Need your help on 383 Dart exhaust

[Popdart]

Ok, this is what I got . . . 73 Swinger with a lil 383 dropped in and running. Just bought the car, don't have it yet (mid June). Problem is it doesn't have any exhaust on it. Presently it has exhaust manifolds (supposedly for the application, 383 and A-body). He is including "down pipes" from manifolds to bottom of engine bay. Summit / JEGS offer header back kits, but I have manifolds. I'm trying to keep the cost down, and I really don't want to tackle the pain of installation of headers at this time. Should I just bite the proverbial bullet and install headers? Eventually I do plan to. I'm looking for full exhaust and will be adding stock style 340 tips. Can I get manifold back exhaust kits? I'm looking at 2.5" pipe. Friend sez I should go 3", but with manifolds? Any direction would help! (too many choices . . . not enuff brain cells . . . lol) Thanks, Rog

 

[moparsegura]

I say put the headers on it

 

[RedFish]

If you have the collecters and down pipes you only need to drive it to a muffler shop and choose mufflers. They can fab dual exhaust. Most independent shops around here hang out signs saying "we bend 3" pipe"

 

[Backtobasics]

I would take the parts he is giving you, get the Summit kit, and have a local muffler shop join the manifolds to the summit system.

Manifolds versus headers is the BIGGEST concern/obstacle with Big Block conversions in A bodies.

If you are comfortable with the manifolds for a while, then go for it, and if and when (once you see conversion header pricing) then you can have the muffler shop adjust the headpipes to connect to your existing system.

 

[redfastback]

personally, go to a local muffler shop. have them do the piping. the tubing from summit is a joke.

 

[Popdart]

All good points . . . I had one shop quote 2.5" + Flowmaster mufflers, downpipe to bumper (no tips) for $700 - $800. I thought that to be a little excessive! I guess its time to shop around. Thanks, Rog

 

[2shelbys]

All good points . . . I had one shop quote 2.5" + Flowmaster mufflers, downpipe to bumper (no tips) for $700 - $800. I thought that to be a little excessive! I guess its time to shop around. Thanks, Rog

Man! Even TTi is less than that.

 

[2shelbys]

personally, go to a local muffler shop. have them do the piping. the tubing from summit is a joke.

I don't know about that. I know a couple of guys who used the Summit stuff and love it. Jegs has essentially the exact same stuff.

 

[redfastback]

I don't know about that. I know a couple of guys who used the Summit stuff and love it. Jegs has essentially the exact same stuff.

i took a customers car to my muffler shop with the x pipe and extensions he got from jegs, and it was so thin that when they went to work with it, it split. all i was saying was that their pipes are thinner wall than what you get at a good reputable shop.

 

[Popdart]

Ok, (showing my ignorance) what are the advantages / disadvantages of the X and H pipes? Sorry I'm from the 60's and been out of circulation for a while!! Rog

 

[2shelbys]

i took a customers car to my muffler shop with the x pipe and extensions he got from jegs, and it was so thin that when they went to work with it, it split. all i was saying was that their pipes are thinner wall than what you get at a good reputable shop.

That may be true. There has to be some reason that they can do a system for well under half the price that a shop can.

 

[redfastback]

Ok, (showing my ignorance) what are the advantages / disadvantages of the X and H pipes? Sorry I'm from the 60's and been out of circulation for a while!! Rog

it helps equalize exhaust pulses. x pipe is a more modern/revised version of the h pipe.

 

[redfastback]

That may be true. There has to be some reason that they can do a system for well under half the price that a shop can.

made in china???

 

[duster340]

made in china???

must be, i work with exhaust and i cant realy se how they make it so cheap..

on the subject of thin tubing that splits, most of the time a pipe splits its the weld that splits when expanding/flaring/decreasing the pipe, doesnt matter if its high or low quality parts /tubing from time to time you will get a bad batch of pipes thats not welded properly
most of the tubing i work with is 2mm wallthiknes for standard compresion bending and manrelbending aluminized tubing, stainless and just standard steel tubing is most of the time only 1.5mm wall and both of them seems to expand and flare nicely within realistic limits..
doing a full and good exhaust on any car with duals is a matter of minimum 4hours of shoptime from start to finnish unless everything works out unreal good so that is alot of the price from a mufflershop
cars with headers are most of the time alot easier to work with and quicker installs than manifolds

 

[Popdart]

Ok . . . so I guess out of these threads . . . I can't get an exhaust locally cheap that's worth A doodoo . . . got to go to China, get a non-weld bursting muffler shop to do my exhaust . . . at a price that will kick butt . . . . but only if its headers . . . any phone numbers?? lmao, Rog

 

[Popdart]

69 had a 383, don't they have references books/puter they can use for bending pipe for an A-body?? It's not like they have to do it from scratch . . . Rog

 

[duster340]

69 had a 383, don't they have references books/puter they can use for bending pipe for an A-body?? It's not like they have to do it from scratch . . . Rog

well where i work we do have tons of catalogs and bendercards with basicly every american made car you can imagine starting from the 40´s to about year 2000 its all for manual bending with a good old Huth bender, would surprice me if there would be hard to find a place like that in US
small problem i can see is that when bending up pipes in a non stock tubingdiameter is that it sometimes will make it fit real bad and in those cases it would be easier to just custom bend the whole deal but sometimes it works out nicely, and since you want the pipes in 2½" wish is a good pipesize you probably want it mandrelbent also and thats what makes it alitle harder to find localy since normal bendercards for a compresionbender measures everything diferent its just not possible to bend with the same referencecards
if you would like it mandrel bent, but iam sure if you find the right place with the right people they will do it for the right kind of money and make it real good! unfortionaly every one isnt as stupid as me and like challanges outside whats in the catalog or hanging in a rack....

