Guys,

its time for some side pipes. Any recommendations for badass sound? i got a 350. If not ill go by summit racing and get headers and side tube. Let me know!

Thanks

 

Lots of threads on this subject. Do a search and see what has been recommended in the past.
I'm using Hooker headers, and STS baffles for my 350. I like the sound.

 

I have "OBX" branded pipes which are hooker clones. mine are stainless steel so they will last a very long time compared to the chrome or painted/coated hooker pipes and I paid under $700 shipped for them however I have found these exact pipes are being bought from the same makers in china and being branded as at least 4 different brands of pipes and resold by american distributors. I have seen them being sold for as much as $1,350 so beware and be educated on what your buying and how much you pay.

I use sweet thunder 2 1/4" insert and I love the sound but find it a touch too loud if I had the choice.

 

I have the Hooker SS side pipes with their Max Flow baffles. This combo makes a badass sound, headaches and 'radio delete' but I love that sound!

 

Try searching. ....tons of information on this. That being said. I'm running OBX with vettpacks.....they're on the loud side at idle, even louder at wot. They sound great though. Also be aware that some of the "stainless steel" obx pipes do corrode or rust and their customer service doesn't exist from obx and from supplier. Most everyone here hasn't had the rust issues like I have so you'll likely be ok. Mine will polish out and look great for a few months and then start to look like this rather quickly.





Enjoy....

 

I second that

120.6 dB(A) at WOT with 383 10.3:1 stroker and 3.55 TH350

I use earplugs for long trips. Still worth it though

 

Hooker and STS baffles...works for me

 

I got pretty lucky... my vette has been parked outside since april too and the pipes have none of that rust... did you try passivating the stainless with barkeepers friend??

 

i have the same discoloring since i went with A/F meter to lean jets from 80 down to 70 then the obx side pipes turn light brown.i tried two SS. cleaners but not much luck.

 

I haven't tried the bar keepers stuff. I did try some citric acid stuff ( can't remember the name) with no luck. Ill have to look into the bkf stuff. Thanks.

 

I use bluemagic along with a harbor freight rotary buffer and their cheap foam pads. Makes life easy. Most do turn a bronze/light brown color coming out the side of the car, but mine actually has a layer of corrosion. Up where the header bolts to the heads is the typical stainless steel rainbowing, no corrosion there.

Notice how splotchy the corrosion is.



Sorry to divert the thread for the op.

 

you need to use barkeepers friend (note the name, that's what it's for), not citric acid (actually you want Nitric acid not citric). just lookup re-passivating stainless steel. we use it all the time when welding or silver-soldering stainless for boiling fermented liquid vessels.

And NEVER use steel wool or anything with carbon steel on stainless. only green scrubbys or stainless wool. contaminating stainless by drilling or welding or anything that removes the protective coating is bad, kind of like removing the protective layer of aluminum.

"Stainless steel is stainless because of the protective chromium oxides on the surface. If those oxides are removed by scouring, or by reaction with bleach, then the iron in the steel is exposed and can be rusted. Stainless steel is also vulnerable to contamination by plain carbon steel, the kind found in tools, food cans, and steel wool. This non-stainless steel tends to rub off on the surface (due to iron-to-iron affinity), and readily rusts. Once rust has breached the chromium oxides, the iron in the stainless steel can also rust. Fixing this condition calls for re-passivation."

 

What he said^^
It usually does work...I brew beer and built an electric brewery... tons of stainless and from time to time I would get something that would rust (often from using non stainless tooling on the metal or contamination in the steel ) sometimes I have to do it a few times but each time the issue diminishes.

the active ingredient in barkeepers friend is oxalic acid .

 

I was under the impression that quality stainless had so little iron the rust was not possible.
I do know there is varying amounts of iron in different stainless products. My stainless sink for instance a magnet will stick to slightyly or the stainless silverware a magnet will stick to strongly.
The side pipe heat shields I got from Dean's a magnet will not stick to however, not even slightly.
So is this problem related to the level of iron in the stainless and is it safe to say that stainless with higher quantities of iron are of lower quality? Or is there another reason that some stainless has more iron content than others?

 

there are lots of different grades of ss, not all is non-magnetic. obviously there is iron in ALL stainless steel, it's the Chromium, nickel, and carbon among other things that varies. Chromium is the largest %, which needs to be exposed to form the oxide coating. Aluminum is the same way, which is why freshly tarnished aluminum rims always get dull, it's the oxidation layer which actually protects the underlying metal. same with bluing or Parkerizing a gun. controlled rust...

btw, with your sink, if you clean with an SOS pad, ever wonder why it gets rusty? Also do you know why car mfgr's use SS for exhaust these days? it's not so it doesn't rust, it's because it retains heat and helps emissions, ie. runs hotter (not necessarily a good thing for a vette, especially headers!).

Here's the rest of the quote I posted from another forum I am on:

Passivating stainless steel is typically accomplished in industry by dipping the part in a bath of nitric acid. Nitric acid dissolves any free iron or other contaminants from the surface, which cleans the metal, and it re-oxidizes the chromium; all in about 20 minutes. But you don't need a nitric acid bath to passivate. The key is to clean the stainless steel to bare metal. Once the metal is clean, the oxygen in the atmosphere will reform the protective chromium oxides instantly. The steel will nearly as passivated as if it was dipped in acid. Nitric acid passivation creates a more chromium-rich passive surface, but is not necessary for brewing use.

To passivate stainless steel at home without using a nitric acid bath, you need to clean the surface of all dirt, oils and oxides. The best way to do this is to use an oxalic acid based kitchen cleanser like those mentioned above, and a non-metallic green or white scrubby pad. Don't use steel wool, or any metal pad, even stainless steel, because this will actually promote rust. Scour the surface thoroughly and then rinse and dry it with a towel. Once you have cleaned it to bare metal it will re-passivate itself.

If you have straw-colored or bluish tinted oxides on the stainless from welding or soldering, it should be cleaned off with a scrubby and cleanser before use. The colored oxides are not passive and will lead to rusting of the stainless steel if not cleaned. You should not have to do this procedure more than once, but it can be repeated as often as necessary."

 

it should be mentioned that grades of stainless that are more prone to rusting are usually the harder versions and used for things like knives (high end kitchen knives and silverware because they hold an edge better) Those are usually 409 stainless I believe whereas the usual grades found for kitchen kettles and stainless fittings are 304 and 316 stainless... magnets don't normally stick to 304 stainless...

Unfortunately because of the reasons mentioned above I see complaints of rusting a lot in the home brewing forum because people who dont know better see rust after using regular non stainless drill bits on it or a wire brush to clean the stainless.