Technical Exhaust System Aesthetics

It's a race car. That I can drive on the street. The 50 lbs matters. No cutouts...the exhaust comes off for racing.

 

I would just put some moon eyes on the mufflers and burn a tire.

 

So are you really worried about the looks of it ?

I'm thinking you asked because you don't like it much. That's what matters is what you like.
If you were to tuck it up then it would always always always look like it does in race trim. Does it look better to you in race trim? Do you have a tuned collector that goes on it? Turnouts? Of just the square flange.

In that pic it sorta looks like a 13 year old put some kinda pipes on there to keep somebody off his ass. Local cop, old man, neighbors ,,, You said you didn't plan it very well.

 

While there were LOTS of axle cars around here on the street circa '67-'75, I can only recall 1 AWB car on the street in my area, and it was more show than go. There used to be a guy known as "Bill" who hung around the gas station next to my elementary school that had a light blue '65 Nova ht, 327 4 speed, it had a van front axle and AWB, it was a very nice looking car, but it wasn't one of the cars in that area that was considered a real "contender". There were some pretty quick street driven cars in Maple Ridge when I was growing up. Honestly, with the exceptions of Sid Thomas '58 chevy PU, and to a lesser degree, Bill Pennocks L-78 4 speed '64 chevy II 2 dr sedan, the real fast cars around here were not the axle cars(or HAMB friendly, for that matter). Sids truck was a bad mutha, but that was mid seventies(mid 11's full street trim in 1975!!), by then, the axle cars were really on the way out.
Maybe 29Bowtie will remember these two...

 

And thats exactly how the exhaust systems on most of the axle cars around here looked in the late sixties/early seventies. Although NONE that I can recall had tailpipes, they just had glasspacks under the rockers, straight off the collectors.

 

I'm mainly looking for input on how to make it look a little better, as far as paint. I'm not going to change the pipes at this point. I think it would look better with non-aluminized pipe, but it's kind of a pain to find it around here. I'm wondering what I can do to make what I have look a little better.

 

I was talking with my freinds dad who had a 62 C2 with almost the same set up as yours ( 396 instead and standard wb ) showed him the picture and it brought back memories
, he just ran the thrush round tincan mufflers and they made the effort to line the name down the side like a sticker on the car with turndowns on the ends and let the paint slowly burn off , and white VHT on the headers and the 3" torque tubes about 18- 24" long off the collectors ( used the old burnt paint method to determine length) and thats were the flange was welded on for the muffler to be hooked up he used studs and wing nuts with spring pins to prevent the wingnuts from loosening up, the back of the muffler had a rod welded to the pipe that slid into a rubber strap with a hole on the car body so the mufflers wouldn't hang down off the headers and drag .

 

You have done such a fantastic job with this car but you arent happy with the exhaust. I would shorten the headers at the collectors so you can raise the mufflers and use somekind of slip joint to hold the mufflers and headers together. Make it easy to remove at the track but still give it that bad ass attitude.

 

Jim, without reworking anything, I'd use VHT black on everything past the flanges. Just touch it up when needed.

 

That tech line coating I posted has held up fantastic on the pipes I painted. Dialy driver winter salt and all. Not so good on headers because of the prep between the pipes. But if you can prep it correctly there's no problems. Wipe the road dirt off and they look almost as good as the day they were painted. I wasn't concerned with looks, but more of corrosion protection - got both.

 

Reminds me of a story. When I was planning to get lake headers for my T Bucket, I called Matt at Gear Drive with a few questions. The main one was, "What about a coating?". He told me about the different things that guys do and what he could have done and at what cost. But the best words of advice, were the one's I never forgot. He finally told me, "Just paint 'em. It's an exhaust."

I'm never going to consider Jet Hot or ceramic and I sure as hell won't go back to chrome. Paint it. It's just an exhaust.

 

That's the plan....but what color? I guess black would be the easy way out

 

Saw lots like this ...

 

I got a lot of different colors going on under mine, But I'm thinking that their color is representing the product. Keep it as is and maybe spray bomb the welds and tail pipe to clean up the look you have. I am going to be painting my headers white and putting some vintage Hush Thrush mufflers with dumps at the axle. These purple hornies are getting alittle to noisy after 4 years of street and strip. Really impressed with your build and glad too see your using the car on the street and strip.

 

...just a pic I found on Google......I had several cars with the exact setup back in the 70's.....those classic thrush mufflers go for big coin if you can find them now!

 

I don't have any big coin old parts on my car, it's a budget build. The heads were about the most expensive part, they were 1200....which isn't too bad a price for a decent pair of aluminum big block heads. The mufflers are new Thrush glass packs, cheap at the local O'reilly.

Thanks for all the ideas....there are lots of options

 

I would paint the whole thing white to match the headers. But that's just me.


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Jim, the heat will never burn the paint off on the tailpipes. Especially living in a dry climate like you do, where the heat and moisture wouldn't eventually cause the paint to flake off. I shot my entire exhaust system in high temp satin black, as I wanted it to basically disappear from view at a glance. Surprisingly, I've had people glance at the car and ask how I can drive on the street with open headers? I cut a 2nd collector into the inside of my header collector, so I could uncap without dropping the exhaust and having to figure out where to put it while it's open. So many people don't notice the exhaust exiting the inside and painted black.

 

As my photo shop guys that we have here on the Hamb I would have thought someone would have offered visual aids by now. HRP

 

I agree with the few guys who have already suggested painting everything black past the flanges on the headers to hide it all under the car.
The light coloured fenderwell headers look great on that style of car, and having mufflers on a street-driven car makes sense, especially if you're going to drive it much, so it'll disguise the exhaust.
At the end of the day, do what you like, but you did ask for opinions, and that's what you're getting.
Cheers.

Oh, BTW, the car looks bitchin'.

 

This appears to be much the same thing I had on my straight axle street car Falcon back in the late 60's,,there were no tail pipes,,,probably why my hearing sucks today! HRP

 

I'm cheap and don't spend a lot on exhaust coatings. Preparation is the key for long life. I do 2 coats and use the torch inside to bake it on with good luck.

 

I agree with what a few others have said --- hi temp black paint after the collectors would look good, kind of make the rest of the exhaust go away and the white headers will stand out.... as they already do.

Malcolm

 

I would go all white on the exhaust. Seemed to be the standard way to go when you thumb through 60's magazines.

 

Headers look good white if ya wanna maintain them...I like the John Deere Muffler Black,20 some bucks a can but it is as close to powder coat inna can as yet gonna get! Looks good last forever!!! Car looks good! What did it turn?

 

for a flat black that's durable as hell you can also look into the spray bombs made for BBQ grills- i know a few guys that have done headers with it and it's tough stuff-rick

 

Muffler black headers and all,they would dissapear somewhat as would the mufflers etc. zero maintenance...

 

Thanks! ran 10.58 on my second pass. In Tucson, 3000 ft, and in the 90s. I'm happy with the performance.

Headers are going to stay white. I think painting the rest of the exhaust black is probably the way to go. Nothing fancy....it will get BBQ paint or VHT or something.

 

I can see why you'd want the pipe down the sides to disappear, but i love the look of big gray pipes comeing out the back- all business- even hanging low- even seeing that big gray pipe hanging down below a school bus gets my juices flowing because it's pure business- it's got some separation from the body with a serious hanger and doesn't have to explain itself to anyone. -rick.

 

another paint choice: wood stove paint, usually available at the local ace/true value hardware.
I've done plenty of exhaust with it over the years... hold up very well, touches up easily. cheap, too.