp are a three inch with an X or an H cross pipe.



So why dork around and use the existing holes when you can mod your cross member?

Oh, yah......... I forgot to add for the pin heads that believe that small pipes and lots of back pressure helps TQ. that I lost so much TQ with my 3 inch system that I have a hard time getting my 12 road race rear tires to spin in 4th gear when my tires are hot and sticky!

I remember these pics. You posted them in 2006. When I saw it I printed these back then and saved the images on my computer. I no longer have the computer or the printed pics.