Of course what is an exhaust system without a set of headers? Being that Project Get Shorty is just a tad on the low side, we were a bit worried about what could be stuffed between the block and rails. We gave the folks at Doug's Headers a call to see what our options were. As it turned out they offered a set of full-length Tri-Y headers for our application that turned out to be a perfect fit. (They even sent us pictures of the headers installed on a C10 so we could eyeball the ground clearance before ordering!) Like the exhaust, the Doug's headers are manufactured to a tee. The Tri-Y headers feature beefy 3/8-inch flanges with precision TIG-welded ports, 15/8- and 2-inch 16-gauge CNC mandrel bent tubes, 21/2-inch extended header collectors, and are coated in MCTBC polished coating that provides corrosion and heat protection up to 1,400 degrees. Enough chit-chat, we got a lot to cover. Follow along as Star Kustom Shop navigates Get Shorty's exhaust.
Here's our solution for bypassing...
Here's our solution for bypassing the tranny crossmember. Again, this is why Stainless Works' Rod Builder Kit is so killer. It allows you to mend, bend, and form tubing anyway you need. At this point this section was mounted to the collector.
Stainless Works offers several...
Stainless Works offers several styles of mufflers. For this system, oval mufflers are being utilized due to their low profile. The small, elongated style not only gives plenty of ground clearance, but it met the size dimension to fit between the crossmembers.
Although the kit ordered is...
Although the kit ordered is a butt-weld kit, the mufflers are slip-fit. They can be welded to the exhaust tubing, but in order to not "blue" the polished finish I opted to secure the mufflers to the tubes using a set of band clamps. Again, the inlet on the muffler can be either end, depending on what tone you're after.
From the rear of the muffler...
From the rear of the muffler back was a little less complicated. First, I slipped a straight tube into the rear of the muffler. Because the tip of the exhaust will exit just in front of the rear wheel I used a 90-degree bend at the end of the straight. In order to direct the bend in the proper direction I angled the end of the 90-degree bend slightly. I also welded a 6-inch extension to the trailing portion of the bend.
Stainless Works offers a variety...
Stainless Works offers a variety of exhaust tips in all shapes and sizes. They can even custom make tips to fit your application. When I laid out the groundwork for this exhaust system my initial thoughts were to go with a set of simple, clean, and classy polished turn-down tips. However, even the best laid plans run astray.
Stainless Works offers a variety of exhaust tips in all shapes and sizes. They can even custom make tips to fit your application. When I laid out the groundwork for this exhaust system my initial thoughts were to go with a set of simple, clean, and classy polished turn-down tips. However, even the best laid plans run astray.
Like so many times before...
Like so many times before with this project, I decided I couldn't live with "simple." Therefore, I decided I wanted my exhaust to exit through the bedsides just in front of the rear wheels. However, I couldn't just have a simple circle, so I decided to create one-off, streamline tube-style exhaust tips. Therefore, I grabbed a 6-inch piece of the stainless exhaust tubing from the kit and shaped it using a dead-blow hammer. When forming, be sure to hit at least 1 inch back from the end, that way the form can gradually take place and you won't create an abrupt, sharp angle.
Once the tip of the exhaust...
Once the tip of the exhaust tube was shaped, I moved onto forming a flange around the end of the tip. I grabbed a piece of 1/8-inch plate and traced the tip to the plate. (The plate isn't stainless, but I'm going to send the tips off to be chromed so it won't matter.)
Using a hole saw and a small...
Using a hole saw and a small cutoff wheel I cut out the real estate within the confines of my trace and slid it over the streamlined shaped exhaust tip.