[Simon]

I am going to replace the decaying exhaust system on my '69 GTO.

As I live in the UK, buying a set of Doug's & some Pypes is not a very economical option; when you add on shipping & import duty, for about the same price I could get a hand-made mandrel-bent stainless system.

The system on my car now is rubbish, with nothing like stock routing, and it is all mounted incorrectly. I would like the new system to mount like-stock, where possible & follow a stock path, especially over the axle.

Do any of you know of any published drawings showing the stock exhaust routing? There are a couple of pages in the '69 workshop manual, but they don't show any real detail.

I am sure the exhaust shop I am planning on using could do a very good job, just by eye, but it would be nice to have some drawings to work with as a starting point.

[Tom Hand]

Simon, if you could get copies of the cards from a bender could you have your English friends bend stock pipes according to the stock routing? With this and the stock hangers, you could easily set it up dead stock.
Tom

[Simon]

Hi Tom, yes I think that would be the perfect solution.

I have a set of stock hangars I bought last year, to try and figure out where the exhaust _should_ be going (the boxes are currently hanging from the rear-seatbelt exhaust bolts, and the tail-pipes are bolted straight to the rail with a piece of flat steel bar!).

These are the guys I am hoping to use:
http://www.exhaustsbydesign.co.uk/

They seem to have the right equipement... I saw some headers they made for a friend, and they were really impressive.

[Tom Hand]

Simon, with a "Ben Pearson" MC59 Press Bender, they could use the cards and with the stock hangers from PY, you would be set. Let me see if I can find the cards.
Email me at thand@kc.rr.com with some more car details okay?
Tom

[Tom Hand]

Impressive work they do! A stock shop manual will show exactly where they go. I know someone on here could scan the page or two needed to show how they go on. PY sells the right hangers for stock pipes too. Go to www.gardnerexhaust.com and you can also see how they hang.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Tom Hand

Email me with some more car details okay?
Tom

Mail sent. Thanks Tom!

Simon

[Simon]

It's finally done! Thank again, Tom, for all the help.
I picked my car up from Graham at Exhausts by Design yesterday... it sounds sweet!
Graham only ended up using the bending cards & pictures for guidance - the pipe bender only gets used for mild steel.

Headers are Doug's 590C, mufflers are Dynomax WLK-17288 (these are stainless, but magnetic - probably 409?). Pipes from headers to mufflers are 3", tailpipes are 2.5", all 304 stainless. Exhaust tips and hangers are stainlesss from PY.
Block is 400, 65 over, with 13 heads & RPM manifold. Crossover has been filled in the heads with aluminium (Half-inch-stud's method, using steel wool).

I need to spin the tailpipe hanger clamps around.

anyway, here's the pictures;

Ground clearance is still fine, despite the really large pipe;


Over the axle is neat. See soot on shocks from leaky old "exhaust";


could do with some paint here;


kink in left hand pipe was a suprise. either the header is not quite straight, or there's something odd with my trans crossmember;


beautifully painted bumper brackets;


hand made x pipe & kinky header pipe;


neck-down to 2.5" for mufflers;

[RicksGTO]

looks great! Your exhaust guy did a very nice job.

[6D6GOAT]

i concur....they did a real nice job.