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Exhaust ideas for my ... Shark!

MaineShark

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 21, 2002
Messages
1,326
Location
Rockingham County, NH
Corvette
1979 L82, 1987 Buick Grand National
Shorty headers w/o heat riser

Which shorty headers will and won't bolt up with the heat riser butterfly removed?

I want that dang thing gone, but I need headers that will connect to the exhaust, directly...

Thanks,
Joe
 
Anyone?

Joe
 
Joe,
if you're looking for headers, you'll need all new exhaust to the mufflers. if you need a y-pipe for the stock manifolds, that's a different story. i assume your flapper valve is broken and the gate has dropped down or the actuator is stuck and is blocking flow. when i had factory manifolds, i removed the flapper plate and re-installed the valve body as a spacer. i think there are a couple of parts places that sell a spacer, but why waist the money. another advantage of reusing the old valve body is passing emmissions. passes the visual inspection, but no chance of restriction. Brian
 
See any parts here that you need?

manifolds.JPG


I have one of those heat-riser flappers in there. It's just not in view. You need it?
 
Thanks, guys, but I'm just looking for the shorty headers that bolt in place of the stock manifolds, and connect to the existing downpipes (not long-tube headers, that would need to be cut into the exhaust). "Smog headers," some people call them.

Joe
 
I'm calling the GREEN POLICE MISTER!!!!

You....You....YOU....EARTHKILLER!!!!

;LOL ;LOL ;LOL

Wow - did I catch Alaska has that kind of nonsense too? (AKRay4Play)

Ah - go ahead and splurge an git ya sum nice new 2.5" all the way to the back numbers - or go BIG and do SIDEPIPES!!! (Under $1500!)

:upthumbs
 
Wayne,
you got it, Alaska is turning into Berkley faster than i care to admitt. currently the three big cities (Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau) have emmisions tests. but it won't be long and the rest of the state will follow suit. all that free love is starting to put a hurt on everyone's pocketbook. don't get me wrong, i like a clean environment, but COME ON! i know that all of Alaska used to a tropical rainforest, even greenpeace will admit that. so, what were the dinosours driving that caused multiple iceages?? it's about time for the over do-gooders to put catalytics on volcanos and leave our cars alone. sorry for the rant, but i feel better. have good one, and Joe, go for the duals with headers because your car will love you for it.
 
I already have 2.5" stainless duals, back to DynoMax Ultra Flo's.

I don't want to invest in full-length headers, until I make up my mind what I'm going to do with the engine. If I put in a 406, there's no issue, but part of me wants to put in one of the modern LSx engines, which would require different headers...

Plus, I may be tempted to install sidepipes...

So, for now, I just want to get rid of the stock manifolds. And, while I'm at it, that nonsense heat riser.

Joe
 
vmrod said:
I only have 2 words for you.

Side pipes.

I just wish someone made stainless sidepipes... :)

Joe
 
You know, that's not quite as crazy as you may think...

First of all, I'd check to make sure no one does....I have some weird memory of seeing such an animal...it's also possible Hooker themselves may make a custom for a popular price (that being one THEY like! :L )

But, more realistically, find a muffler shop that does some work on SS and some welding on the side or a decent specialty sheet metal shop and and old set of rusted (trashed) side pipes....it might run a bit more than a new set of polished chrome hookers, but it may not be all that much more (say $1500-2000 instead of $1100). There used to be shops to make custom headers, back before so many developed so many canned products for every conceivable application.

If you didn't care about the nifty "power snakes" look, you could even get them made off of a good quality SS standard long tube header, with the end of the secondary lopped off and an appropriate longer pipe added (of matching type SS, of course.)
 
Joe,

What about a set of the shorty headers off an 81 and buy or have made a spacer, must be a few sets of these in the junkyard and they appear to be some sort of "stainless" material.

J.
 
Go to www.jet-hot.com and read up on their sterling finish. These pipes look so close to chrome, but are much better protected. I haven't even cranked up my car yet, and I love how they look! I still need to get a couple 'shorty' plugs and for my payment on the baffles to go through.
 
Joe,

Are the shorty headers any less that the long tubes? As I recall the Dynomax were $200 plus another $25 - 50 for the gaskets. The muffler shop cut them in for under $100.

Bob
 
Wayne: there aren't really any competent shops in this area, for that kind of work, unfortunately.

JHL said:
What about a set of the shorty headers off an 81 and buy or have made a spacer, must be a few sets of these in the junkyard and they appear to be some sort of "stainless" material.

I expect this would cost more than the generic shorty headers.

vmrod said:
Go to www.jet-hot.com and read up on their sterling finish. These pipes look so close to chrome, but are much better protected. I haven't even cranked up my car yet, and I love how they look! I still need to get a couple 'shorty' plugs and for my payment on the baffles to go through.

Yeah, I just have this thing for stainless steel. Even if it's coated-over. Knowing that the pipe cannot (easily) rust out from underneath the coating pleases me.

Bob Chadwick said:
Are the shorty headers any less that the long tubes? As I recall the Dynomax were $200 plus another $25 - 50 for the gaskets. The muffler shop cut them in for under $100.Bob

Actually, I hadn't checked that recently... DynoMax sells the long tubes for $110 for black, or $260 for ceramic.

Need to add gaskets, studs, and an A/C bracket, but I'd need to do that with shorties, too...

Hmm...

Not sure how expensive they would be to cut in. The guy who installed my dual exhaust welded all the joints, so if the pipes don't come very close to aligning with the headers, things could get pricey...

Gotta think about that, though...

Joe
 
Well, I looked into it a bit more, and the DynoMax headers are not equal length, and are of apparently poor-quality construction.

That bugs me, because I usually like DynoMax products...

Joe
 

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