Will the exhaust from a 2003 Z06 fit a 1999 regular C5 with an automatic transmission? I have removed the exhaust from my 2003 Z06 for an upgrade and was wondering if the exhaust would interchange with my 1999 standard Corvette for a lighter exhaust and a more mellow sound to the LS1? I haven't really looked at the exhaust on the standard 1999 automatic but was wondering about fit, gaskets, bolts, oxygen sensors location, etc. Will it work as a temporary exhaust until I really go all out on this 1999 sleeper over time? Thanks.

 

How much of the exhaust?

The over axle pipes with mufflers will interchange. Many people use the Z06 Ti mufflers on non Z06 cars.

The '97-'00 exhaust manifolds are different than the '01-'04 manifolds. The pipes that mate up to them are also different.

From what I remember, if you are swapping the entire system, the exhaust and sensors will bolt up fine, although I think there was an issue with a difference to the dip stick. Maybe someone else can give more detailed explanation to confirm what works or not.

Good luck.

 

Thanks. Since my Z06 is the 2003 50th Anniversary and my regular Corvette is a 1999 then they won't match up to the exhaust manifolds. There is quite a bit of weight difference between the steel and titanium of course and the sound is better in my opinion. maybe an exhaust shop can make some modification or adapter that isn't too expensive otherwise I guess I'll go for a high performance system and try to sell the perfect 33,000 mile Ti exhaust. I've already removed the Z06 exhaust and the right over the axle pipe was a bummer to remove. I had to really raise the car...I was hoping everything would transfer but I'm never that lucky plus now is the perfect time because the end of my transmission cable broke off at the shifter and I believe the exhaust and tunnel shield has to be removed to easily replace the cable. I have another LS6 engine also. I wonder if I can take the intake, heads and exhaust manifolds off and put them on the LS1 engine to make everything match up without trouble concerning changing over the exhaust?? Any takers on all those changes? I ultimately plan to pro charge the car but first things first.

 

I'm not sure if you followed what I was saying.

The axle back can interchange fine with no other mods. That is the only Ti part. Many people do it and it make a weight savings and slightly better sound to put the Z06 axle back on the non Z06 car.

Although you can swap intake, heads, and exhaust manifolds, You can swap exhaust manifolds without swapping heads. The '01-'04 LS6 and LS1 use the same exhaust manifolds. The shape of the manifolds and the location of the output of the exhaust is different between ''97-'00 and '01-'04 so you need to use the down pipes that match the manifolds.

You can also swap intake manifolds without swapping heads. The '01-'04 LS6 and LS1 use the same intake manifolds. The later intake manifold can be used to make a power increase over the '97-'99 intake manifold.

 

Put that Z06 axle back on your car. It's a little louder but not loud enough for me.

 

Just to be clear, even if I put all the 2003 components including the 2003 exhaust manifolds on the 1999 LS1, the exhaust drop down will be in a different location/angle and still will not match up with the 2003 Ti exhaust except for the mufflers/over axle pipes? And the 2003 LS6 intake and heads will fit the 1999 LS1 and increase horsepower? I hate that I can't use the Ti H pipe since I'm removing the one on the 1999 tomorrow to replace the transmission cable...Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it....

 

Huh???? I was thinking about putting the Z06 exhaust over the axle on my 01 C5. After reading this.. I'm really confused.

 

The over axle and mufflers interchange with any C5. So you can put the Ti on your '99 or any other C5 H pipe.

I don't think the 2003 H pipe is Ti. Only the over axle and muffler are Ti.

You can swap all of the 2003 (manifold, pipes, Ti over axle and mufflers) on to your '99, but there may be an issue with the dipstick.

You just need to keep the manifolds/cats/pipes matched. You can't mix and match between early and late manifolds/cats/pipes. So you can use the early setup or the late setup, but not mixed.

Any C5 axle back/mufflers will interchange with any other C5 axle back/mufflers.

Good luck.

 

The midpipe is not Ti, only the rear section is. All mid pipes are 2 1/2" aluminized steel tube.

 

Thanks Randy and Grant for clearing that up. Since the H pipe isn't Ti, there is no reason to worry with anything except the over the axle/muffler pipes. I don't know how much difference there is, if any, regarding horsepower but I think I've read there's about 25lbs difference between the Ti exhaust and regular exhaust plus the Ti exhaust has a more aggressive sound. I'll eventually be putting headers on the 1999 because I have a lofty goal of at least 550hp. Through all regular changes (intake, massaged LS6 heads, cam shaft, exhaust, throttle body, etc). I plan to ultimately supercharge it or pro charge it. All this with dynamic aesthetics I just want to pull into shows/rallies and have a very worthy piece not to mention keeping those kids that always want to challenge the American muscle car and keep them in the rear view mirror...It took me a few tries to just understand the darn exhaust so I'm glad to know there's great help here. Thanks again!!

 

HP gain from any system is small, but 25# removed is a nice bonus.

 

I agree. I'm about to embark on this project and it's super hot in my garage here in Tennessee. Replacing the tranny cable and putting the Ti mufflers/pipes on. I think it will sound much better plus losing that 25# is a plus like you said. My wife is going to kill me throughout this build. I have about a $10,000 wish list over time but it's just so fun with every job whether major or minor. Just yesterday me and a couple of buddies put flush mount, black rear side markers on with the C5 logo etched out from the inside. My car is black so in the day you just see the C5 logo back there but at night when the LED's we installed come on just the C5 logo lights up. I think it is something different and looks nice. We also added the aluminum Z06 gas pedal and aluminum foot rest to match the aluminum brake pedal. Small details can sometimes really make a real nice visual improvement. I personally recommend the rear side marker change. I believe they come in all factory colors and blend perfectly with your car then you have to dremel out just a small portion of the square factory light cut out to accommodate lighting the tips of the C5 flags. Careful but easy and the resulting look makes a great visual impact. I found them on eBay and although they send you the color LED's of your choice. They only shine forward. I found that my own LED's that shine forward and around the circumference make the logo stand out much, much better. I don't remember the seller but can go back and look them up if anyone thinks they would like this mod. I know this thread is a terrible place to mention this mod but I'm also sure most that are into aesthetic mods know of this anyway.
I also need to change out my door hinges, especially on the driver door and I'm pretty sure it's a straight forward change out. I have the new hinges and it seems to be just a four bolt job per hinge. I figure to fully open the door and rest the end on a padded jack and change out one hinge at a time. With my luck it isn't that easy...lol
Thanks and I'll probably be using the C5 tech portion of the forum a lot over time...The Corvette has so many modifications from a performance stand point that I'll certainly need advice about different brand products and the installation if I'm able to do some of the upgrades myself. I'm really glad I joined these forums. You guys saved me a lot of sweat and misunderstanding about the exhaust and the year model differences. I may have spent hours trying to needlessly change out my H pipes and it wouldn't have fit nor even be necessary since they are both stainless steel anyway. Thanks for the information and saving me both time and trouble.