 

[dgc333]

i took a customers car to my muffler shop with the x pipe and extensions he got from jegs, and it was so thin that when they went to work with it, it split. all i was saying was that their pipes are thinner wall than what you get at a good reputable shop.

The JEGS kit is 16 gauge pipe (1.5mm) same gauge as what you get from most muffler shops that bend pipe and thicker than parts store replacement parts. Plus the pipe is manderal bent which you won't get from the vast majority of muffler shops. You will pay over double to have shop bend you up something and triple or more if it's manderal bent tubing.

The question regarding the JEGS and Summit kits is a pretty common on mopar forums and everyone that has had them with the exception of redfastback have good things to say about them. The reason they are so much cheaper is they are bent on computerized equipment in volume keeping the labor cost to a minimum.

I have a compression bent system on my car from a local muffler shop. It's on my to do list to cut it out and replace with either a JEGS or Summit kit because they didn't put enough hump in the pipes over the axle and the shocks hit on full compression of the rear suspension. Plus some of the bends reduce the pipe diameter almost 50%. At the time it was the most expedient thing for me to do plus it was a relatives shop and I only had to pay for the mufflers.

Whoolph, I wouldn't hesitate to go with the JEGs kit in 2.5", you don't need 3" until you start making more than 500 HP and in your application the only thing it will do is make more noise. If you are getting down pipes from the manifolds wait to you get the exhaust installed, you may not need to do anything to mate up. A quick and easy way to get you up and running until you decide on whether you want to go for headers or not if the pipe doesn't line up is to pick up at the local parts store a couple sections of corrugated flex pipe, that will allow you to mate up the pipes. If you are handy with hand tools there is no reason that you should be able to install the system in a leisurely Saturday.

H and X pipes will primarily cut down on the noise level of the exhaust system. If they are placed properly in the system they can add power but its much more effective as a power adder with headers. The H-pipe is going to be much easier to install.

 

[Popdart]

well where i work we do have tons of catalogs and bendercards with basicly every american made car you can imagine starting from the 40´s to about year 2000 its all for manual bending with a good old Huth bender, would surprice me if there would be hard to find a place like that in US
small problem i can see is that when bending up pipes in a non stock tubingdiameter is that it sometimes will make it fit real bad and in those cases it would be easier to just custom bend the whole deal but sometimes it works out nicely, and since you want the pipes in 2½" wish is a good pipesize you probably want it mandrelbent also and thats what makes it alitle harder to find localy since normal bendercards for a compresionbender measures everything diferent its just not possible to bend with the same referencecards
if you would like it mandrel bent, but iam sure if you find the right place with the right people they will do it for the right kind of money and make it real good! unfortionaly every one isnt as stupid as me and like challanges outside whats in the catalog or hanging in a rack....

Thanks for the info, it makes alot of sense. I guess I would need to get out and do some price shopping. Rog

 

[Popdart]

The JEGS kit is 16 gauge pipe (1.5mm) same gauge as what you get from most muffler shops that bend pipe and thicker than parts store replacement parts. Plus the pipe is manderal bent which you won't get from the vast majority of muffler shops. You will pay over double to have shop bend you up something and triple or more if it's manderal bent tubing.

The question regarding the JEGS and Summit kits is a pretty common on mopar forums and everyone that has had them with the exception of redfastback have good things to say about them. The reason they are so much cheaper is they are bent on computerized equipment in volume keeping the labor cost to a minimum.

I have a compression bent system on my car from a local muffler shop. It's on my to do list to cut it out and replace with either a JEGS or Summit kit because they didn't put enough hump in the pipes over the axle and the shocks hit on full compression of the rear suspension. Plus some of the bends reduce the pipe diameter almost 50%. At the time it was the most expedient thing for me to do plus it was a relatives shop and I only had to pay for the mufflers.

Whoolph, I wouldn't hesitate to go with the JEGs kit in 2.5", you don't need 3" until you start making more than 500 HP and in your application the only thing it will do is make more noise. If you are getting down pipes from the manifolds wait to you get the exhaust installed, you may not need to do anything to mate up. A quick and easy way to get you up and running until you decide on whether you want to go for headers or not if the pipe doesn't line up is to pick up at the local parts store a couple sections of corrugated flex pipe, that will allow you to mate up the pipes. If you are handy with hand tools there is no reason that you should be able to install the system in a leisurely Saturday.

H and X pipes will primarily cut down on the noise level of the exhaust system. If they are placed properly in the system they can add power but its much more effective as a power adder with headers. The H-pipe is going to be much easier to install.

Thanks for the reply. I would really like to install the system myself. I would probably stay with the manifolds for a while, but not crazy about the flex tube (not saying I won't try it!). I have a guy at work who is a great fabricator and welder. He probably could make the final connection of the downpipes and exhaust if I go with Summit or JEGS. Thanks again I appreciate all the help. Rog

 

[dusterdon]

If you have "actual" big block a body manifolds, you should be able to find a bolt on exhaust for it. Try tti or accurate ltd. If you're using b body manifolds you're sorta on your own. Something else, if you have the original manifolds they're worth some decent money, sell em and get some schu's or tti headers and go from there.

 

[Popdart]

If you have "actual" big block a body manifolds, you should be able to find a bolt on exhaust for it. Try tti or accurate ltd. If you're using b body manifolds you're sorta on your own. Something else, if you have the original manifolds they're worth some decent money, sell em and get some schu's or tti headers and go from there.

Yeah I've learned these m'folds are hard to come by. Previous owner stated they were A-body 383 m'folds. Whether they are oringinal to the engine I don't know. I hear all the horror stories about A-body headers and most likely stay with the m'folds. You would think 69 A-body exhaust system should bolt up. Thanks a bunch, Rog