Whats the best exhaust? What are the best headers? - Page 2 - Exhaust - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards

cronsformula350 · 04-05-2004, 02:04 AM

I should record a video of my iroc with my flowmaster, my exhaust gargles and screams more than alot of other cars around my town, and better than alot of clips and such from these sites, with flowmaster's, not to mention it's louder.

D's89IROCZ · 05-23-2004, 12:26 PM

Well after reading all this . I am still gonig with SLP ...stainless ....fat flanges ...and 1 3/4 ( so I don't need to upgrade one day .....)

But to all them posts about the smaller y pipe . It makes me wonder if..... it was made that way ...to be married to an SLP exaust for the car . I am reading about wave tuneing and , scavanging right now . I don't have it all understood yet . but it seems to me that you want to have the right parts to go together <----- bigger is not always better . So with that in mind ..... I went with the better material ...... and bigger diameter primaries ( to accomidate the more hp later in life

)

now ....here is my question .....with the bigger primaries on the SLP's ....does this smaller collector and y pipe diameter .....create that desired effect that I just refered too ?

D's89IROCZ · 06-10-2004, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by iggy1991
What cat are you guys using with the hooker 2055s. I was thinking a Catco cat with 3in inlet and outlet.
Either of these from Summit ...
CTO-6907
CTO-6007
Will they mate up right to the hooker Y-pipe.

wlll they hook right up to the SLP y-pipe?

Jaded · 08-06-2004, 12:45 PM

I need a new exhaust, Mines about ready to fall out. So I'm lookin for a new one. My mechanic wants 200 to replace it with a new stock exhaust. Any good exhausts for not too much more then that? Lookin for 86 Firebird exhausts.

cronsformula350 · 08-08-2004, 09:21 AM

I have a high flow factory 3" y pipe off my 89 formula 350 in great shape, and the stock one off my 87 iroc-z thats brand new, I'd be up for selling either of them if your interested.

xlwhellraiser · 08-16-2004, 01:23 AM

How 'bout some cheaper headers. 600bucks is outrageous, I installed Flowmaster for my 79 bird for only 120 bucks, street legal at that. Maybe because I orderd them from Jcwhitney, I dont know.

Kevin91Z · 08-17-2004, 01:15 AM

Factory stock I-Pipe on an L98 engine is 2.75". There are no 3" factory stock I-pipes, no matter who tells you or what you think is on your car.

There is a difference between street legal and smog legal. You arent getting any brand new smog legal headers that are cheap. Its just the nature of the business. The government charges the aftermarket companies a huge sum of money to test the parts and make sure they are smog legal. So the companies charge a high price for their products to make up for it.

xlwhellraiser · 08-17-2004, 10:27 PM

Well, I live in CO and I passed emmissions no prob. Actually my numbers were better than the previous ones( 79 bird). Go figure. But if that is the nature of the bussines, than what is the cheapest headers that I can put on 89 LO3, that can pass emissions. Also if I put headers do they still have to go out in one pipe or is dual a better way to go????

iggy1991 · 08-18-2004, 03:59 AM

I installed the hooker 2055s on my LO3 Camaro. I'm pretty happy with them. I did have to put some bigger washers with the header to Y-pipe flange bolts cause the heads of the bolts were a little small. It was also a PITA to get the passager side one in. I had to feed it from underneath the car. But with all that crap over there its a pain to do anything. Also if your gonna get these make sure you install new plugs and get new plug wires with ALL angled boots. I also had to modify a wrench to fit in and tightin the plugs cause the header tubes run right infront of the plugs.

cronsformula350 · 08-19-2004, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kevin91Z
Factory stock I-Pipe on an L98 engine is 2.75". There are no 3" factory stock I-pipes, no matter who tells you or what you think is on your car.

There is a difference between street legal and smog legal. You arent getting any brand new smog legal headers that are cheap. Its just the nature of the <span id="BUSINESS" class=xxxxkeyword onmouseover="onmo(this);" onmouseout="inMenu=false;hide(this);">business</span>. The government charges the aftermarket companies a huge sum of <span id="MONEY" class=xxxxkeyword onmouseover="onmo(this);" onmouseout="inMenu=false;hide(this);">money</span> to test the parts and make sure they are smog legal. So the companies charge a high price for their products to make up for it.

