I'll take a side picture ASAP and post it here. They don't hang low enough to be any kind of problem for me at all. The sway bar is an after market bar made by HRPartsnStuff. It attaches to the axle tubes in the center, and to the body cross member with heim joints on the ends. Way more effective than the stock bar that bolts to the lower control arms.
Well if the system is shot then with limited funds and nowhere to work on the car yourself then the answer would be the one that costs the least. Either like you call it a new "crush bent" system, or one of the kit systems installed by the "crush bend" guys which ever cost less that won't leak because breathing exhaust fumes isn't fun!(ask me how I know) Save the funds if you end up with any left for what I mentioned in my last post. GL Derek
Nothing new to this he (Gary) does this crap with every thread he gets his hands on. Then when you tell him about it he precedes to tell you it is all educational and only in conversation and You should calm down. Simple answer is all that is needed not all the technical jargon. He should go to the Race 455 section and talk this stuff see how they like it. The poster here has a Buick it just costs money to do any of this. Get used to it.
I don't really mind Gary layin down some knowledge. It does get a bit confusing sometimes, but that's not a new experience ever since I've had this car and been reading through these forums looking for answers. But its true that I do have limited resources and funds, so I can't really afford to go back and forth with trial and error. On the other hand, I'd hate to have to redo my entire exhaust system if it's too small in a year or two, if/when I'm maybe able to do some head work and a cam. I was just thinking it'd be advantageous to have a system already in place for the power I hope to make eventually, as long as that system didn't drop me on my face of the line due to being too big for my current configuration.. The 3.42 rear gears, that IS happening. It should've been swapped long ago, but complications arose. That is the very next thing in line as soon as I settle on a plan for the exhaust. A while back I had gotten a quote from someone to rebuild the rear with a posi unit and 3.42s. Just because I wasn't sure if it was a project I could handle or not. He said around $1300. Does that sound high? Or fair? Somewhere in between? Larry, I'm just surprised to see it hang low of the bottom like that. I have a hellwig adjustable rear that is attached to the same place just a little differently (not on the arms) but it still goes around, not under. Guess there would be tons of different things out three that I wouldn't know about lol
Man, been a while since I checked on this thread and boy, did that escalate quickly! Look, given your build, there's a ton of excessive info here, analysis paralysis anyone?! It's not bad info, but probably far more technical than you really needed. That aside, I still say for what gains you will see from an exhaust system on a mostly stock power train, concern yourself with sound and what you like that fits in your budget, not thermodynamic theory. Again, interesting, but not going to amount to a hill of beans in this case, that info will be splitting hairs. The price for the rear you were quoted is pretty fair from my experience depending on what parts are used. Not high, not a steal, but fair. And I garauntee you will get far more seat of the pants gain from lower gears than one muffler/pipe size than another.
In the bold what Shawn said, X2! Unless you are planning a high revving sbb stroker build, a 2 1/4" dual system should work well now and after any upgrades with your sbb 350. If a 455 swap is in your future then the 2 1/4" would be on the small side but useable with a mild street 455, not as good of a choice with a performance 455 build though, 2 1/2" to 3" would be better for that app. The 2 1/4" dual system with a stock sbb 350 will still help uncork a few ponies, extend your RPM range a bit(vs a stock single system) and will work even better when(if) headers are added but will still work well with manifolds for now. OR, you can change to a single exhaust that Gary mentioned with the gizmo 2 in 1 crossover pipe? Not sure how that would sound or even look out the back for the few HP it would manage to eek out? o No: My personal preference would be dual chrome tips out the back under the rear bumper. I like the way the 2 pipes side by side sound better than with a system that exits out in front or behind the rear tires on 2 sides of the car. I have had exhaust both ways and doubling the sound side by side just sounds much cooler than a system that has a single outlet or out 2 sides of the car. I hope that helps. GL Derek
Okay, I think I'll take a hint and stop overthinking this lol. Thinkin I'll probably take it to the shop and have him build me a 2 1/4" system. It'll probably be the cheaper route too. BUT, before I drop it, just a few things. Has anyone used Pype's Violator mufflers? Or race Pros? I'm kinda still thinkin between those or Magnaflow. Thoughts on them? Also, would putting 2 1/2" tail pipes deepen the sound at all? like these http://www.summitracing.com/parts/flo-15802/overview/year/1972/make/buick/model/gs Because I was thinking about having the guy build the system up to whichever mufflers, and then maybe just throw those on the end. But Only if it could make the car sound cooler.
Keep up the good work Gary! I learn a lot everytime I see you in a post Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Took a few pictures of the GS in the garage. The MT's are about 4" off the ground at the lowest point (bottom flange bolt). The collector bottom surface is close to 5" off the ground. I took pictures from the front, side and rear of the car. I have never hit the flanges on anything. If I take your typical speed bump too fast, the bottom of the collector hits, but that is easily avoidable by going slowly.
Trust me Gary, those primaries are mint, untouched. What you see in the picture is an illusion due to poor lighting. I'll get a better picture when I can. I've never even come close to damaging them. The lowest point is that flange, and that is about 4" off the ground. I have a short speed bump in the Coop driveway, and one day I was in a hurry, so I took it a bit too fast. The only part that scraped was the very bottom of that long MT collector, and it only scraped, did not dent. Never a problem in any other scenario, steep driveways, rough roads, doesn't even get close, and the roads in NYC are not the best.. My car has plenty of touched up scratches and some minor paint issues. I actually like it that way. I'm not afraid to drive it. In NYC, you always need to be careful. I worry more about getting a summons for speeding (it doesn't take much with a 25 MPH limit), then wrecking it. I bought it to enjoy it. It goes down the track once a year at least, been that way for 10 years or so
I didn't take it as derogatory Gary:grin: I really do like these headers. I believe they are from the GSCA, one of the runs they made. The cylinder head flanges are nice and thick, so I have no gasket problems at all. When I replaced the gaskets (motor change), I just made it a point to keep checking the bolts for the first 3 or 4 heat cycles. Had to tighten a few on each side, but then they stay tight.
OK, better pictures of each side. The Chrome has seen better days, but the primary tubes are unmolested.:grin:
Hey, thanks for the pictures Larry. It does help me get an idea of what kind of clearance some can expect. But it does beg the next question. Is your car riding at stock height? I'm assuming it is. I still think it looks pretty low even if that's the stock ride height. Like Gary alluded to, my driving style also could be problematic with big 'ol pipes hangin' low. Make it another 2" lower, like my car is after the suspension rebuild, and you're talkin' 2" of clearance. Forget about it, that's crazy low for me. But thanks again putting pictures in front of me. Pictures always help tremendously
14x6" rallys currently. Tires are P225/70R14. However, the next time I buy tires it will be for a set of 15x7"s I have waiting. Not really sure what I'm going to put on them, I don't know much about tire sizing.. One guy had told me the biggest I want to go is 235/60R15, or else it'll wear unevenly. But I've heard more than a few guys saying that 245/60R15 look meatier and work just fine..
I have 235 60 up front and 245 60 out back. I dont have any uneven wear and i do like the meatier look of the 245. Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
