3" TD's over the axle question
 

I think I remember reading somewhere there is a modified upper brace which would then allow one of the 3" pipes to be routed over the axle on the driver side....

Can't seem to find the info now. Not even sure if it was this site....

Does anyone know or have a link? I have 3" TD's dumped now and would like to find a way to get both 3" pipies over the axle and relocate the mufflers to the back of the car.

Thanks,
Glenn

http://www.bmrfabrication.com/F-body...tm#panhardrods

Try that link...if it doesn't work, just go to their home page, and it is listed on there. I'm still waiting on mine (should be here this week), but I'm only doing 2.5" pipes over. Either way, I'll see how it works out.

Ahhh, yes.... Thank you :nod:

Damn.... I wish you were running 3"..... I hate being a guniea pig.... Has anyone here used this to facillitate 3" pipe over the driver side?

Meent, I was under the impression you could run both 2.5" pipes over the passenger side and then split them after.... If youre only doing 2.5, how come you're buying the new panhard?

Well, I don't think I need 3" pipes running all the way out the back with my stock internaled 346...seems like I'd be losing a lot of backpressure with that one, but I don't particularly care for the stamped piece of whatever that shit is they call and upper panhard brace. I got a good deal on it, so I figured what the hell? I have plans on going with bigger cubes down the road, and I'd like to have everything in place in case I do eventually decide to go with 3" duals out the back...in the mean time, it'll give Speed Inc. plenty of room to work with to route the pipes up and over (yes, I'm having them do my duals in a couple of months).

To me, I don't mind spending the money to do something right, and to me, this is doing it right. Is it right for everyone? No, but it helps me sleep a little better at night.

You gotta post some pics of those Speed Inc duals when you get them done! I'm sure it will be top-notch work. Are you using the Spintechs that they normally use, or something different?

Oh, and where did you get the good deal on the upper panhard brace? I am very interested in this.

I have removed the upper bar, and there is good reason you need it. The car handles the same with and without. You could also consider going under the axle.

:confused: :confused:

Very confused by the way you worded that.... contradictory, no?

You said "I removed the upper brace and there is a good reason you need it." Then you say...."The car handles the same with and without." Did you mean to say "The car DOESNT handle the same with and without it"? I can't see how it could work without that upper bar helping to locate the rear.


Under the axle sucks IMO.... not a good solution. Both 2.5's over the passenger side OR like I'm probably gonna do... get the new upper brace that's bent to allow 3" to fit through there. Then I'll have 3" true duals over the axle & out the back like God intended :judge: :drive:

CM02WS6, I'll be sure to get some pics of it when they are done...I'm just as anxious as you are to see them. To the best of my knowledge, they use ATR Pitbull mufflers on their true duals, which is what I'll go with. I've heard good things about them (basically ranking them up there with Borla XR-1s).

I got in on a GP that Tbyrne was having a little while ago on all BMR products, so I ordered it then. Ended up saving quite a bit of money off of what they show it as on that site.

Out the back as God intended...AMEN.

I plan on running my true duals over the axle when I do it. :)

My plan is to run a 3" true dual system back to the axle, then have a flange and a reducer to 2.5" for going over the axle. When I go to the track I'll pop off the over the axle portion and put some turn downs in for max flow. :)

I'm not a big fan of the Speed Inc system simply because of all the bends. Air likes to flow straight, so the more bends in your system, the more it disrupts airflow. Of course this is JMO..

Oh yeah, and my upper panhard rod has been out since I bought my car. I have experienced zero ill effects of driving without it, and my car is a heavy vert.

Can anyone explain what exactly it is supposed to do? (upper panhard bar)

Very interesting....

What the hell is it there for if it can be removed with no effect?? :confused:

I too have removed my upper panhard bar in a car with over 500hp. No ill effects here either.

Sorry for the bad english. Thats what happens when I post too late at night. I don't know why gm installed the upper bar because I didn't notice a difference with it removed. I have launched mid 1.4 60 foots with it out. Race weight is a tad under 4k.

No sweat!! Thanks for clarifying ;)

Wow, more people chiming in with no upper brace..... That's great news. I'm gonna try it that way too and see what happens. I'll save myself $200 not having to buy the new BMR brace. :cool:

The 2 Flowmaster 10 Series under the floor are a bit much.... sounds great when the tops are out and windows down, but with the tops in.... lots of resonance.

This turned out to be a really good thread! Thanks everyone for the replies :cheers:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...+panhard+brace

Seems to make sense to me...GM could have saved a good deal on manufacturing cost if they left that piece off of the car to begin with.

Either way, I'm replacing mine with the BMR relocation kit...the ~$170 I paid is a small investment for my peace of mind.

There IS a purpose for the upper panhard rod, but I don't think it is necessarily an essential piece of the suspension. With only the lower panhard rod in place, the lower panhard rod mount on the car (passenger side) doesn't have as much lateral support. If the car is going to be autocrossed or roadraced, I would definitely recommend having an upper panhard rod in place, as over time the flexing of the lower panhard body mount would weaken it IMO. If the upper panhard rod is in place, it provides more support to keep that mount from flexing.

Unless you're pushing your car to the limits (twisties), I don't believe there would be any problems with removing it.

And that seems to be the general idea...for drag racing, it would probably be okay to remove. For anything else (like spirited daily driving, auto x, road racing, etc), you will most likely need it.

I just spoke to my fabricator and he knows of cars that don't run the upper brace. One of them is the fastest NA LT1 I think. Anyways, he did mention that the lower rod has to be moved down. He does this with a custom welded bracket. He's done 2.5" pipe this way but hasnt tried 3" yet. I'll be the first.

Freeway on and off ramps are the only real side loading my car ever sees. And its not like you can hang the tail out on every one. I wish! I am usually one who spends a little more doing something cause I want it "right" and I also like the peace of mind. But, after H/C, intake etc etc etc this year AND still in need of clutch soon and a rear after that, every $$ saved now is important. I think I'm gonna try it without the upper brace and if any probs, buy the BMR kit later.

I also thought about moving the mufflers to the back of the car, but was advised to just leave them where they are and run the pipe out the back. I have the factory ground effects and was thinking I have enough room back there to "hide" the mufflers so that basically you would just see the tips poking out.

Has anyone moved the dual mufflers out back or did you leave them under the back seat area? I was afraid if I didnt move the mufflers, I would have the same resonance in the cabin. But, I was told that putting the pipes out the back would also move the sound out the back, eliminating the "bad" noise while keeping the "good" noises :)

Any opinions on that?

I have had my upper PHR our for 3 years. Many 1.5 sixties with no issues :cheers: