Call me low buck 3 inch exhaust
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Call me low buck 3 inch exhaust
I found a deal on some exhaust made by MBRP for $350.
Now you may say that looks like Camaro exhaust and you would be right. I have a set of OBX headers and midpipes coming in tomorrow and I have been looking between my V and a 2010 Camaro in the shop and thinking that the whole setup underneath is really close. The exhaust is routed in a similar way and I think with a small amount of fabrication I can have some 3 inch stainless with a X pipe for $350. I have a good friend with a pipe bender/swedger nearby and if need be I will buy a couple of bends to complete the exhaust. I will be doing it on a lift and also have a couple of tall stands to hold it and a good mig welder. I get a kick out of making stuff work but not in a rigged up kind of way. I won't do it at all unless it looks top notch. Worst case scenario I am sure the mufflers will work and I could get my money back from the rest.
Now you may say that looks like Camaro exhaust and you would be right. I have a set of OBX headers and midpipes coming in tomorrow and I have been looking between my V and a 2010 Camaro in the shop and thinking that the whole setup underneath is really close. The exhaust is routed in a similar way and I think with a small amount of fabrication I can have some 3 inch stainless with a X pipe for $350. I have a good friend with a pipe bender/swedger nearby and if need be I will buy a couple of bends to complete the exhaust. I will be doing it on a lift and also have a couple of tall stands to hold it and a good mig welder. I get a kick out of making stuff work but not in a rigged up kind of way. I won't do it at all unless it looks top notch. Worst case scenario I am sure the mufflers will work and I could get my money back from the rest.
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Here is a picture of $1300 worth of stainless works exhaust
I may need to extend the Camaro exhaust a little so I will take some measurements when I get it and order what I need from Jeg's prob a straight piece and maybe a U bend.
I may need to extend the Camaro exhaust a little so I will take some measurements when I get it and order what I need from Jeg's prob a straight piece and maybe a U bend.
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NEVERSAT- I'm sure you will be attempting this soon enough))) You love your exhaust hell. 350 is a great price but if people have had issues with certain b&b clearance this may be more of a project than anticipated.
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Are the collectors on the Kooks headers 3"? Just looking at pics of the underside of my car and it looks like the collectors are fatter than the front end of the Magnaflow system. I'm not sure if it's just the parallax of the picture or an actual difference in piping diameter.
It'll be interesting to see if you can make this work - always good to have more affordable options.
It'll be interesting to see if you can make this work - always good to have more affordable options.
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After bringing the exhaust to the shop and laying it out, the biggest concern I have is that the exhaust necks down to 2 1/2 where it is supposed to join the factory exhaust. I almost think that I can use those pieces with the tighter bend for the mufflers and a short piece of straight pipe to the bell flanges at the header.
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A quick update...Step 1 is complete. I installed my new OBX headers. I test fitted the drivers' side and it looked fine but when I bolted it all up turns out the steering shaft fells off so I did not have the room I thought I had. I dinged it some but not enough so when I put the exhaust on hopefully next weekend I will try the porta power or if I have to I will pull the drivers' side back off.
Since I had the car on the lift I held the exhaust up underneath. I looks like I do indeed need 2 short radius 90 degree bends. Even though I have a welder I would like to do this in a way that someone else could duplicate without a ton of tools.
Since I had the car on the lift I held the exhaust up underneath. I looks like I do indeed need 2 short radius 90 degree bends. Even though I have a welder I would like to do this in a way that someone else could duplicate without a ton of tools.
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What motor mounts do you have? If the OE ones are sagging the steering shaft will be more of an issue...I think that the CS solid Poly mounts are actually a tad too short...I know for a fact that they are shorter than the RevShift mounts.
I have the Kooks 1 7/8" (what OBX copied) and mine rubs also even though I pinged the primary pretty decently. My observation is that most people that have the CS mounts and 1 7/8" headers have this issue...i'm sure that others will chime in and correct me if i'm wrong though.
Also, out of curiosity...any idea how much fabbing this out of 3" stock and pre-bends would cost without having a system to start with? I know GulfM3 did it on his and it turned out really well...actually looked like a straight shot also. Do you think it would be easier starting off from scratch?
I have the Kooks 1 7/8" (what OBX copied) and mine rubs also even though I pinged the primary pretty decently. My observation is that most people that have the CS mounts and 1 7/8" headers have this issue...i'm sure that others will chime in and correct me if i'm wrong though.
Also, out of curiosity...any idea how much fabbing this out of 3" stock and pre-bends would cost without having a system to start with? I know GulfM3 did it on his and it turned out really well...actually looked like a straight shot also. Do you think it would be easier starting off from scratch?
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With what I have already and my $350 investment I should be able to buy the rest of the parts for $100 or so. I will still come out at half price of the cost of a 2 1/2 inch system. I have a lift and tall stands so mocking up won't be hard. I appreciate the input though since I may forget to consider something while doing this. Does someone have a source for the exhaust side of the ball and socket? I would hate to cut up the OBX connector pipe plus the stainless seems a little thin. When I welded it to the stock exhaust it seemed a little thin.
#18
You can get them through Kooks.
We have 2 1/2 and 3 inch ball and sockets available.
And you can order them directly or trough one of our vendors like Maryland Speed, Tick performance, livernois just to name a few.
We have 2 1/2 and 3 inch ball and sockets available.
And you can order them directly or trough one of our vendors like Maryland Speed, Tick performance, livernois just to name a few.