First post. Been reading for a while and just got the car out for the summer. The mufflers are rotting off since I did not fix them before I put the car away. <Makes a nasty rattle sound at diffrent RPM>

Was looking for advise on mufflers or no mufflers as the case may be.

Love the sound of my 67 Chevy truck 350 true duels 2 1/2 Flowmaster 2 chambers.

Looking for a inexpensive fix for the exhaust. <Still gotta buy a dish washer for new house :) > Should I get a cat back system? Change my crossover pipe? Save my money and just go out and buy headers and do it right the first time?

Looked into a cat back flowmaster system but is there extra power to be found for little more money? As in a new X-pipe? Was told headers are $700 for my 86 L-96 are there cheaper headers out there that will work well?


Always want more power. Don't like to re-do things. Want to do it right the first time.


BTW. LOVE the car. Best car I have ever been in :) Love the speed the comfort and the gas milage :) 30 MPG on the freeway WHOOT!. :D

 

Muffler elims are cheap :yesnod:

 

Some Hooker 2149 longtubes and a good catback. Catback preference is based on sound only, so if you like the Flows then go with them.

But aint none of this stuff cheap, any headers you get need to be ceramic coated and Id stay far far away from Hedman headers (which are cheap). You get what you pay for.

 

You will get substantial HP gains from an L98 by doing some good exhaust mods.

Since $$ are an issue now, go with the muffler elims for now. Later you can do some LT headers, hi-flow cat and a good cat back or true duals.

 

First of all, welcome to the tech section. You will get mod fever here and will spend lots of $$$ to go faster :D
I would like to recommend you not to pay those outrageous cat-back system prices. Maybe give a fair shake to a local muffler shop you become freindly with to quote you a price to fab a system for you. Find a couple of Flowmaster 2 chambers on ebay or summit and have the shop weld up everything. Of course you will instruct them on exactly how to make the Y or show them pics of how the aftermarket systems are. Might be alot cheaper!Are you worried about emissions?

 

Welcome to the forum. :seeya My vote is for longtubes and muff elims. The elims are a inexpensive way to go. Mine cost $92 for tips and labor.

 

I agree with the elims. BTW, the headers that work great with thatr car are Hooker 2149's. $450 from summit or jegs...
:cheers:

 

I know of a good shop. I usto go there all the time. But I have since moved and have not talked to the guys there in couple years.

I could do a bolt on cat back myself. Or the muffler elims. <which I am leaning twards.> Just figured if I went to a shop it would be mega $$ for a custom x/y pipe and the mufflers.

I usually get collector back true duals put on my cars. But is a X-pipe better? If I got rid of the cats I would have to run mufflers but they might want to leave them on and then I could just get the elims.

No emmissions but most shops say they won't cut off your cats tho I have had it done 2 times. :) I live in Michigan.

WInter ride is a Ramcharger one cat then straight pipes :) Sounds ok but then again it is a Dodge :(

 

I say keep it stock from the muffs up. Do the elim's or the flow 50's.

 

The following info was taken from an article in Corvette Fever June 1998 issue.
Exhaust shoot out! By Jim Van Dorn

Dyno results on stock Grand Sport LT4.

HP/TORQ
Stock:
299/307

BB Triflow catback 3-inch:
310/310

Dynomax mufflers only:
304/310

Borla Corvette Challenge cat back 2 3/4 inch:
304/309

Flowmaster cat back 2 1/2 inch:
306/309

Power Effects cat back 2 3/4 inch:
299/308 - flaps in closed position
311/313 - flaps in open position

As you can see the is very little difference between them all especially when you consider cost.

 

Anyone recomend a place to get a rear y-pipe and some muffler elims? Or a "cat back" system?

Want to look up prices call around town before I go to the muffler shop. Headed there this saturday. Hopefully I can talk them into full pipes and a set of flowmasters :)


Should I get them to make me a H pipe for where the resonator is at? Or just run duals all the way back with no crossover?


Keeping the factory headers ATM. SO none of it probally makes much diff. But I plan on getting long tubes later and would like to have the exhaust system to back them up when I do up-grade.

 

You may want to get the 3 chamber flowmasters, as some forum members have noticed less resonance with the 3 chamber as opposed to the 2 chamber. I think the 50 series flows are the 3 chamber. :seeya

 

I had a muffler shop bend me up some 3" duals with an H-pipe from my hedman headers back, no cats and 3" flo-pro mufflers, for a couple hundred dollars. I used stock LT1 hangers to mount the dual pipes incase I ever decide to try a mandrel bent LT1 cat back system.

Before the 3" I was running 2.5 duals with no x-over pipe. It was the infamouse Vanzanderanzen exhaust system with fit poorly. Fit probably isn't an appropriate word to use for that exhaust. With some mild porting of the plenum behind the throttle body and the mods in my sig, I was able to dyno 254rwhp and 354rwtq.

If I was to do it over again, I'd buy the Hooker headers (only because future mods will warrent 1 3/4" headers) either coated or have them coated myself. Paul Berry did my headmans and they came out awesome! Then have a local shop bend and install the exaust system. Preferably a 3" mandrel bent with X-pipe system with maybe some Magneflow mufflers.

Don't forget to have an O2 sensor bung welded into the collector. I did not have this done and now that they are coated, I've heard I can't.

But anyway, back to the inexpensive solutions... Just have a local shop do it, welded up nice with an H-pipe to mellow out the sound. I have the part numbers for the LT1 hangers and bolts needed for the D44 Corvettes. Let me know if you're interested. I think they ran me around $70 total.

 

Will look into the 3 chambers. Last year I went on a long drive and with the windows up you don't want to drive 65 The speed limit is 70 so was ok but would be nice to cut down on the cabin noise.


As far as the hangers go I will just let the muffler shop hang everything for me. They have done a good job in the past.

 

Shameless bump I know.


Headed to the muffler shop with many diffrent ideas and prices on what I can do myself want to see what they can do for me.


Should I stick with 2 1/2 pipe all the way? Or put in some 3 in after the y for less resonance? Or should I go all 3 in? smaller pipes = more torque but does a L98 really need more low end torque :confused:

 

Actually the bigger the pipe, the more chance of resonance. That's why Triflow now comes in 2 1/2 inch system instead of 3 inch. If you plan to mod your car and max horsepower is what's important to you, then go with a 3 inch system all the way.