Custom exhaust kits
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TECH Regular
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 426
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From: Houston Texas
Custom exhaust kits I'm feeling ballsy and want to try fabbing up my own exhaust. Buddy has a welder, and is a welder by trade, I've been ICAR certified for awhile about 10 years ago. So, i think we can do it.
my question is, what would be a good kit to start with? Jegs and summit have a few affordable kits.
Should i get one with alot of pieces? I plan on doing true duals, but just straight pipes for now. Maybe dump them at the axle or something?
i originally wanted a quiet muffler, but wife is getting impatient and wants me to fix the car before the new baby comes. So, putting off the muffler for now.
suggestions, advice, criticism welcome.
my question is, what would be a good kit to start with? Jegs and summit have a few affordable kits.
Should i get one with alot of pieces? I plan on doing true duals, but just straight pipes for now. Maybe dump them at the axle or something?
i originally wanted a quiet muffler, but wife is getting impatient and wants me to fix the car before the new baby comes. So, putting off the muffler for now.
suggestions, advice, criticism welcome.
I bought a Summit Racing x-pipe kit and had an old sponsor on here use it to fab up my true duals. I had them dump it out before with axle and use dynomax bullets for mufflers. This was probably almost 10 years ago now so I'm not sure if Summit still sells the kit or what's out there etc. but it worked out well for me.
This is what I bought and used as a reference:
http://diysrc.com/install-a-true-dua...ebird-lt1-ls1/
This is what I bought and used as a reference:
http://diysrc.com/install-a-true-dua...ebird-lt1-ls1/
Thread Starter
TECH Regular
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 426
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From: Houston Texas
What size should i go? My motor is stock, but plan on doing the air intake and a decent cam this summer.
would 2.25" be sufficient? Or should i go ahead and go with 2.5"?
outlet for header collector is 2.5". Well, 3" on the header, step down flange at 2.5". I think 2.25 would be good, give me that little extra room for ground clearance, and not give me any pressure issues.
advice and suggestions? I'm about to order the pipes now to have them in by Saturday hopefully.
would 2.25" be sufficient? Or should i go ahead and go with 2.5"?
outlet for header collector is 2.5". Well, 3" on the header, step down flange at 2.5". I think 2.25 would be good, give me that little extra room for ground clearance, and not give me any pressure issues.
advice and suggestions? I'm about to order the pipes now to have them in by Saturday hopefully.
Thread Starter
TECH Regular
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 426
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From: Houston Texas
I got the 2.5" x pipe kit from Jegs. Summit wanted taxes. Same price though. FedEx says it'll be here tomorrow.
So, Saturday night and Sunday im putting my motor mounts in, rear main seal, installing the flywheel/clutch, transmission, trans mount, torque bushing, and fabbing up the exhaust.
I think i can get it all done. Still need my 02 extensions, but i might just make some. Haven't decided yet. Not positive if splicing the wires will jack with the readings or not.
i wanted to replace my oil pan, but after cleaning it real good, i can fix it. It got dented somehow from previous owner, and it seemed like it was leaking near one if the kinks. I went ahead and rigged it with JB Weld. We'll see how it holds.
I've found a few LT1 motors for a good price. Thinking of snagging one, or possibly doing a SBC to build up.
Anyways, i plan on documenting it best i can for future reference. I feel theres not enough info out there for the LT1, so gonna do my part to help out.
So, Saturday night and Sunday im putting my motor mounts in, rear main seal, installing the flywheel/clutch, transmission, trans mount, torque bushing, and fabbing up the exhaust.
I think i can get it all done. Still need my 02 extensions, but i might just make some. Haven't decided yet. Not positive if splicing the wires will jack with the readings or not.
i wanted to replace my oil pan, but after cleaning it real good, i can fix it. It got dented somehow from previous owner, and it seemed like it was leaking near one if the kinks. I went ahead and rigged it with JB Weld. We'll see how it holds.
I've found a few LT1 motors for a good price. Thinking of snagging one, or possibly doing a SBC to build up.
Anyways, i plan on documenting it best i can for future reference. I feel theres not enough info out there for the LT1, so gonna do my part to help out.
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TECH Regular
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 426
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From: Houston Texas
That's where I'm leaning. I did a new opti, plus and wires when i got the car. Total pain in the ***.
i just want to limit the amount of cutting. Would those crab style distributors give enough clearance so you wouldn't need to chop up the cowl area?
i always wanted to build up a motor using the Holley stealth ram intake. Ever since it came out, it haunts my wet car dreams.
Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
From: Clemmons, NC
That's where I'm leaning. I did a new opti, plus and wires when i got the car. Total pain in the ***.
i just want to limit the amount of cutting. Would those crab style distributors give enough clearance so you wouldn't need to chop up the cowl area?
i always wanted to build up a motor using the Holley stealth ram intake. Ever since it came out, it haunts my wet car dreams.
i just want to limit the amount of cutting. Would those crab style distributors give enough clearance so you wouldn't need to chop up the cowl area?
i always wanted to build up a motor using the Holley stealth ram intake. Ever since it came out, it haunts my wet car dreams.
I'll assure you that with the OE, LT-1 intake, you probably wouldn't be able to get an "conventional" distributor in there, as the fuel pressure regulator and EGR valve are right where the distributor would normally live. Secondly, it's questionable if you could get a distributor in or out of the engine, if you had to, while the engine is in the car. I don't think there's enough room above the engine, to be able to lift a distributor, even with the cap off, with the cowl uncut.
I wouldn't let an opti spark prevent you from putting another LT1 motor in the car. I've owned a couple LT1 cars in the past 13 years and I've never had an optispark related issue. People make it out to be way worse than it really is. Plus, a couple things can be done to the opti to help prevent potential issues so it's really of no concern when using a quality OEM unit IMO.
Last edited by StealthFormula; Jan 28, 2017 at 08:27 AM.
Thread Starter
TECH Regular
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 426
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From: Houston Texas
I wouldn't let an opti spark prevent you from putting another LT1 motor in the car. I've owned a couple LT1 cars in the past 13 years and I've never had an optispark related issue. People make it out to be way worse than it really is. Plus, a couple things can be done to the opti to help prevent potential issues so it's really of no concern when using a quality OEM unit IMO.
Plus, the guys at work keep talking **** about my LT1. Makes me want to keep it even more. But need atleast 400hp and different gearing to keep up with their newer rustains and fat cam-a-rows.
So, I'm gonna stick with the LTx. Hopefully will finish everything up today. About to go stab the transmission in, and start figuring out the exhaust.
Need a damn starter. Didn't realize when i took it out, it's cracked. Solenoid split from the motor/spindle. Not sure how, but it never struggled starting. All the local shops gotta order it. Dammit.
But yeah, I'm gonna stick with the LTx. But that'll be later on this summer when i start building it up.
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Plan it out, buy appropriate bends and get to cutting/welding. Here is my build:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-m...e-exhaust.html
I'll never buy/build another system that has the "typical" Y merge again.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-m...e-exhaust.html
I'll never buy/build another system that has the "typical" Y merge again.
Last edited by smitty2919; Jan 31, 2017 at 07:53 AM.
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Joined: Dec 2010
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From: Maricopa, AZ
I got the 2.5" x pipe kit from Jegs. Summit wanted taxes. Same price though. FedEx says it'll be here tomorrow.
So, Saturday night and Sunday im putting my motor mounts in, rear main seal, installing the flywheel/clutch, transmission, trans mount, torque bushing, and fabbing up the exhaust.
I think i can get it all done. Still need my 02 extensions, but i might just make some. Haven't decided yet. Not positive if splicing the wires will jack with the readings or not.
i wanted to replace my oil pan, but after cleaning it real good, i can fix it. It got dented somehow from previous owner, and it seemed like it was leaking near one if the kinks. I went ahead and rigged it with JB Weld. We'll see how it holds.
I've found a few LT1 motors for a good price. Thinking of snagging one, or possibly doing a SBC to build up.
Anyways, i plan on documenting it best i can for future reference. I feel theres not enough info out there for the LT1, so gonna do my part to help out.
So, Saturday night and Sunday im putting my motor mounts in, rear main seal, installing the flywheel/clutch, transmission, trans mount, torque bushing, and fabbing up the exhaust.
I think i can get it all done. Still need my 02 extensions, but i might just make some. Haven't decided yet. Not positive if splicing the wires will jack with the readings or not.
i wanted to replace my oil pan, but after cleaning it real good, i can fix it. It got dented somehow from previous owner, and it seemed like it was leaking near one if the kinks. I went ahead and rigged it with JB Weld. We'll see how it holds.
I've found a few LT1 motors for a good price. Thinking of snagging one, or possibly doing a SBC to build up.
Anyways, i plan on documenting it best i can for future reference. I feel theres not enough info out there for the LT1, so gonna do my part to help out.
While not absolutely necessary, you'll want to have the tune adjusted for the additional VE of the headers and you'll also want to have the O2 tables adjusted for delay too (it takes longer for the exhaust to get to the O2s on long tubes vs stock manifolds).