exhaust kits...anybody used one?

[RICH MUISE]

I'm wondering if anybody has used the kits, such as Jegs, for the back end of the exhaust system, and how it worked out if you did. It seems like somebody here posted about that a while back, but I couldn't find a reference to it.

[BWhitmore]

Rich - the "old school" way to build an exhaust system is to use welding rod or wire cost hanger to create a pattern for the desired routing of the pipes;take the pattern to your local muffler shop and have them bend the pipe to the specifications of your pattern.  You do need to consider the outside diameter of the pipe to be used so as not to have interference issues.  Take the bent pipes home and weld up your system.  Consider the use of slip fit pipes (that are later clamped or welded) for areas that will be difficult to install the pipe (such as over the rear axle). 

I have never used a kit, but I would guess you will probably pay for a lot of pieces that you will never use, plus I would think you will end up with a lot of short runs that are welded. 

[John Palmer]

I built a 2 1/2" full exhaust for my '32 high boy roadster.  I have a few ideas from that experience.

It was built with the idea of having it ceramic coated.  My coater told me he could handle anything up to 60" long in his "high temp" oven.  So I ended up with two "shorty" headers, one head pipe that was made into a "X pipe" using two 90 degree u-bends.  And two muffler/tail pipes.  Nothing was over 60" in length.

If it's going on a street driven car, I think it's very important to get the exhaust exiting out from under the car to eliminate the rumble and drone at highway speeds.  I think front of the rear wheel side exits still have the rumble and drone.  It's got to go to the rear bumper, for me.

I was very pleased with the sound of two small Magnaflow mufflers, and also using the X-Pipe instead of an H-pipe.

I'm sure there's a muffler shop somewhere that has a quality mandrel tubing bender, but I hate seeing the standard crimped bends done by the other 99% of the muffler shops.  It's not cheap to buy larger sizes of mandrel U-bends, you will be surprised at how much you spend in materials.  The kits offer a good start, even it you tossed, or had to rework some of it.

I Tig welded my system together, but it was just a mild steel system.  If I were to do the same job again, I would step up and use stainless tubing.  I think the extra cost of stainless tubing, would be offset by the $500 I spent in ceramic coating.  I drove the car for several years before selling it, and the system and the coating looked like brand new.  I had it done in a satin black ceramic (1500 degree) color.

One thing I really liked was using two V-Band muffler clamps to join the head pipe to the muffler pipes.  They were only about $40 each and very trick.  This is also one reason I Tig'd, because the V-Band clamps were stainless, and the mufflers were also stainless, the headers and the tubing was all mild steel.

The hardest part of building the entire system was building the hangers to allow the system to float.  The entire system grows in length by 1/2" to 3/4" as it gets hot.  You need to address this with your mounts.

[RICH MUISE]

Lots of good points there. Thanks for the input.

[petew]

Waldrons Exhaust is the go to manufacturer for old car systems . I purchased a complete system from them and it fit like a glove . They have the patterns so perhaps they could bend something up for you in 2 1/2" . I understand your application is different because you are using a 4.6. so you would be on your own for head pipes. 269-467-7185 is their number.

[SkylinerRon]

Stock 57 tailpipes and hangers, Stock 57 rear muffler hangers.
Mufflers aprox same size as 57's
Custom head/X pipes  (X's are quieter than H pipes)

Goodluck,

Ron.

[ROKuberski]

When I bought my car, it had a hacked up home made incomplete exhaust system.  I took the car to an old muffler shop and the guy had a file drawer full of IBM cards with information on bending the pipe.  I had a full dual system installed and it took two guys three hours to fab the pipe and weld it in place.  The cars sits low (stock height,) so all of the pipe runs inside of the frame rails, and as you know, the frame rails are no way straight.  I watched, and it was quite a project.  Even though they had all the bending information there was still some test fitting and rebending to get it to fit right.  4 years ago, it cost me $440 and I used the mufflers that were on the car, the only part of the exhaust system that was good.  I think it would be very hard to bend some wire and take it to someone and have them fab pipe that will fit first time around.

You must be getting close to finishing this car.  What is your projected completion date.

Rich