Got a couple questions I would like to bounce around and get another opinion on.
So with my 68 302 standard it originally had a single exhaust but somewhere down the line the previous owners added a second pipe and glass packs to create a crude duel exhaust system. Yeah it looks and sounds as bad as you can imagine. Once I got the car running I found everything past the glass packs was junk and leaking so it got cut off and tossed knowing I needed to rework the exhaust anyway.
My question is how nice are the prefabbed exhaust systems? are they worth the cost or am I better off going to an exhaust shop? My other challenge is I want to get the car running(phase 1)with what it has now but eventually it will get an engine replacement when the current engine dies(phase 2 build). This has an undetermined time frame since I believe this engine to be original and not a rebuild. Runs well and no concerns to indicate potential failure but it is 50yrs old with unknown history. If I have a custom exhaust system built for it now it may or may not work with my engine choice later so this is what had me looking at the stock replacements. I would need to go from the manifolds back anyway since everything is in rough shape exhaust wise.
I think many quality exhaust shops exists out there & can do a great job/likely give you more choices on your base 302 (i.e. where the exhaust tips will stop, bending collectors to better clear obstructions in your engine bay, routing pipes to clear lines/sit tight to the under-side, etc.). How much is still able to be used later would depend upon the next engine you want to install. Another Windsor family engine (289/302/351) will give you the best chance to keep most of the system, as they are very similar block castings with a rise in deck height (not really going to change much in the exhaust). You may also get lucky with many other items like motor mounts, trans, etc. - depending upon how much you wanted to change or keep in phase 2.
Going outside that family to an FE big block (390/427 or 428) will almost certainly require more extensive modifications to just about everything, but can be done if you’re willing, as they were optional in 68. Not sure if you’re thinking of anything else like a 351C or 302 Boss… that were only made after 68
All said, I might really consider rebuilding the current base 302 at your timing (before it dies) - maybe over the winter one year. An original drivetrain is nice to be able to claim on any classic. Many after-market things out there to make a Windsor perform well enough for that little pony car - although it would never be a big block then…
So many choices!!!
I always have a shop bend up a complete system on all my cars. It’s guaranteed to fit and like was said, they can offer options.
No need to go all out on a stainless system or get radical with 3" pipe and mandrel bends. Just a decent true dual system made to fit the car will last you plenty until you decide what the next steps with the car will be.
Thanks for the input guys, Im trying to figure out the most cost effective way to get exhaust on it so I can get some road time until the next stage
Im sure there are some good local exhaust shops in town its just been years since Ive needed one. Anyone that I have used in the past is long gone or quality is none existent anymore Ill have to seek one out. I know this is the best method to getting a well fitting setup and is my plan once I decide on engine direction. If I can reuse most of it on the next engine then it still might be a viable option. I am just not positive on my engine direction yet. I have had all kinds of ideas floating around in my head! It might simply just get the original rebuilt but if not I will not sell the original engine. I will rat hole it somewhere to stay with the car.
The prefabed kits seemed intriguing as it would be easy enough to install and be done with it. I could even weld it instead of clamping everything together. Just a matter if this option costs more in the end then an exhaust shop.
Also I believe most of my OE hangers are gone. I cant remember whats holding the glasspaks up but I have a feeling its just the pipe!
yes of course it would be wise to have a section that is removable to get it out of the car. I only made the welding comment to say that would not be a limiting factor if there is a kit out there that required it or made more sense to weld instead of clamp together
Full disclosure - I used this kit on my green GT-E with quieter mufflers. I took it to my local muffler shop. They were done in about 2 hours and it cost me $175. The tailpipes, and all the other pipes, are mandrel bent. You can’t get a cleaner setup from a muffler shop, because they don’t mandrel bend anything.
BTW I also made my own GT-E exhaust tips, using a set of Mustang split tips as the basis. The cost for installation included installing my home made tips, but the cost of fabricating the GT-E tips is not included.
Thanks for the link. I like that idea, it’s cheap enough and modifying to fit isn’t the end of the world for me. I’ll check around but I bet an exhaust shop is higher cost to build something from scratch then I might have to redo it in the future anyway.
