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Hi, I have an 82 and I was wondering what size the exhaust is (for the mufflers)? I'd like to straight pipe it, but isn't there a sensor I would have to worry about? What could I do with it? I'm planning of a pair of Flowmaster mufflers (if they fit, 40's maybe) or a Borla if I can dig up anything up that fits. Any advice or recommendation's?
Why not crawl under there and measure? A lot could have happened in 41 years. There's no guarantee that anything on your car is original, at least until you check and prove that it is.
Couldn't agree more. Who's to say what's on there now. I've not heard of any factory exhaust lasting 40 years. Unless maybe it's been sitting in a museum all this time. Take you 2 minutes to check.
And if it is all factory exhaust, pull all that crap off of it and put a decent exhaust system on it! You'll notice a instant seat of the pants improvement in performance!
just changing out mufflers won't gain you anything!
I have Flowmaster 40s on my 80, they sound pretty good. I had an 82, 20 plus years ago and If I recall they come with factory headers or at least I believe mine did. On my 80, I was able to put 2.5 inch straight pipes with and H pipe dumping into some Flowmaster 40s. Fyi, I got rid of all the smog stuff plus cat, when I had my 82. Funny lots of people put down the Cross Fire Injection system, I never had one issue with that system. It would purr like a kitten when I would turn it on. The only problem I could never figure out for the life of me was that after long trips in 100 degree weather it would not want to start when I turned it off, until I let it cool down. If I knew then what I know now, I would have checked the coil or ignition module (HEI). I would always think it was the starter.
From: Arizona - If you don’t know CFI, STOP proliferating the myths around it...
No idea what you have now. Like mentioned, go check it. Yes, you must install an O2 bung and sensor into the new exhaust if you rip it all out. If you are in a state that doesn't require emissions, bonus. Heddman makes a set of headers with the AIR tubes if you want to keep everything as well. Also, if you want to run true dual exhaust 2.5", you will have to replace the crossmember. Here is what I did I my 82 and works just fine, direct bolt in crossmember as well. I also installed 2.5" Hooker Maxflow mufflers. GL
No idea what you have now. Like mentioned, go check it. Yes, you must install an O2 bung and sensor into the new exhaust if you rip it all out. If you are in a state that doesn't require emissions, bonus. Heddman makes a set of headers with the AIR tubes if you want to keep everything as well. Also, if you want to run true dual exhaust 2.5", you will have to replace the crossmember. Here is what I did I my 82 and works just fine, direct bolt in crossmember as well. I also installed 2.5" Hooker Maxflow mufflers. GL
Nice looking set up! One suggestion on the part where it runs under the leaf spring, I would recommend a heat shield or DEI wrap in that area. I am not a 100% on this but I feel that the accumulated heat in that area before it goes out the muffler will heat up leaf spring, which eventually will cause it to sag. Just a theory. Even though my car has low mileage, I think that and of course age caused that to happen to mine. I am currently waiting on my 360lb composite leaf spring from Van Steel.
From: Arizona - If you don’t know CFI, STOP proliferating the myths around it...
I haven't noticed any issues with the spring and it is somewhat new and will probably out live me, so I don't really care. I do not like the composite springs and never have. I rode in one a long time ago and was probably not the correct spring for that 82 and it was down right HORRIBLE on the ride quality. Mine is stiff and works well, I had custom leafs made locally.
Seriously? Maybe more resistant to exhaust heat. Maybe.
The rest. Rubbish!
My original Gymkhana spring sagged out back in the early 90's.
My composite spring has been on the car since then.
Rides WAY better, handles better. Is lighter, less unsprung weight. And it's now turning 2024 and it's still as good today as the day I bought it.
Yes you do need to match the shocks to the spring and yes many do miss this. And then poo poo the mono spring.
What did they put on the later Corvette's?
No, the steel spring with all it's weight is not superior to the glass spring. Not by a long shot.
I didn't have "defend composite springs" on my bingo card for this year, but here we are.
Here's a recently purchased 82 CE with the steel FE7 spring. You can see the stock exhaust routing in the photos. My understanding is that even with the replacement crossmember, the low floor for the power seat can cause issues in 82s and some 81s when using dual-exhausts meant for chrome-bumper C3s. You can see that @Buccaneer's solution avoids this problem, too.
If the composite spring only saved 40 lbs, but did everything else the same, it would be worth running. Specifically, the low-arch version, formerly sold by VB&P, now sold by VanSteel.
But it doesn't spring the same. It is not "progressive" like the steel spring, nor is it likely to sag and droop after some number of years/miles. The VB&P composite spring works great in my 80, but is a bit softer than I'd like. I'd only ever replace it with a stiffer (400+ lb) VanSteel low-arch spring. But I don't drag race, either, so pick a solution that fits your use of the car.
I used the Pypes dual exhaust that routes both sides to the passenger side. Works slick on 81 & 82 cars with the driver side dropped floorpan. And you don’t have to swap out the crossmember. The Pypes system goes in easy but you will need to work on the center hanger. I added O2 bungs in the header collectors on both sides just in case I wanted to upgrade my fuel injection system down the road.
Seriously? Maybe more resistant to exhaust heat. Maybe.
Steel is far more heat resistant to exhaust gas than is fiberglass. Can’t we all concede that one point? I ask because I never said, nor do I think, that steel springs are generally superior to composite mono springs. I was replying to the stated concerns regarding potential exhaust heat damage to a steel spring. Steel springs are rugged in that way, among a few other ways.
Originally Posted by 4-vettes
My original Gymkhana spring sagged out back in the early 90's.
My composite spring has been on the car since then.
When I stated that steel springs are more rugged and durable than composite, I meant they are more resistant to impact damage. I was not meaning longevity. The misunderstanding is my fault.
Originally Posted by 4-vettes
Rides WAY better, handles better. Is lighter, less unsprung weight.
Yes, these are some better reasons I’m considering a composite spring myself despite a few tradeoffs relative to steel.
Originally Posted by 4-vettes
And it's now turning 2024 and it's still as good today as the day I bought it.
That’s great as long as we accept the reality that one day your spring will either be replaced, or it will break. On the other hand, thirty years plus service life should satisfy anybody. Of course, if a composite spring does break, that would immobilize the car. Fortunately, we live in a world full of cell phones and roadside assistance.
Originally Posted by 4-vettes
Yes you do need to match the shocks to the spring and yes many do miss this. And then poo poo the mono spring.
Yes, which is why, if I go composite, I would probably also go with a high quality single adjustable shock so as to address that issue head on. My other concern would be ride height, but both of these issues need resolving with any new rear spring, steel or composite.
Rides WAY better, handles better. Is lighter, less unsprung weight. And it's now turning 2024 and it's still as good today as the day I bought it.
.
A spring is not considered to be unsprung weight, at best it is "semi-sprung weight". Only wheels, tires, bearings, hubs and brakes (except on cars with inboard mounted brakes) are unsprung, as is the differential on a car with a live (solid) rear axle. Springs, struts, shocks, control arms, half shafts, and some other suspension parts are all semi-sprung. Everything else (body, frame, drivetrain, interior, etc) is sprung weight.
A composite rear spring will reduce the sprung weight slightly, which will have no rear bearing on handling, though anything you can do to remove excess weight from a car is still a possitive.
1982 pipe sizes and recommendations
