stainless steel vs aluminized steel, mandrel bent vs regular bent

here i was going to say if you think can do without headers then avoid them. they make good power but create plety of headaches too. make sure the shop can keep the same size pipe front to back. most shop try that b.s. that they have to step it down to get over the axle. press bent pipes are fine. along with aluminized pipe. mandrel bent is better but not neccesary for your app. for a mild 318 id go with 2 1/4 with a set of super turbos. if you think you might be looking to upgrade some things go with 2 1/2, if they can stay 2 1/2 front to back. the x pipe works best if you keep the same size coming out of the headers, into the junction, and step it down after, or even after the mufflers. are you installing the headers yourself? if so id get a summit or jegs universal x pipe and some super turbos the same size as the headers, which is most likely 3", have the shop step down to 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 tailpipe. i build my own systems out of mandrel bends, i know they flow good but going with a good muffler is more important than mandrel bends.