Sharing pictures of an exhaust system I recently built for a good customer. I have not found an aftermarket system that fit well so i began building my own for those who want quality.
This system is entirely 2.5" 304 stainless material, is tig welded, features stainless works turbo mufflers, and features an X pipe.








Anyone interested can message me for more info.
Thank you
Derek Oberlander

 

I bet you worked for StainlessWorks? Nice work.

 

HA. No sir, I never worked for Ron. Had some friends that did years ago....

 

Wow!! Best C3 exh I've ever seen. I have a orig owner SA L-82 just like that one. I just put headers on it and am contemplating a new SS 2 1/2" SS exh system from there back. I'm in Mich,maybe I can pick-up? How many loose joints are there? Hdal

 

Nice looking system......
Now all you need to do is convince your customers to modify the crossmember so you can get rid of most of the bends and have something that flows straight back from the headers to where it joins the X-pipe.

Very nice work though

 

Did You fill the inside of the tubes with Inert Gas when You welded it ? The welds have the nice SS colors to them.

 

One thing is for sure, several of the best companies making exhaust systems cannot make them to fit a C3 correctly. As we know, the engine on a C3 is displaced off the centerline of the car,......so why are pipes bent with the exact same bend on left side as right side. Makes no sense, but my $1000 plus Stainless Works pipes had same bends on both side. By design, this is wrong, yet they proclaim they fit. They don't. Same was true with Magnaflow. How hard is it to understand this. I am thinking of getting American Racing headers with the pipes back through the crossmember holes, and planning to call them and ask them if the bends are the same on both sides.....will be interesting to hear the answer. They better answer me correctly.

 

Wow...looks great and yes most prebent SS pipes do not fit correctly.. and I like the S pipe too. I would make one change for those that want the best performance and sound hands down from their mufflers:

Borla S Type C4 muffles on my 78..These S Type C4 Borlas make my C3 SBC 355 sound better than any C3 including BB C3's, in my opinion.....

 

I have had great success with Allen's Stainless Exhaust out in Indiana. They have sold my two Aluminized/Steel Chambered Pipe systems, one a complete headers back system for my BB C3 and a cat-back system for my C4 l98. I love the sound of the chambered pipes versus having big mufflers hanging out the rear. The sound is near as noisy as side-pipes but behind the Corvette, following you. It can be too loud for some but Allen's offers three levels of noise for your choice. I don't appreciate how loud my car is until I go under a bridge.

Installing the C3 system was easy as everything fit nicely. My high compression C3 427 "spits" through these pipes as they are true duals with no cross-over. Add the compression to an L88 cam and you get the picture. The exhaust was purchased in the early to mid 1990's. Both of my chambered pipe systems work well and look great even after many years of usage. I would highly recommend people looking for a nice exhaust system to check out Allen's Stainless Product Line. I bought my systems from them at Corvettes@Carlisle and saved even more with no shipping, no tax and a better price! They make beautiful side-pipes for the Mid years and C3's if you are into that kind of thing.

Best regards,
Chris

 

Those are neat looking tips, but why would you want to have your mufflers hanging down so far to accommodate them? Those mufflers should be up so they are pretty much out of sight in my opinion......
Not looking for fist to cuffs, just an observation

 

No No...opinions are always welcome!

I had Monza Turbos for 30 years on this car with straight dual tips which were made for the C3's and those mufflers which are 2X as big as these borlas were exposed as well from the rear and side partially, just like the borlas. There is no way to have straight tips out the rear under the bumper without partial exposure of the muffler. These borlas are half the size of the OEM mufflers as well as those Monza Turbos and the size of the borla square tips partially covers much of the muffler from the rear. The side view is less than the exposure with the Monza turbos and many OEM mufflers since the borlas are rather small in size.

This photo shows the Monza turbos that were on the car for 30 years and a direct replacement for the OEM mufflers. Can't have straight tips attached directly to a C3 muffler without a down turn pipe like on the OEM mufflers which I really disliked from day 1.


Also, If you look at any C4 with the straight tip OEM Factory mufflers as well as any of the C4 mufflers, the mufflers are exposed from the rear just like on my C3....very small price to pay for using these Borlas which are beautifully made and polished 304 Stainless Steel, in my opinion, and the C4 Style mufflers which ran from 84-96 with the mufflers exposed.

Click below for the C4 with straight tip mufllers:

​​​​​​https://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrolet-c4-corvette-585-horsepower/

​​​​​​https://www.motortrend.com/news/chev...mageId=2373263

https://www.google.com/search?q=c4+c...WzlxkMYNvzVSkM

Here is a better picture of the Borlas on the 78...

 

Thank you for the kind words. It’s all personal preference but I see nothing wrong with your system if that’s how you like it! Routing mufflers as you have them will even help keep the fuel tank and it’s contents cool! These SW turbo mufflers are very similar construction and sound great. The customer wanted a factory looking tip but it is replicated with 2.5” so it subtly suggests there’s more to look at under the car.

