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Who has and what if i changed to a real dual exhaust system ( minus cat) would you buy from. Would stainless be the right direction? What vendor has all the parts? ?

NewbVetteGuy

There's lot of vendors that have lots of good dual exhaust systems for our cars. The challenge you'll run into is that any EPA certed shop can't technically let your car leave the shop without a cat if it came into a shop with a cat. So you're either doing the install yourself, or finding someone known to be willing to not replace the cats. (Cars without cats, especially with slightly rich carbs are SUPER stinky -it gets in your skin and hair and burns your eyes and lungs if you need to slowly back into a tight garage- nothing makes my wife hate my car more; know what you're losing.)


I would listen to some examples of the commonly available mufflers and X pipe vs. H pipe sounds to first find the sound that you want then make your muffler and X vs. H pipe decision based upon sound.


If you're going to go to a hot motor you need to size your headers appropriately for your goals (torque vs max hp) and your power levels. From 400hp and down just go with 1 5/8" full length headers. If fuel economy is a concern, you want full-length headers with EGR provisions; but full length headers by themselves will help.


If absolute max power (every last drop) and the best possible torque curve is your goal you're going to want termination boxes and to error on bigger header primary tube diameter and total exhaust diameter, but good luck finding a place for a termination box on a C3. (See: Vizard's SBC book for this.)


Stainless is a no brainer, but just understand that exhaust components are almost always 400 series stainless and not the super shiny 300 series; over the decades they'll grunge up and might even start rusting along seams / welds / imperfections in the metal. (We're not talking about the shiny surgical, non-metallic brewery tank type of stainless- except on some limited and expensive mufflers and tips.)


X pipes and H pipes help reduce noise if that's a concern and 3" pipes are louder than 2 1/2". Some people claim that X and H pipes can help with droning, but I'm not fully convinced. Walker Dynomax turbo-style mufflers can help with droning.

I'm not sure whether termination boxes help with droning but I'd expect that they do as they essentially turn your 2 exhausts into 2 pair as far as resonant frequencies are concerned.


Adam

7t9l82

7t9l82

Stainless is good. Unless you live in the communist sector that is kalifornia you should find plenty of shops to install it.
The big reason cars without cats smell is people don't tune their cars. You can put some modern high flow cats on it but our stupid government won't allow that either.high levels of ethanol make your eyes burn .thank God for Florida and Texas.

NewbVetteGuy

Referring to????...


I found ZERO shops willing to even install headers and an H-pipe on my 1979 L82 that had the cats removed in 1980. This was in Washington State which is "California lite" in this regard. But I was even further surprised that I called 3 shops in Indiana who also all told me that if the car came with cats, it would have to leave their shop with cats.

I later found out if that if I had just told them that it was a 1972 with a "rubber bumper conversion" -they'd all probably have just typed in that in the computer (while fully knowing I was BSing them) and they would've done the work anyway. If it didn't come with cats, none are required.


My family knew some guys who run a hot rod shop in rural Indiana out of an old converted barn and they were happy to do anything that I was willing to pay for (although they did it all poorly...). None of the highly rated exhaust shops would touch it, though.



Adam

GUSTO14

You might want to check with Allen's. Some of the vendors here carry their systems as well. They offer most of their systems in Stainless and Aluminized steel. They can even bend you a full 2 1/2" system if you change your manifolds to the 2 1/2" manifolds. They can do a 2 1/2" system necked down to fit the stock 2" manifolds as well.

I purchased and installed this 2 1/2" SS system for my '73 back in the early 90's. It still looks terrific today.





The mufflers are definitely 304 stainless.

Good luck... GUSTO