Projects Exhaust help needed, Southeast Wisconsin

Over the last two years I've had my car at three exhaust shops, and it still leaks so bad everyone I take for rides comments on the smell. It was at the third shop this afternoon, and stunk the whole way back to Oconomowoc. Every welded and clamped joint leaks. I've tested it by blowing air in the tailpipe with a shop vac and spraying soapy water on the joints. Bubbles everywhere. The car has headers into duals. The gaskets between the heads and headers do not leak. The gaskets between the collectors and exhaust pipe do not leak. I'm about ready to park the f*cking car for the year.

Can someone, with first hand knowledge, please recommend a shop in Southeast Wisconsin that can build me a custom exhaust system that does not leak?

 

Neat trick with the shop vac,
Lots of them exhaust systems have little leaks. If you can hear it, it's too big.
Stanky exhaust is part of an old car isn't it?

 

Yeah, I couldn’t find anyone either. Couldn’t even find anyone that wouldn’t give me a dirty look when I asked if they did mandrel bends. Ended up building my own and having it ceramic coated.


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Shop vac method is actually the recommended way to check for exhaust leaks in airplanes. Well, little airplanes anyway. Theory is you can't blow anything up with that low of pressure.

 

what kind of clamps are being used? If old style muffler clamps you might want to invest in some newer style band clamps. That's what I will be using on my truck when I do my exhaust with my new engine. Will be using the summit lap band joint band clamps they don't crimp the exhaust but they do over lap the joint to create a nice seal with zero chance of leaking.

Im doing this cause I grew tired of a ticking exhaust leak I have that only shows up under a load but no carbon build up anywhere. But load the engine up accelerating down the road it will tick. Power brake it and load it up like checking for a miss no tick either. Said screw it I will replace it all new and use band clamps over the old crimp clamps.

 

I can do leak free welds on exhaust, but not while the pipes are on the car.
Most guys that do exhaust gas weld the pipes. It's very difficult to have 100% leak free on the tops of the pipes that are nearly against the floor pan. Usually, pinhole leaks are not a problem and they tend to seal over time.

There is some muffler cement you can put on joint of two pipes that are clamped together, but they seal by the heat of the exhaust. If your leaving the exhaust shop, and driving a short distance home then pressure testing the exhaust, you will never get a seal. I also have to wonder if what your smelling isn't the oil burning off the new pipes and mufflers.
It seams pretty odd you are getting the same results from 3 different shops, unless your going to the cheapest places in town. Gene

 

Milner62 You better plan on putting the muffler cement on those band clamps before you tighten them, if you don't want a leak. Then run it until the exhaust gets hot, and shut if off until the pipes are cold again, then maybe they won't leak at the edges. Gene

 

Try Heath Automotive in Butler, WI. They mandrel bend there, and up to 5" I believe, so yours should be no problem. Ask for Hillbilly Jim, 1-262-781-1066.

 

I think we need pictures of these leaky welds, the muffler clamps, and anything else that might help. Tail pipe exit too. Aerodynamics can draw fumes right back into the cabin straight off the tail pipe exit.

Sometimes sticking a universal cat in will clean up a big bunch of those smelly hydrocarbons.

I think sometimes folks forget that vintage exhaust fumes are quite a bit different than the late model stuff they've become accustomed to.

 

Put a magnaflow exhaust system on a 69 Camaro with these same band clamps. Clamped them down and torqued to spec and they never leaked. Nothing special was done to them just slip them on install the little spacer pieces thread the two bolts through and torque to spec. I think it said the clamps are torqued to 40 ft lbs.

None the less I will probably put a little something on just as extra precaution as I have no reason to take the exhaust on mine back apart once I put it in. I just don't want no ticking leaks on mine. Why my heads have the factor ball flange to fit the factory Y pipe.