:iagree:100%...couldn't have been any more eloquent:thumbs:
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if you change to side pipes ,and found out there loud for longer trips , you have almost everything for a quad exhaust besides 2 cutout valves and some pipe work.
Or you could build it direct that way ? I would....

PS i heard not so positive comments on electric cutout valves....( heat , water ... ) so i use vacuum operated valves down there with the electric vacuum switch in a "cold" dry place higher up in the engine bay .

There are pros and cons for both, it boils down to a personal preference. I have had three without and two with side pipes, prefer under car exhaust. The main reason is the design of a C2, especially the coupe. The lines are so clean I don't want to add anything to it. I do agree with OC-1 on under car maintenance, changing to a Gen III engine and transmission it was a hurdle to get the pipes around the trans and through the crossmember, side pipes would have been easy.

But that's just me, I'm all about design, keeping it simple and elegant, that's why I drive a C2.
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It’s a personal preference thing, I wouldn’t own a C2 without side mounted exhaust. So yeah, for me it’s definitely worth it.

If you’re a tame /vanilla street driver, you probably won’t notice the additional back pressure/minor power loss with the factory type small core side pipes. There’s many options that will fit under the factory covers….. that will flow just as well, if not better, as anything mounted under the car, but they won’t be as quiet.

I LOVED the side exhaust on my 67 435 convertible. The sound was pure magic to me. I had a heads-cam-intake 2002 Z06 when they were relatively new, with LGM's most aggressive cam, and even that didn't sound as good as a well-tuned 435 through factory side exhaust.

I also have a 63 fuel coupe with repro off-road exhaust, and that sounds amazing (for a small block), but you just don't get the effect when you're driving.

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Let's see, 454 ,big cam, hooker side pipes. Let's just say the radio sound quality is not an issue.

It does look good without.
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I'm 62 and hearing impaired from years of loud music. I bought my L78 with side pipes on it. I would rather not have them. The car was fully restored so the idea it will need paint work any time soon is weak. But that would be my opportunity to get rid of them. I like being able to work under the car but the noise is far too much and I don't think the Shinoda/Brock design is better for them. I don't drive it enough to bother with the hassle and expense, maybe that's why.

Dan
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Side Exhaust is certainly a personal preference thing..... if you like them do it, if not, don't..... if you do not know what they are like sound wise, find someone that has them, and ask to go for a ride......

For me, and our car, it is all I know, and still today, when it lights off and that sound fills my ear-drums..... it causes all my senses to come alive...... I would not have it any other way...... :)

For those who talk of power robbing..... it kinda seems like a convenient excuse, or some other way to justify their anti-side exhaust crusade.......

Let's get a little reality check..... and go for a ride....... ours is a L72, with 4.11's..... with the skinny a$$ rear tires these cars are limited to, and after the tire spinning, and it hooks up...... the torque of the BB pushing the seat against your back, and that beautiful sound of internal combustion fury, being fed by all four barrels of that big single Holley, assaulting your senses...... you tell me if you can feel the power loss..... LOL ;)

side pipes and ear plugs
 

My Grand Sport vintage racer has side pipes, large ones.... 3" in diameter and lightly muffled.

After I had been driving the car for a while I got concerned about the effect of the noise on my hearing. So I began wearing ear plugs. What a disaster.

The ear plugs so radically changed the sensory input that my brain was accustomed to that I started over revving the engine, making brutal up-shifts, and doing heel/toe down shifts which upset the stability of the car. I don't know how it all sounded to others but to me, I felt like a rank amateur out there on track.

I got rid of the ear plugs, my brain once again got the information it needed, and my driving went back to normal...... well, normal for me.

My last 3 C2s had side pipes. So I know what to expect. They all sound different. My 65 327/350 was nice and mellow. My 64 327/365 that I recently sold to a friend is so loud he wears earplugs for longer drives. It's even louder now since we put the 383 in it. They were dealer installed on the 64 in 1972. Another friend here with a 66 BBC Coupe with sidepipes are not near as loud as the 64 SBC Coupe. nd another friend with a 65 396 car has pipes that also sound different than the other 4.

If my coupe had come with side pipes I would have kept them, even though preferring under car exhaust. Your coupe is perfect just the way it is, save your money for the next set of tires.

Love my sidepipes on the 65. To me, they are pure music. Love the look and the sound. I've taken many trips over the years with no issues. Of course, we are all different. Take a ride in one and see how you like it.

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My '67 would not "feel" the same without them
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I have a 1967 L75 roadster with factory side pipes.
Totally subjective..... too loud, too noisy, some people love 'em and some don't.
I like the way they look but prefer rear exit pipes. And I can imagine with my stock 300HP L75, what your BBC will be like.
Just my 2 cents.


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I looked at a 65 red/red 396 coupe with pipes many years ago at a dealership. Started the car, after 10 seconds I shut it down and walked away. Just too much sound for my sensitive ears.

Love my '66 L79. Although somewhat hard of hearing at 72, I can have a conversation with my passenger w/o any problem.
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Put them on! I added them to my 66 L-79. My car has 2 1/2" exhaust, and the pipes were a bit raspy. I added a four baffle system to the pipes and now the raspiness is gone. Adding a Tremec transmission really helps on the highway. Jerry

How about chambered exhaust to replace standard exhaust....had that on a 365 hp car and they were awsome!!