Re: 1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build

by Joe73 Sat Sep 25, 2021 7:05 pm

Ok, exhaust is installed. I also have a V-band clamp on the out end of the muffler. The band is tig welded on. That way the hanger above the rear supports the out end of the muffler and if I remove the V band clamp and the collector bolts, I can remove the front of the exhaust and the over the axle tail pipes will stay in place. Just thinking ahead in case I have to pull the trans or something.

My next step will be to remove the exhaust, dress up the welds if need be, clean the pipes and shoot them with high temp paint. Then run the car for a bit, let it cool, run it a bit longer, let it cool, then drive it normal.

Just fyi. I got the exhaust installed by Performance Custom Exhaust in Deer Park, Long Island, NY. 140 Brook Ave # E, Deer Park, NY 11729 (631) 586-2043 Owners name is Frank and he does all the work. Very nice guy to deal with..

BTW, this is the Jegs 64-72 offset/offset 2 1/2" kit. Installer said he would have preferred the 73-77 kit since it utilizes offset in / center out just like stock for our cars. But I wanted to use Pypes Race Pro mufflers and they only come offset/offset.

My main concern for the install was for it to fit up nice and high and have the tips cut like stock and exit like stock. Im not a fan of mufflers that hang low. Looks sloppy to me. Especially since "A" bodies have that nice spot under the back seat for the mufflers to tuck up nice and high.

Here's some pics as it sits now. I'll post a few when I paint it up. Probably next spring.

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Exhaus10

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Exhaus11

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Exhaus12

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Exhaus13

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Exhaus14

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Exhaus15

by bracketchev1221 Tue Sep 28, 2021 11:55 pm

You went all the way out to Deer Park? I used to live in West Babylon. Is Frank the guy with the pictures of the Fox body mustang on the shop wall with the 8 ball on it or something like that? I think he did an exhaust for a 69 Cougar I was working on 20 years ago.

by Joe73 Wed Sep 29, 2021 11:24 am

Ray, it probably is the same guy. I wasnt in the office at all, only in the shop. He said he has built a bunch of fox bodies and is building one with his some right now.

by ant7377 Thu Sep 30, 2021 11:01 am

Joe,looks fantastic! He did a really nice job.

by Joe73 Thu Sep 30, 2021 11:06 am

Thanks Ant. I still have that air cleaner for you.

by ant7377 Thu Sep 30, 2021 12:32 pm

Joe,I will get over there. Busy with work. I want to see the car too.

by Joe73 Thu Oct 07, 2021 7:26 pm

Took the exhaust out, sanded some of the welds and cleaned up any splatter. Sprayed some flat silver paint on it. Just have to warm it up a couple times to "bake" the paint.

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Exhaus16

by g3chevy / Mr Pontiac Thu Oct 07, 2021 9:12 pm

Nice!

by Limey SE Thu Oct 07, 2021 11:56 pm

Holy Moly Joe Looking good brother

by 76Chevelle2Tone Thu Nov 17, 2022 12:20 pm

Very interesting thread. I assume the car is finished now. Do you have any pics of it elsewhere on the site?

by Joe73 Thu Nov 17, 2022 12:24 pm

Car is not finished. Sitting in the same state as my last post. Just need to put the interior in and get an alignment. I just start it up every 7-10 days. Thanks

by 76Chevelle2Tone Thu Nov 17, 2022 12:36 pm

Thanks for the update. Are you planning to just reinstall the original interior or customize it in some way? Once I finish the mechanical renovation of my 76 Chevelle I was thinking about some mild customization of the door panels etc. Years ago I did get the bench seats reupholstered with Camaro cloth.

by Joe73 Thu Nov 17, 2022 12:39 pm

Going back with the original bench seat with original 4 speed. No customization.

by 73ss Sat Dec 17, 2022 6:39 pm

Joe, Other than the muffler offset, Is there much difference between this system and the 73~77 system? Did it require that much tweaking or modifications to get it to fit correctly? My pass side header hangs lower than the drivers side. I'm thinking of getting the 73~77 system. Looks great BTW.

