Pre Fab Exhaust
In my experience, it is best to stay away... no, run, run far away from pre-fabbed exhaust setups. I bought a TTI kit for my C-body and it was so bad that the head pipes nearly hit the ground and TTI didn't do anything to help. I took it to a shop and gained a good 3 inches of ground clearance. Although my car is fairly low already, there's no excuse for being able to get my fist between the pipes and the torsion bars.
I wish I would have spent the money at a good custom exhaust shop instead. It would have come out cleaner and better the first time. The exhaust is still not right because I hate having to spend more money and time on it. The rear hangers did not position the pipes over the axle properly and without a spacer, they hit the body and rattle and it's annoying as hell. I've only got one side spaced out with parts I made myself.
My other experience was with a GM car through "Pypes Exhaust." It was so far off that the kit was mostly chopped into pieces and used for the mandrel bends to build what is now a beautiful exhaust system but again it cost $500 over the cost of buying the kit in the first place.
Do it right the first time: take it to a GOOD shop. If you think spending $800 or whatever on a TTI is expensive, just think about having to have it redone at a shop. Spend $800 at the shop and help out a local guy. He also has more to lose if he messes up the job.
Have the guy who is going to work on your car show you what he's going to do while the car is on the lift. I had a guy once tell me he had to do a miter cut to get pipes from my headers through the crossmember (see pic- this is the modified "Pypes" kit). The shop I took my car to next thought that guy must have been an idiot. I concur.
If you find the right guy, he'll love working on classic iron and do a good job. Don't forget: cash talks.
In my experience, it is best to stay away... no, run, run far away from pre-fabbed exhaust setups. I bought a TTI kit for my C-body and it was so bad that the head pipes nearly hit the ground and TTI didn't do anything to help. I took it to a shop and gained a good 3 inches of ground clearance. Although my car is fairly low already, there's no excuse for being able to get my fist between the pipes and the torsion bars.
I wish I would have spent the money at a good custom exhaust shop instead. It would have come out cleaner and better the first time. The exhaust is still not right because I hate having to spend more money and time on it. The rear hangers did not position the pipes over the axle properly and without a spacer, they hit the body and rattle and it's annoying as hell. I've only got one side spaced out with parts I made myself.
My other experience was with a GM car through "Pypes Exhaust." It was so far off that the kit was mostly chopped into pieces and used for the mandrel bends to build what is now a beautiful exhaust system but again it cost $500 over the cost of buying the kit in the first place.
Do it right the first time: take it to a GOOD shop. If you think spending $800 or whatever on a TTI is expensive, just think about having to have it redone at a shop. Spend $800 at the shop and help out a local guy. He also has more to lose if he messes up the job.
Have the guy who is going to work on your car show you what he's going to do while the car is on the lift. I had a guy once tell me he had to do a miter cut to get pipes from my headers through the crossmember (see pic- this is the modified "Pypes" kit). The shop I took my car to next thought that guy must have been an idiot. I concur.
If you find the right guy, he'll love working on classic iron and do a good job. Don't forget: cash talks.