Kevin, my 89 Formula 350, has certain 1LE options, proven by its rpo codes, which I had verified at a pontiac dealer(Bert Adams) in my area. This car had an original 3" y pipe, from the factory, and many of the mechanics there in shop also verified this. One of them, that was there when the cars were new, also verified this for me, in telling me that, since he has been there since 81, when my formula was new, many came into the shop with the same 3" pieces, and they were factory. Many things are in many of these cars that aren't supposed to have them. But like the cars of the earlier days, alot of things slipped out through the factory that weren't supposed "to be" not that it matters to me if you believe this or not, but this is how it is.

cannondale125 · 09-13-2004, 05:20 PM

what about the ceramic coated edelbrock T.E.S. headers, i havent heard anything good or bad...anybody care to comment

cronsformula350 · 09-13-2004, 07:26 PM

I have the tes nickel chrome plated shorties, and there y and I'm am very pleased with the quality. I am sure the Ceramic quality would be great too.

Kevin91Z · 09-14-2004, 12:06 AM

Ceramic coated Edelbrock headers are still the same bad design regular Edelbrock headers, just with a spiffy coating on them.

Crons, I'd like to test your data in the history/restoration forum. My dad has been an auto mechanic in the SoCal area for over 40 years, and did many exhaust swaps on thirdgens when they were new. Not once did he find a factory 3" diameter exhaust pipe. They were all 2.75" or 2.25". My car came with certain 1LE options too, namely everything but the brakes and aluminum driveshaft. Its called the G92 package. And its i-pipe was 2.75". I guess GM shipped special cars to your area of the country.

cronsformula350 · 09-14-2004, 10:45 AM

What's this then?

cronsformula350 · 09-14-2004, 10:53 AM

Here is my Iroc's factory y pipe, notice the pipe had to be enlarged to fit the cat, my formulas was the same size as a 3" cat, 3" outlet y pipe.

I bolted on my iroc headers and got into the thirteens, I started with the headers bolted on from a 15.1 to a tune of 13.8, while still spinning the Nitto drag radials horribly, my iroc would turn a 13.5 or better with suspension work, but Its up for sale now. Edelbrocks also have a better collector design than the hookers headmans, Jba's.

cronsformula350 · 09-14-2004, 10:54 AM

Here is my Iroc's factory y pipe, notice the pipe had to be enlarged to fit the cat, my formulas was the same size as a 3" cat, 3" outlet y pipe.

I bolted on my iroc headers and got into the thirteens, I started with the headers, and my own custom exhaust bolted on, and went from a 15.1 to a tune of 13.8 at 100mph with only a 1.9 60ft, while still spinning the Nitto drag radials horribly. My iroc would turn a 13.5 or better with suspension work, but Its up for sale now. Edelbrocks also have a better collector design than the hookers headmans, Jba's.

Kevin91Z · 09-14-2004, 11:00 PM

That looks like a regular run-of-the-mill 2.75" i-pipe to me. Do you have a micrometer you can use? Or at least take a pic with a ruler across an opening. That pic shows nothing.

And if you had to enlarge the i-pipe to fit the cat, that means the pipe is smaller than the cat. What kind of cat do you have on there, a 3.25"? I doubt it.

cronsformula350 · 09-16-2004, 04:47 PM

notice how I said my Iroc's y pipe had to be enlarged.

My formulas isn't the average run of the mill y pipe, The cat I had on my formula was enlarged to fit the y pipe, aftermarket cat was installed.

Its ok you don't have to believe it I have what I have, I don't need to keep telling you what it is, and argue with you about what I have like a couple of little kids, no biggie, I'll sell it to someone, and they'll enjoy having it.

Just like you say edelbrock headers are horrible but once they were on my car with my exhaust I increased my mph by 10, but they are garbage headers, uh huh, sure they are. I'll stand by my garbage made in usa edelbrocks any day of the week.

