Exhaust kit

[deviot]

Hi all,
I purchased an exhaust kit which I regret now. I thought it would all bolt up and save some money. But it has issues so I will need to make some adjustments. At first I thought the spacer missing at the manifold connection on the rh side may have been the issue but this is not the case.
The first issues I have is it hits on the steering arm, I'll have to adjust the bend here.
Also the left and right side are in two halves off the exhaust manifold, and the crossover pipe don't align.
My question is what spacing should I been looking for between the left and right pipes at the crossover pipe?
I assume the pipes then run parallel with the tail shaft for some distance, till it hooks over the rear axle.

[Steffan]

Exhaust Kit

I bought my exhaust kit from Pat Wilsons in New Jersey and it bolted up perfect no problems. I thought for sure there would be an issue but everything went great.

[elijahbird7]

I also had issues with an exhaust kit I ordered for my 59 from one of the major suppliers. My kit included the type of flange with the donut gasket, and moveable flange where it mounts to the exhaust manifold, instead of the fixed flat flange. It appeared the kit had a 64-66 part. I called and two days later, I had the correct part, but when I turned sharply to the left, I could feel binding in the steering, as it was also hitting the steering arm. My mechanic eventually took that off and altered the bend to clear.
The 2nd issue was that the exhaust tips were for a 61-63 Tbird, which would have sent the exhaust discharge into the bottom of the rear bumper, instead of the 90 degree turn downs it should have had. They eventually sent a replacement for those as well. The major suppliers get these drop shipped from an outsource, so when I called, they had never seen the parts anyway....at least they were willing to make it right, but it was frustrating to get it all done correctly.

[deviot]

Hi all,
Probably too much for me to ship back to USA from Australia.
I'm just looking for a guide on what spacing I should be looking for between the left and right pipes as they run parallel with the tail shaft.

Thanks

Dave

[simplyconnected]

Exhaust systems rarely fit straight out of the box, and that goes for all cars. I have never seen dimensions for muffler systems, either. I'm sure the manufacturers build their pipes to a 'standard gauge' or checking fixture, but normally there is so much room under the car that the pipes can be off a little.

To answer your question, simply center your pipes in the space provided. The pipes are made of bent sheet metal tubing that is seam-welded, which is notorious for dimensions that are all over the map. This is mainly because of the different steels used in the same benders. Each gauge and steel formula springs back at different rates, making bends not so exact. Add engine heat, and tubing moves again.

I've seen muffler men custom fit exhaust systems over here. Many times they take a new stock part and heat it in areas with a torch to tweak the bends. I've also seen them tack weld the joints in strategic places, so they don't need to depend on the muffler clamps to hold a joint from twisting or telescoping in/out.

Previous posts say their system rubbed the steering or the body or whatever. The fix is usually the same, a muffler man tweaks a bend and all is right again. The whole muffler system depends on good solid hangers and well-positioned pipes. There is nothing high-tech here but the muffler guys make it look easy. Just make sure nothing rubs. - Dave

[partsetal]

The spacing at the crossover pipe is 5", in other words 5" between the two pipes.