Hi all, new member here. I have a 1982 TA with a 383 Chevrolet small block and automatic transmission. The car currently has open headers (been racing it for the past 15+ years) however I'm planning on putting it back on the road. I'm looking for a complete exhaust system, including headers, Y-pipe and cat back that is all basically bolt on. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

What power level or ETs are you at now?

 

It would run consistent 11.50's.

 

There are a few 1 & 3/4 inch shorties & 3" y pipes to chose from...
Highly recommend ceramic coating... Keep the heat in and make everything else cooler (happier) in the engine bay too...

They sell a host of 3 to 4 inch cat back systems too...

The choice you would make is what flavor? Not particularly talking brand, but style.

Most have the 1 in / 2 out mufflers, which do not flow as good as the 1 in / 1 out style... Drawback of 1 in / 1 out, if you like to see the tail pipe, there is only 1 on one side... but a short "hidden" pipe fixes that too...

I have a Hooker 2055 system which is 1 and 5/8" (smaller, but on 305). I have a Flowmaster 1 in / 1 out and a short pipe, since I didn't want to see (or bump into) a tail pipe our under the rear bumper... Mufflex sells 1 in 1 out systems of varying sizes... My neighbor has a Magnaflow which I REALLY like the sound of, and he just ordered a 1 in 1 out one too... They sell a complete system, my have to change muffler and delete a pipe to get one in / one out if you want to go that style...

Your call...

 

Thanks for the great info. If possible I want to mimic the original look (how the tailpipes were hidden). I prefer the clean look.

 

Thanks for the great info. If possible I want to mimic the original look (how the tailpipes were hidden). I prefer the clean look.

 

The first year, in 82, they used two small mufflers and a spaghetti mess of pipes to connect them. If you're going to hide the pipes anyway, consider the one in one out which flows better and gives you more power.

 

Apparently the Hooker 2055's won't fit an 82?

 

Not sure, but with a 383, I would put the one and three quarter inch pipes, instead of the one and five eighths inch hookers.

 

Having a hard time finding shortys with 1.75 pipes and a 3" system. Seems like they're all 1 5/8 and then 2.5 or 2" systems.

 

Here’s some info that may help you make up your mind on muffler system pipe size.

3” Straight Pipe flows around 880 cfm or enough for approximately 410HP per pipe. However, there’s about a 20% drop in flow with the bends in a car’s exhaust which equates to approximately 700 cfm or 325HP per pipe/side.

3.5” Straight Pipe flows around 1200 cfm or enough for approximately 560HP per pipe. However, there’s about a 20% drop in flow with the bends in a car’s exhaust which equates to approximately 950 cfm or 445HP per pipe/side.

4” Straight Pipe flows around 1560 cfm or enough for approximately 730HP per pipe. However, there’s about a 20% drop in flow with the bends in a car’s exhaust which equates to approximately 1250 cfm or 580HP per pipe/side.

I ran 1.625” shorty headers, custom built mandrel bent 2.25” “Y”, and a single mandrel bent 3” DynoMax UltraFlo aluminized system on my old IROC running 12.3’s (330rwhp). It was pieced together with a Walker 3” intermediate pipe, over axle pipe, UltraFlo 17227 straight through designed 3” in dual 2.5” out muffler, and the dual 2.5” tailpipes. I had about $320 in parts and considered that to be the one of,, if not the best flowing 3” in, dual 2.5” out systems available. However, it doesn’t look like you can get the Walker or Flowmaster intermediate and over the axle pipes separately anymore. The only boxed/complete 3” cat-back system that I know of that is comparable to what I pieced together is the MagnaFlow 16829 stainless steel straight through system but it’s over $500. However, you might want to consider the aluminized 3" Summit 680022 at $260, sell that muffler and replace it with a Magnaflow or Ultra Flo for a “budget” kit. On engine alone, the single 3” didn’t hurt things that much but later when I sprayed the thing with a small shot (11.4s), it literally whistled/hissed going down the track. So, one of the best flowing single 3” systems I could put together was definitely holding it back.

If you’re running 11.50s then I’d say you need to look at a 3.5” system and depending on whether or not you think you might need the headroom, you might want to look at the 4” pipes. The issue is that the 3.5” and 4” systems are more expensive and less of a “bolt-on”. So it’s up to you to determine if moving up to the larger systems that shouldn’t cost you any ET over open headers is worth the additional cost and effort or not.

3.5” https://www.mufflex-performance.com/6-f-body-catalog
4” http://www.hawksmotorsports.com/hawk...aust-system-4/

Whatever you decide, at your power lever you definitely need stay with a straight through design muffler and keep away from the turbo and chambered/Flowmaster mufflers (a large single in/out 3.5” Flowmaster will only support around 295HP).

Headers? What do you have now? Hawks makes a crossmember that’ll let you squeeze in the pipes from longtubes and still have pretty good ground clearance.
http://www.hawksmotorsports.com/tran...60e-automatic/

If you’re not interested in keeping what you have or going with longtubes, Dyno Don’s 1.75” shorty headers and Y-pipes are about as good as it gets.
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/ind...facturer_id=34

 

Thanks for all the great info! I'm currently running open headers. Long tube Hookers. The issue I have is that they're pretty scraped up from the car being slightly lowered. Even after a run I'd bottom out on the return road. Since the car is going back on the street I'm trying to find a whole new system.