Kevin91Z · 09-16-2004, 10:47 PM

Ok, now you're going over the top. You increased your MPH in what by 10? I hope you're not talking about your 1/4 mile times. There is no way you're gaining 10 MPH in the 1/4 mile just by bolting on a set of headers and exhaust. Top speed, I can believe, but not 1/4 mile.

iggy1991 · 09-17-2004, 11:09 PM

yeah I don't agree with that either. I installed the hooker 2055s with an open cat and my LO3 didn't gain any mph but got down the track .3 quicker

cronsformula350 · 09-21-2004, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kevin91Z
Ok, now you're going over the top. You increased your MPH in what by 10? I hope you're not talking about your 1/4 mile times. There is no way you're gaining 10 MPH in the 1/4 mile just by bolting on a set of headers and exhaust. Top speed, I can believe, but not 1/4 mile.

Well, maybe you can't tune very well, but I have people that were there witnessing me, and timeslips to prove it. I bolted on my headers and my exhaust, 3" bullet muffler, and a dump before the axle, and went from a 15.1(89mph) first run, to a 13.9(99.9Mph) the same day, 11 runs later. All I adjusted was timing(34* total advance) and fuel pressure(47psi); ON the original motor and trans with 146,000 on it. The car slips so bad I never made one pass without slipping out of the whole, and on the 2nd and 3rd shifts, with nitto drag radials. The car has the power to run a 13.5, but with stock suspension, its hard to hook.

Bolting on headers and exhaust requires mild tuning, to see a full benefit, and fuel pressure and timing adjustments are just that.

Avenger007 · 09-28-2004, 05:24 PM

Hmmm...this is difficult. Im looking for a more solid answer and not finding one. I want a 3" flowmaster to hook to a 3" cat so now I need headers. I want to remove my AIR system and just get non-AIR headers so what is a good set thats 1 3/4 and wont take much modification (if any) to install. I heard scraping problems with the 2055s, definitly something I want to avoid. Also, SLPs setup is waay pricing IMO so whats tha way to go?

custom88camaro · 10-08-2004, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jimmy_mac
I also like the hedman headers. The y-pipe however seams very restrictive. The spot where they neck down to the 2.5 inch really annoys me. I wish hedman would have made this in a 3 inch collector. I am gonna try and cut it there and run two dynomax mandrel bent pipes around that corner and replace that 2.5 inch pipe with a dynomax 2 into 1 3in. collector.

It seams like a waste to neck the y-pipe down to 2.5 inches to open it up to 3 inches the rest of the way.

I also think it is stupid to use 2.5 in pipe for y pipe. I bought one not knowing how small it was. I took a 3" mandrel bend 90, and welded it in place of the 2.5. It seems to work, but I think my real restriction is those 1 5/8 primaries.

Kevin91Z · 10-08-2004, 08:13 AM

SLP makes the only shorty-style 1 3/4" headers. Your other choice is long tubes from Hooker. Everything else is 1 5/8".

In regards to a 2.5" y-pipe, I hope you're talking about the exit point where they merge together, and not the pipes themselves. The pipes are only carrying exhaust from four cylinders each. 2.5" is fine for that. The exit or merge point should be 3" yes, or whatever size your i-pipe is.

custom88camaro · 10-08-2004, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kevin91Z
SLP makes the only shorty-style 1 3/4" headers. Your other choice is long tubes from Hooker. Everything else is 1 5/8".

In regards to a 2.5" y-pipe, I hope you're talking about the exit point where they merge together, and not the pipes themselves. The pipes are only carrying exhaust from four cylinders each. 2.5" is fine for that. The exit or merge point should be 3" yes, or whatever size your i-pipe is.

I have investigated the slp's, and they look like the way to go, but they are bending people over!

I think they are a tad pricey, but I would eventually like to have a set. I am using the hedman shorties (68470) and the y pipe (17970, I think). I could not believe that the merge point was only 2.5. My factory I or Y, whatever you want to call it was just under 3". I called hedman to ask what they were thinking, and the guy said "We do that so you have better bottom end power."

I suppose it does make some sense, but not much. I cut the section that was 2.5 off right where the two header pipes come together and welded on my own 3" mandrel bend 90*. I have no cat to worry about so it was pretty easy.