[Tennessee Tim]

Next, I took on the retrofit of the Classic Chambered Exhaust mufflers. I went with the 28" mufflers. I hope they won't be too quiet, but I will always have the Webers to add to the symphony.

First, the inlet end of the new muffler gets cut off and a 3x4 reducer is welded on:

Then the reducer gets cut down to make a "funnel" that just fits inside the collector:

Then the collector is cut off:

And checked for fit and tacked in place.

The turnout is also cut off of the old exhaust and welded into place. I chose to keep the turnout in its original orientation - facing out vertically. Some guys say that if you angle them down a bit, it makes them quieter. I'm not really after "quiet". I am doing this mod mostly because I much prefer the sound of a chambered exhaust, and I don't want to be putting screws into my exhaust after a couple thousand miles to stop rattling. The longer length will be quieter, but it also puts the turnout right in front of the rear wheel - where I think it should be. Here it is all welded up:

One last thing with the exhaust. The collector flange has some ugly spaces between the tubes. This allows gases to co-mingle, potentially robbing power. A few weld beads abd some work with a grinder and mill file take care of the problem:

Tim

 

[Tennessee Tim]

Wow. 200 looks and not a single comment. I must either be doing things really, really right, or really really wrong.

Maybe I just need to be funnier.



Tim

 

[Zaphod]

I think everyone is just thinking, "Wow."

But I'll say it: beautiful work, great attention to detail, I love it.

 

[MikeKelly]

Wow. 200 looks and not a single comment.

Looks like you're almost ready for an autocross... :icon18:

 

[Tennessee Tim]

Looks like you're almost ready for an autocross... :icon18:

Still a lot of work to do, but I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks again for your hospitality a few weeks ago. That was a blast.

Tim

 

[dajomaco]

Tim. great job on the chambered exhaust....I'm doing the same because i love the sound of them ........I'm right at the stage of welding on the reducer piece then cutting it down to fit in the collector ......Thx for the tip on the welding in the gaps on the collector flange ....never noticed it before ....will make sure we run a bead and file down before finishing ......Here is a picture of the tips you can order and the factory ones that came with the car.....will try both to see which one i like before welding up ...the ones you order have a little more bend to it ......Darc

 

[MRSQSL]

I'll admit I was one of the people looking, but I have nothing useful to say, so I thought I'd stay quiet. It looks great, but everything you do looks amazing. I would really like a new update on your build site though. I've been impatiently waiting and checking each day. Unless I'm missing it, you are still on August. I know, so much nagging. :001_smile:

 

[Tennessee Tim]

Yeah, the long weekend threw off my update schedule. I was going to do it tonight, but I just got back from the shop, and I just don't have it in me. I probably won't do another update until after the weekend. Hopefully, I'll have some surprise goodies done by then.

Tim

 

[Tennessee Tim]

Tim. great job on the chambered exhaust....I'm doing the same because i love the sound of them ........I'm right at the stage of welding on the reducer piece then cutting it down to fit in the collector ......Thx for the tip on the welding in the gaps on the collector flange ....never noticed it before ....will make sure we run a bead and file down before finishing ......Here is a picture of the tips you can order and the factory ones that came with the car.....will try both to see which one i like before welding up ...the ones you order have a little more bend to it ......Darc

Hmmm. I like the ones with more bend. Unfortunately, the pipes are being ceramic coated now, so there's no turning back now...

Tim

 

[akdreamer23]

Gotta say Tim, I am sad that I left Tennessee just becasue I will not see your car in person. Excellent build, great detail and craftsmanship.

I have a question though. How do you intend to get the access panel off the DS footbox with the body on, since half of the hole you cut and half of the bolts that you show in your pic will be under the body?

Im sure you have another fantastic solution, but I want to see it!

 

[Tennessee Tim]

Gotta say Tim, I am sad that I left Tennessee just becasue I will not see your car in person. Excellent build, great detail and craftsmanship.

I have a question though. How do you intend to get the access panel off the DS footbox with the body on, since half of the hole you cut and half of the bolts that you show in your pic will be under the body?

Im sure you have another fantastic solution, but I want to see it!

They won't be under the body when the whole front of the car tilts up. I will bond the hood into the body, and then cut the body along the line in this pic:

The whole front will tilt on a hinge at the chin. That will give me complete access to the hatch covers.

Tim

 

[akdreamer23]

Too cool man. I was certain that you had a solution.

I cant wait to see the finished product.

Thx

 

[akpingel]

I think everyone is just thinking, "Wow."

But I'll say it: beautiful work, great attention to detail, I love it.

Ditto!

Looks great!

 

[Rare Iron Eric]

Wow Tim - awesome job! Can I ship my AAR Cuda down to you next for finishing-up?

I can't wait to see what you think of the mufflers.

 

[Tennessee Tim]

Another update...

Side pipes back from Nitro Plate:

Car got cut in half:

This caused all manner of carnage. After the cut, nothing fit. I expected that there would be some springing that would cause problems, and the body lived up to my expectations. One of the problem areas was the "recurve" on the top. I expected this would be the case and one of the plans was to locate the hood latches there, which is what I neded up doing. Here is the fit without the latch latched:

You can see how much the body sprung. But the latches work well. Here is the fit with the latches latched:

The "wings" were also a problem. They were sprung outward and I needed to fabricate some stays to bring them in. These are adjustable:

I also put a locating pin in the center of the hood:

And made a landing pad for it that doubles as a cowl brace:

I just needed to bore a hole in the pad to match the pin.

I also added some locating pins to the wings:

And the corresponding holes in a brace bonded to the body:

Add a couple of gas springs and the tilt-front is complete:

Now I just needed to do a bit of body work to make everything fit again:

For those of you who might be considering a tilt-front, be aware that once you cut the body, everything changes, and the two halves will not fit each other. Additionally, the door openings, wheel openings and exhaust cutouts all changed too. It takes a lot of work to get things straight again. Having said that, I think it will definitely be worth it. Engine access will be excellent, and the entire hood comes off by undoing two bolts and two gas struts. I'm happy with the result.

Tim

 

[Tennessee Tim]

Wow Tim - awesome job! Can I ship my AAR Cuda down to you next for finishing-up?

I can't wait to see what you think of the mufflers.

Sorry I missed this post. We'll put the 'Cuda next in line :w00t:

I'll post some before and after sound clips of the chambered exhaust.

Tim

 

[dallas_]

The tilt looks great Tim. Nice work for sure. :thumbup1:

 

[MikeKelly]

This caused all manner of carnage <snip> I needed to fabricate some stays to bring them in <snip> I also put a locating pin in the center of the hood <snip> And made a landing pad for it that doubles as a cowl brace <snip> I just needed to bore a hole in the pad to match the pin <snip> I also added some locating pins to the wings...

Holy crap!

I think I'd better not try that mod - I'd never be heard from again, lolol... :icon18:

Looks great though (functional too!),

Mike

 

[CraigS]

When you close the hood by yourself do the side locating pins find their holes on their own? Or do you end up going around the car and lifting and pushing in while dropping it again to line them up? This weekend I was helping a friend w/ a coupe for 10 minutes or so and I really liked the access so finally realized why your work will be very worthwhile.

 

[Tennessee Tim]

When you close the hood by yourself do the side locating pins find their holes on their own? Or do you end up going around the car and lifting and pushing in while dropping it again to line them up?

The center pin is a good bit longer than the pins in the wings. Once the center pin finds its hole, the rest of the pins just fall in place. The adjustability of the stays helps a lot. I can get each wing dialed in perfectly once the center pin is registered. It works amazingly well.

Tim