1977 Vette L48 4spd. The car is a 20 footer if you know what that means. New clutch, needs interior work and a paint job. Most of the bushings are solid but they are old and crusty and will need replacement eventually. Its a solid classic driver to cruise nights but in NO WAY is it show quality. Its cool because its a yellow Stingray.
Anyway... I have been going back and forth regarding exhaust. The car had a brand new 2.5" true dual system on it with those hideous round mufflers on it. This system was poorly installed and it doesn't really fit the car correctly. Its all removed.
I just got the car and I haven't put any money into it yet except for the purchase price. It has new tires and brakes, clutch, battery and the engine was freshened up and runs fantastic.
I have 3 options. I have a lot of things to buy to get the car road worthy and if I spend all my money on exhaust it will be a while before I can get the car on the road so I am trying to make the right decision. One forum member suggested me not to "shoot my wad" on an exhaust system for a car that I really haven't driven yet.


I have a $1500 budget to get the car on the road. I already ordered $110 worth of interior stuff from Corvette Central and I spent $100 on a set of seats for parts for my existing seats that were very rough.


My options are....


Headers and side pipes (by far the most expensive option) even the least expensive versions are $1500+ once I get the slip in mufflers for them. I love the look though!!


Patriot Shorty Headers and a complete dual exhaust system with magnaflow hideaway mufflers from Corvette Central (Kyle is a really good guy)
About $850 total with shipping and mounting brackets and such..


Complete dual exhaust system with magnaflow hideaway mufflers from Corvette Central using my existing ramhorn manifolds about $450 total with shipping


Which way would you go? I don't think I am thinking rationally at this point after looking through catalogs and online and reading this forum for the last few weeks!!!

 

Save the money and get it running.

Option 3, You can always add headers later.

 

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ew-in-box.html

Somebody has these for sale in the sale section............ 750.00

 

Amen...

 

Put this back on and get your priorities straightened out. The exhaust is the least of your worries.

 

Sounds to me like you are too focused on the exhaust right now. If it were me I would install the existing exhaust for now. I would concentrate on the old crusty suspension bushings first. Make sure you have good tires. Go through everything and see what it needs a little at a time. As time and money allows then you can move on to that trick exhaust/headers that you want.

 

I agree with the others - you could easily spend most of your budget on 'other things', and I'd personally get the interior looking nice before I worried about the exhaust. Also, I think Corvette Central (and probably others), sell the oval mufflers that bolt up in place of the round mufflers, if the rest of the exhaust is salvageable.

Good luck, and post pictures!

 

The car runs great. New tires, brakes, clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing, fork, valve cover and intake and exhaust gaskets, tune up, alternator, battery and exhaust. It has original body bushings and suspension bushings. It drives and handles really nice. It needs interior work which i am working on. It needs a headlight actuator, the passenger door only opens from the inside and for some reason the winfshield wiper motor causes a 3.5 amp draw with the ignition off. I want to drive it but the exhaust was rattling, the pipes sat low and those mufflers were horrible. Also it needed seats which i now have. I unplugged the wiper motor so the drain is gone. I saw the listing for the headers and side pipes but he wants 750 and i can buy them new for 799. Also... I have read nothing but bad stuff about that setup.

 

Always.
Always.
Always.

Mechanical and Functional Necessities FIRST. Everything else SECOND.

 

You seem really stuck on the exhaust.

Like others have said, it is best to get it road worthy first, and do the rest over time...

Buy a set of headers here, mufflers there,, again over time, it helps defray the one time "bundle" cost.

Rather than buy an exhaust "kit," really talk to some local muffler shops...most can fab up a 2.5 inch system for a fraction of the cost of the "kits." Additionally, a muffler shop may be able to re-use, or salvage a large part of your current system, by installing it correctly, and save you some serious cash along the way...

Just my $.02, but time is usually on your side...

take a deep breath, really prioritize what you want to do, and do it a little bit at a time...

 

Well, here is what I did, in some degree of order, albeit, maybe backwards to the way some may do it.

Front wheel bearings
Adjustable heim joint strut rods
new rear spring and bushings
full brake service

Then:
Rack and pinion steering kit (best thing I ever did)
Seats recovered
Control arm bushings

Then:
New tires
Alignment
Headers
Custom shop made 2.5" fully welded true dual exhaust (was $500 incl mufflers, how much are the kits?)

