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On my 1980 small block, I went with "LAKE PIPES" instead of the header, side pipe combo from Hooker and or Doug Thorley and some others that make typical Side pipes, I have a full exhaust system that exits out the rear with quad tips and I put in electric cut outs with the diverters off the back of the headers and fabricated my own S pipes to connect to these lake pipes and with the flip of a switch I could open and close them so I did not burn my legs. Prefer my legs not be charred up and scarred up and burnt to hell. Short skirts and hot pipes are not a good combo if you ask me.
So overall, this ran me with the ceramic headers, lake pipes, cut outs, dual wiring harnesses and switch, diverters and gaskets and hardware just about 1000 dollars total. Flow-tech ceramic headers are inexpensive for small block corvettes, about 280-290 I think I paid from Summit, the diverters were like 30 bucks a pair, the cut outs were like 190-200 and 20-30 for the wiring harnesses, relays and switch, and the pipes were like 450-500 and the few bends were like 60-80 bucks and I just got my mig welder and drew what I needed on cardboard and then laid the bends out on the cardboard, cut them and welded them and I used a harbor freight tubing expander to open the pipes a touch to slip fit them before I welded them all the way around.
I do not have photos of the underside but this is what they look like on the outside, can not tell they are not the typical header side pipe combo but they are a 1 tube inlet setup the other 3 in the collector are fake just there for show. 2 inch inlet so I had to decrease the pipe size from the 3 inch from the electric cut outs down to 2 1/8 to slip fit over the side pipe inlet tube but with some patience it works out just fine.
HOpe this helps you out with an alternative to what others do and just buy big ticket 1700-2000 dollar side pipes.
If you want a used set of side pipes, let me know I think I have 2--3 pairs laying around at the shop I can part with. I think mine are all for big blocks though Ill have to check when I get back home if you want.
Thanks
Jennifur
Thanks a lot; that was quite a write up with lots of information. You know a hell of a lot more about this stuff than I do. I'm not worthy. Sounds like you did all that without breaking the bank, which is exactly what I had in mind. If I can get my bumper issues, blistering paint, cracks, etc., taken care of, I may do something like what you did. Thanks again.
Thanks a lot; that was quite a write up with lots of information. You know a hell of a lot more about this stuff than I do. I'm not worthy. Sounds like you did all that without breaking the bank, which is exactly what I had in mind. If I can get my bumper issues, blistering paint, cracks, etc., taken care of, I may do something like what you did. Thanks again.
Tom
You are most welcome. Just if you have a little research done, and think a little outside the box, and of course a mig or tig welder you can accomplish wonders. I also airbrush everything I can get my hands on too so I love to spruce up things for pennies but looks like a million bucks.
Just picked up a 1998 Trans Am WS6 (a real ws6 not a fake) and I just removed the intake which was plastic, and sanded it body worked it and primed it, painted it, and airbrushed it with skulls and then clear coated it with some ultra violet pigment in the clear to make anything black glow that UV purple color and I took a few hours polishing and sanding the throttle body as well. So for about less than $5 dollars in materials, and about 4-5 hours of time, I tried and think i am off to a good start jazzing up the underside of the hood on this car. Trying to anyway.....
But back to exhaust........if you do 2 exhaust systems like I did, Its a lot more fun to uncork the side pipes and really blast around town and if you see a cop, remove foot from gas, cork the side pipes and sneak past him as quiet as a honda lawn mower!!!
Good luck!!
I have stainless headers and side pipes from OBX on my car. Bought them ~ 5 years ago for like $900 or so. No complaints about quality, and they look and sound great. The header tubes are starting to rust where they go under the frame due to years of Utah road salt, but you cannot see that area unless you are laying on the ground looking at the frame from the side so I am not super worried. The visible areas higher up in the engine bay are still fairly clean, and I etch the pipes and visible portions of the headers once or twice a year with phosphoric acid and they look great. I am sure it will take decades more at the current rate for the headers to rust through, and for the price they can't be beat.