I have a '68 Standard with a 289 (2V), and used to have a '67 Standard with a 289 (4V). I put Shelby style dual exhaust on the '67, which I sold shortly thereafter. I really liked it so I recently put the same set up on the '68. It has an H-pipe, two inline resonators, which are then piped into a transverse mounted muffler with dual exhaust. I’m just as happy with the sound of it on the '68 as I was with the '67 15+ years ago. NIce throaty sound, but not too loud.
If anyone else is interested I’ve decided to go with the kit Royce linked with the exception of different mufflers. Then get the header pipe like don linked.
The kit includes offset inlet and outlet mufflers and I believe that might cause a fitment issue. It looks like all the stock dual exhaust is an offset inlet with center outlet. I can get thrush or summit mufflers cheap enough too so I think it’s worth swapping them out for something with better fitment. I can sell the others for a few bucks to offset the extra cost. Should be about to be in it 350ish or so which is cheaper then any local exhaust shop I’vee called.
One question tho is about how long are the stock mufflers on a dual exhaust car? 18” or so?
Maybe I’m wasting time and money here but I’ll post the results one way or the other! My luck is I’ll get it together and a month into driving her the motor will give it up and it all be for nothing
I wanted to update this incase anyone else comes along with the same questions. I finally got around to installing the exhaust parts I have acquired. I did run into some challenges that I am still working on, the biggest being the tailpipes. The driver side fits fine, not so much on the passenger side however. The pipe is bent wrong and there is no real way to get it on the car straight and have it hit the muffler reasonably. I called summit and they sent out a replacement no charge but I fear its bent in the same manner and Ill have the same issue with it so Ill have to figure out how to bend it to fit my needs. I did not expect it to just bolt on without fitment so Im not disappointed, actually surprised summit replaced that pipe without question or return of the old part.
I did find the summit kit did have the correct offset mufflers needed unlike what was mentioned in the reviews. You would not need to buy different mufflers for the correct offset unless you wanted something different(I wanted something a little better) Overall its actually really nice minus the tailpipe issue and this kit could be used to make your own exhaust with headers pretty easy as well, Ill see what I can come up with to get it on the car. For now I just stuck some turn downs on it for the time being. All the tubes are long enough to fit a cougar so its not just a mustang kit.
The H-pipe came from NPD, it fits ok but was not overly happy with how it sat in the car, its not straight. I was able to adjust it some and tweek the pipes to make it better but I dont know if I would be satisfied if I was planning to keep it that way permanently. Not sure if the one WCCC sells is better or the same manufacture, could also be because its oversized 2.25" compared to stock. Shipping from WCCC to me on just the h-pipe was not cheap so I chose the NPD option since I got it on free shipping. Just something to be aware off if your planning to go stockish exhaust. Ill have headers at some point so this h-pipe is only a temporary setup.
ignore the not so clean belly of the car. I have not taken on any referb work down there yet
12 years ago when I put duals on my '67, I bought a factory H pipe & went to my local muffler shop, who charged me around $500 to do the rest (intermediate pipes, tailpipes, flowmaster 40s). Probably 7 years ago I swapped out my cracked exhaust manifold with tri Y headers, and the shop charged me $75 to cut the H pipe & weld on the collectors that came with the Scott Drake headers. Not a mandrel bend in sight, but just to give you a comparison.
Muffler shops around my area are shady at best and flat out hacks. One of the reasons Im doing it myself currently. Ill have 300 in parts invested when complete, mufflers and possibly tailpipes will be able to be reused when going with headers.
I was lucky, a buddy from way back is a Shelby guy & owns an exhaust shop. I trust his guys. You should be able to cut & re-use your H pipe when you swap over to headers.
There are a few specialty shops around that work on classics I need to look into for the future. But your right I might get lucky and be able to salvage some of what I have down the road, Ill have enough scraps left over to make something work. Its nothing fancy but should get the job done and allow me to drive her for a while before moving on the future phases and upgrades.
Speaking of headers I like the idea of the Tri Y headers and in theory should fit my usage well and even fit with the mechanical clutch linkage. Price isnt bad either.
I think I had to swap the clutch pushrod to one from a '66 Mustang, but other than that they fit really well. I have manual steering, not sure if PS is an issue w/Tri Ys. I don’t have a well-defined plan for the car, other than wanting to maintain a day 2/stock-ish appearance, & not break the budget. They don’t hang low under the car or anything, and I liked the period correct look.