Then:
New complete trailing arms
Body mounts
Full diff rebuild (new bearings, yokes and 3.55 gears)
Fiberglass rear spring

This was all over the last eight years. As $$ and time permitted.
It was never off the road, the bigger jobs were done over the winter.

The weak point now is the TH350. Next project is either a 4spd Auto conversion or a head upgrade. Leaning towards the 4spd.

The key is safety. One thing my deceased Dad taught me: Don't scrimp on tires and brakes. If you make it "go" it also must "stop".

 

Just curious... how difficult was it to do the body mounts. From what I read.. its a HUGE job!!!
I am taking a lot of advise here and even though I have to address the exhaust I am going to get the interior back together and start working on the rear suspension parts. The front suspension is all in fine shape. The car runs and drives fine. Previous owner had it up to 90mph with no shaking or anything funky happening. I need to do the rear spring bushings. They are shot. I decided to save some more money and go with black headers and side pipes. I won't be happy unless I have them. That's what I have always wanted on a Vette once I got one.
The big question I have is jacking the car up. The frame is in fine shape. I have 4 quality jack stands. I have a very nice floor jack. I just need to know the correct way to get the car on jack stands for an extended amount of time. I want to get the entire car off of the ground, remove the wheels and start working on all the suspension/steering components that need addressing. I already know the motor is fresh and the 4spd tranny is completely rebuilt. I hear horror stories about sagging front ends, doors not lining up.... etc.... To me... it looks like a normal full framed car and I would assume putting jacks behind the front wheels on the frame rails and in front of the rear wheels on the frame rails would be the way to do it but I am not sure. I don't want the nose to sag and cause problems. Where would I support the nose?

 

Focus on the things that will kill you first. for example, adding performance to a car that won't stop will just make your death more likely.

 

Like I mentioned in my first post.... the car has brand new tires and new brakes which include rotors, calipers, lines, rims and tires. The car will stop no problem. I would be driving it now if it wasn't for the lack of seats and exhaust system. I drove it before I bought it a month ago. It drives great even though the only seat that was in it was broken.

 

Well, which is it?

 

a rattling exhaust sucks but, can't hold a candle to putting on the new exhaust and not being able to drive the car because something else broke or is unsafe and you don't have the cash to repair/replace it. Sitting in the car making vroom vroom noises is fun when your drunk, but not when you want to be out cruising in the car.

 

You don't NEED the side pipes or headers to get it up and running so you can enjoy the car. Install a good set of 2.5" exhaust pipes (aluminized steel is the way to go, unless you want to double the cost on stainless); go Magnaflow mufflers or other brand, but make sure they will mount properly in the Corvette.

I really think the side-pipe stuff on C3's is a waste of money. They aren't better performing (headers on straight pipes yields more HP), and they are hot and can burn ladies legs (when they wear those mini-skirts!!).

Fix the important stuff: brakes, steering, suspension, tires, lights, wipers. The other stuff can wait.

 

This is what i found inside the passenger door at the bottom near the window motor...wtf....

 

Mouse nest?


Body mounts were beyond my capabilities. No lift. Or storage room even if it did have a lift.

Cut the bolts off the body mounts, easier that way.

 

i would do this. get some headers from summit for like 120-130. get a shop to make you a a system(150-400 depends where).. then rebuild front suspension and rear suspension.(180 bushing kit in local auto zone, and you do work yourself. bill stein shocks in all corners (around $350,ecklers)vbp fiberglass rear spring($330) front lowering springs from vbp($100) and long bolts to lower rear suspension from vbp(20-50 unsure). while I'm at it i would get the front spreader bar from speed direct.. that should be more or less 1500.....keep in mind that side exhaust covers to prevent yourself from burning your leg cost 500 plus 1200-1500 for headers and the GOOD inserts cost from 180-300. those being the MAX FLOW,Sweet thunder and the sts baffles .i have side exhaust but i would go thru all the suspension i mentioned above and it would drive like night and day trust me.i bought my side pipes before anything wish i would have gone thru everything first . then either you go side pipes(around 2k new ) OR Aluminum radiator and dual fans and a 140 amp alternator to withstand the higher amperage from the fans for about 1200.
1)suspension rebuild and upgrades
2)aluminum radiator n alt upgrade
3)side pipes
4)automatic overdrive or a manual one with overdrive....

regarding side pipes(it appears you want hooker side pipes) scavenge the fs page in the forum ppl are getting old dont want all that noise(the ones that aren't going deaf)
however if your set on getting side pipes go for it they are awesome but look for deals in the forum before you buy new