2QuickNovas - Bruce's '72 Exhaust Replacement

Bruce's '72 Exhaust

The Old Exhaust:

Here's the old exhaust:

and the 23 (!) clamps that held it together:

It was made of straight pipe and those cheesy crimped 45 degree bends with clamps everywhere. Not so with the new system.

Here's the car jacked WAY up to get the fully welded exhaust in:

The New System:

I bought some mandrel-bent, 2-1/2", 16-gauge, aluminized steel, 180 degree bends and a bunch of straight tubing. I cut and welded it all together to go from my cutouts to the mufflers, then from the mufflers over the axle and all the way to the bumper.

Here's a picture of it partially done and one of the uncut pipes I bought:

I assembled it under the car, tack-welded it together, and removed it all as a unit to do the final welding on the workbench (much better control and weld quality than doing it under the car). It took some time but I got it done now and I coated it with POR-15. I'll try to get a picture of it.

Exhaust Cutouts:

Here are the uncoated exhaust cutouts I made, bolted to the headers:

I've now coated those with POR-15 as well (which subsequently burned off).

Air/Fuel Ratio Monitor:

I also installed a pair of bungs in the header collectors in order to install a pair of Bosch oxygen sensors in the header collectors so I can hook them up to a digital voltmeter and monitor my air/fuel ratio on the go. Can't wait to get that set up! It should really make tuning the car less of a stab in the dark. Unfortunately one of the bungs is angled such that I won't be able to mount the sensor in it, as it will hit the floor. I'll just have to go with one for now until I can weld in another bung at a better angle.

POR-15:

The POR-15 burned off the headers and collectors as expected, but it's doing great on the rest of the system. Really easy to clean up, too, unlike the paint I used to use. Since the tailpipes are visible under the bumpers I like to keep them clean and shiny, an easy job when they're coated with POR-15.

Rattles:

I did have to put a couple cushions between the pipes and nearby components, unfortunately. Running the pipes between the springs and fenders is a tricky task! I cut a piece of rubber exhaust hanger material and attached it to the pipes with radiator clamps and painted the clamps black. Can't even see them, and the lack of rattles is wonderful!

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