by Joe73 Sat Dec 17, 2022 7:03 pm

I dont believe its much different at all. The front pipes should be the same since both generations are offset in. As for the tail pipe, the 73-77 would be moving the muffler exit a bit towards the center of the car so Im not sure if the 72 and earlier kit would work with a center out muffler. All in all the kit is good. Changes I would make would be having the muffler end of the engine pipe be a bit longer to move the muffler up towards the floor board more. And add in an extra maybe 6" length to that same pipe to move the muffler back towards the axle a bit more. Performance mufflers a quite a bit shorter in length than a stock muffler hence Id like a bit longer pipe. Other than that the fit is decent. The tail pipes are straight out exit but I went with factory type turn downs.

by 73ss Sat Dec 17, 2022 8:06 pm

Thanks for info. I see what you mean how the muffler could set a touch closer to the rear of the car more.

by 76 Malibu Sun Dec 18, 2022 11:36 pm

Your exhaust looks great! What did you use for the tips? I want to do something similar on my car.

by Joe73 Mon Dec 19, 2022 12:12 pm

The tips are standard slip on tips that the shop had. My exhaust is 2.5" but the tips are 2.25". I purchased some stainless 45 degree 2.5" pipes so I can cut the factory angle on them and swap them with the ones on my car.

by ant7377 Mon Dec 19, 2022 1:24 pm

I took Joe's advice when I had the exhaust done on my 73 Monte and it came out mint. Had to lengthen the tailpipes a bit (monte is longer in back).

by 73ss Sun May 21, 2023 11:08 am

Joe,

I Bought the 3" 68~72 kit from summit. It is most likely the same kit that you got from Jegs other than the 3". Was your kit made by Heartthrob exhaust?

I started by fitting the tail pipes and to my surprise it looks like they will fit fine. I cannot get the extension pipe and the header pipe on mine to line up. I tried rotating both pipes away from and towards the driveshaft tunnel and no luck. I've determined that the header pipes do not have enough offset. I thought maybe because I am running a big block and the header outlets are farther apart than on a small block but according to the kit it should fit. The rear extension pipes look like they have the correct amount of offset. The offset will tuck nicely into the notches in the rear floor.

I pulled it all back apart and the left & right header pipes and extension pipes all have the same amount of offset. I pulled up your thread and, in your pics, It clearly looks that your header pipes have quite a bit more offset than your extension pipes in the rear. I believe that is where my problem is. It looks like your front pipes have 8"~10" inches of offset and the rear is about 4" of offset? I'll call Heartthrob tomorrow and see what they say.

Are your mufflers a 14 inch long case? Thanks for any help

by Joe73 Sun May 21, 2023 12:03 pm

Yes, I believe my Pypes race pro SS mufflers are 14" case. With my small block the header offset was pretty good for line up. As for where the rear end of the pipe offsets up to get the mufflers into the factory floor indents, I would have liked them to have a bit more offset. It is nice the way it is but I'd like a bit more to tuck the mufflers up some more. Either way you can see my mufflers from the rear of the car just like factory. So Im comfortable with it.

by 73ss Sun May 21, 2023 4:43 pm

All 4 of the offsets in the kit measure 4 3/8". I'll call the manufacturer tomorrow and see what they say. Looks like your header pipes have alot more.

I most likely wasted alot of time and money, can't take it back, I've cut on it already.

by Joe73 Sat Jul 15, 2023 11:13 am

Ok, been over a year, but here is an update.

Installed the stainless drip rails, weatherstrip channel and weatherstrips from Metro moulded. I gave away my OEM weatherstrips that I bought in 1985 to Mike for his 73.

Installed the fully polished door glass. Came out real nice.

I dug out all my interior plastic and did all the cleaning and prep steps SEM recommends. Shot all the panels and they came out excellent. They werent bad at all, just wanted to freshen them up. Heres some pics and the SEM prep materials I used and the paints for factory light neutral code 732 on the trim tag.

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Interi10

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Interi11

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Interi12

For any 73 or 74 guys, this spray paint is a great match for the center metal piece at the bottom of the rear window.

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Neutra10

Here is the mix numbers for the Light Neutral (732) color code interior.

1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build - Page 15 Sem_in10

by Limey SE Sat Jul 15, 2023 11:27 am

Said it before and I'll say it again that is gonna be a very clean and beautiful Car when Done Joe !!

by Joe73 Sat Jul 15, 2023 12:21 pm

Thank you very much.

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1973 Chevelle SS, 350, 4spd. build