Derek Oberlander

 

Thanks for the comment. Allen’s seems to be a fine restoration product. What I am offering is geared more towards those wanting a performance oriented option. Also custom application with one off fit.

Derek Oberlander

 

Derek,

You do nice work. I might need your help, so could you PM me your phone number. Depending on how well the American Racing Headers fit with my existing StainlessWorks 2-1/2 inch exhaust system I may need some welding. Not sure how we would make it happen given you are in northern Ohio and I am in Western PA, but its close enough maybe somehow we could make it work......if it becomes necessary.

 

Nice looking exhaust ... I may be interested soon...

 

I continue to have problems getting an exhaust system that will fit the car, so maybe custom is the only way to go. Here are some facts that anyone interested needs to understand, and then look what store bought systems provide.

- C2 and C3 Corvette engines are mounted offset 1" to the right of the frame centerline.... according to Zora Duntov, who should know. So the cylinder head flanges are both offset 1" to the right of frame centerline....right?
- C2 and C3 Corvette frames have a mid crossmember, with two large holes for the exhaust to run through, and these two holes are ALSO offset 1" right of frame centerline.
- C2 and C3 mufflers are mounted symmetrical and even spaced from the FRAME centerline, i.e. NOT Offset.
- Headers SHOULD have centerlines that are PARALLEL to the engine centerline, and the S Bend between the outlet and the crossmember holes should have offsets that are PARALLEL.......not overbent, not underbent. If the headers are parallel, and the pipes aft of the crossmember are parallel, to the centerline, the S bend offset should provide parallel centerlines......obviously.

So, with these given facts, here are some additional facts.

- There has to be difference between the pipes at the rear of the car so that the mufflers are centered on the frame, when the engine and the two holes are not centered on the frame. When you look at Pypes exhaust, Magnaflow exhaust, and StainlessWorks exhaust pipes, you will see that they have NOT created a longer pipe at the left rear of the car to make up the difference in the offset engine / headers. WHY?????

Also, if you have headers, there is NO reason the exhaust outlet position in space, both left to right, and fore and aft, should be any different from left side to right side. In fact, if properly designed they would be. So, when it comes to the S pipe between the header outlet, and the two crossmember holes, the pipes SHOULD be exactly the same. Yet, you will find the Pypes, Magnoflow and StainlessWorks ALL have different bends in the S Pipes between the outlets and the crossmember holes. WHY? If someone can explain, please do.

As you can tell, this is a big issue for me, as it has cost me big bucks to buy these systems, then alot of effort and more money to get them to fit. I get no explanation from any of these manufacturers except that "C2 and C3 Corvettes were built with huge manufacturing tolerances.......I was told TWO INCHES of manufacturing tolerance. If anyone has proof of that huge tolerance, please post it.

I recently purchased a set of headers from another high end manufacturer, which I will not name, but suffice it to say they are THE MOST EXPENSIVE headers available, and they also DID NOT FIT, and had multiple unexplainable issues. I would expect that on Chinese junk, but this was not Chinese junk.

Yeah.....not pleased. So, I would suggest you forget all the store bought options, and get a local shop, or the OP to fabricate a system that will fit. It appears he was able to produce an exhaust system that properly addresses the unique C2 and C3 Corvette frame,.....without excuses.

Note: Just to cut off any bullshit excuses by anyone, when I did my body off restoration, I checked frame squareness, and it was right on. When I put the engine in the frame, the transmission mount lined right up as it should......parallel and offset to the frame centerline....SO, my frame is as straight, and correct, as it can be. Not bent, not tweaked, not wrecked......and yet nobody can provide an exhaust system that fits.

 

Here is what I can tell you about my C3 SS exhaust pipes fitment experience from 20 years ago, using SS 2.5 inch pipes from MidAmerica. The pipes DID have different bends driver versus passenger side and still the exhaust did NOT fit correctly on my C3. I spend hours back then measuring, hand cutting small amounts off the pipes in order to make the pipes fit satisfactorily. I was so pissed and still remember the experience vividly. The point is that having pipes that were bent different did NOT make a difference in the proper fitment, in my case.

BTW-These SS 304 pipes today look brand freaking new...real Stainless, not the 409 stainless used today....

 

This is NOT rocket science. And it should be very simple. Fact is, they are not trying. The fact that most of these are bent with CNC type benders even makes it more ridiculous they can't get it right.

 

Derek,
I would love to have a Dual-Mode Muffler on my BB '73. I really like how my '09 Z06 is quiet for cruising until the muffler opens up and then it screams!
It this something you could do?
Thanks,
John

 

Great looking system and truly appreciate the craftsmanship. Making a 632 breathe was a challenge for my C3 build. Lemon built the ss headers with 2 3/8” tubes into a 3 1/2” collector. Stevens racing completed the system, transitioning the 3 1/2” pipe into 2 1/2” x 4” ss oval and back into 3 1/2” pipe for 3 1/2” in and out ss mufflers. We have great ground clearance and still allow the engine to properly breathe.
I had no concept of a what an exhaust system like this could cost - definitely pay the price for quality!