Side Exhaust conversion
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,844
Likes: 0
From: Pearland TX
St. Jude Contributor
Re: Side Exhaust conversion (Brutus2122)
Sidepipes are cool, but there are some things to think about.
1)They can be loud. Many of us want that.
2)You will have inserts in the back where the old exhaust came out that will not look right. The mufflers & tips filled area. You might want to change out the rear inserts with *blanks* where the exhaust used to exit to fill in the void. Of course you will have to prep & paint them to your color.
Other than that, I had a set of chrome hookers on a '69 and loved the sound with a 4 speed. They tended to rust though.
1)They can be loud. Many of us want that.
2)You will have inserts in the back where the old exhaust came out that will not look right. The mufflers & tips filled area. You might want to change out the rear inserts with *blanks* where the exhaust used to exit to fill in the void. Of course you will have to prep & paint them to your color.
Other than that, I had a set of chrome hookers on a '69 and loved the sound with a 4 speed. They tended to rust though.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 911
Likes: 5
From: TN
Re: Side Exhaust conversion (Brutus2122)
As you probably know, your 69 is the only C3 that could come from the factory with side exhaust. I just had to have these for my 70 back in 73. Very easy to install after removal of the underbody car exhaust. One of the things I liked about the factory style side exhaust was how easy it was to remove and replace. Connects at the exhaust manifold and the rear of the side exhaust pipe, real easy installation of the side exhaust muffler. If you are going to do this, the original style three piece chrome coverings and the insulation covering could be more expensive than what you want to spend. When I removed my 69 style side exhaust about 15-16 years ago, the mufflers were nothing but expansion chambers for the exhaust and were loud. My neighbor knew when the car was started and came home. Got a lot of enjoyment out of them, going about 30 and letting the automatic shift down into first will pedal to the metal made some noise.
[Modified by 70ZZ3 96LT4, 1:55 AM 12/11/2003]
[Modified by 70ZZ3 96LT4, 1:55 AM 12/11/2003]
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,327
Likes: 16
From: Fl
Re: Side Exhaust conversion (Brutus2122)
I would say that if you do the factory side covers and pipes, the cost will be about 2,500.00 for exhaust parts. Another 200.00 plus finishing labor to change the rear valence and have the new one repainted ...
They sound really nice, but in my opinion are way to loud ...
I have to wear ear plugs on road trips just so I don't get deaf.
I am switching the ar to original exhaust this spring ...
Looking foward to cruzing and playing my radio.
My opinion for what it is worth ...
Bill
They sound really nice, but in my opinion are way to loud ...
I have to wear ear plugs on road trips just so I don't get deaf.
I am switching the ar to original exhaust this spring ...
Looking foward to cruzing and playing my radio.
My opinion for what it is worth ...
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 3,050
Likes: 9
From: Fairport NY
Re: Side Exhaust conversion (72ls5fla)
If you're going with Hooker Side pipes you may need to trim the side molding like the first photo and if you want to fill in the exhaust holes in the rear you can buy the rear panel from most corvette vendors like the second photo.
