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Stainless Works Custom Exhaust - Hootie And The Blowpipes - TechA Stainless Exhaust For Project Get Shorty From the August, 2010 issue of Custom Classic Trucks By Dakota Wentz
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In the world of Custom Classic Trucks the vehicles representing the genre are as the name implies: custom. When hearing the word "custom" and "truck" together the first thought that goes racing from the left to right lobe of the brain is appearance. However, what lies under the scathed or unscathed sheetmetal needs to be appealing as well. Nowadays it's the norm to alter the truck's chassis. Let's face it; finding stock underpinnings beneath vintage sheetmetal isn't common ground among our crowd. Instead, what we find are owners updating their trucks with various types of running gear to ensure their truck is not only safer but more driveable. With all the suspension, engine, and tranny options throughout the CCT world one can set up their truck for drag racing, cruising, long hauls, hauling, and the list goes on. For that reason, many stock parts just won't cut it, including the exhaust. Unfortunately, exhaust pipes can't bend and twist like a radiator hose or pipe cleaner, and because of it stock exhaust systems-or stock configured systems-won't meander through all those various extra-special chassis components. For these instances, a custom exhaust system is the only answer. One way to alleviate the problem is to drop your ride off at a muffler shop and have them create a one-off system. The other is to take matters into your own hands and order a DIY kit, which suits folks like us quite nicely. One company that offers everything needed for an exhaust system is Stainless Works. Stainless Works manufacturers everything from header collector diamonds to mufflers, hangers, bends, bolt-on exhaust systems ... literally everything! Not only does Stainless Works offer up everything from A to Z, but they take the necessary steps to offer only the finest products. As the name implies components are constructed from high-quality stainless steel and they are manufactured using techniques such as mandrel bends, laser cuts, and TIG welding. All in all Stainless Works offers high-quality exhaust pieces to outfit your system in any way, shape, or form. This dilemma presented itself for Project Get Shorty. The abundance of foreign products nestled below Get Shorty equal the number of obstacles D-list celebrities must overcome on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club! To tackle the beast we ordered a Stainless Works DIY Rod Builder Kit. Stainless Works offers various OD-sized kits, and the option of a butt-weld or slip-fit connection. We chose a 21/2-inch butt-weld kit. The kit comes with all the bends necessary to navigate most any exhaust route. All the tubes are 18-gauge (0.049 wall thicknesses) 304 stainless steel with mil-spec certified USA manufactured tubing. All ends are also OD-sized for easy welding. They also offer various styles of mufflers, including chambered, turbo, round, rap trap, and more. What suited our fancy were the polished Smooth Oval mufflers. The mufflers feature 21/2x41/8-inch bodies with an overall length of 24 inches. They have a unique design that allows users to use one of the two available 21/2-inch exhaust inlets. One of the inlets provides a mellow note while the other gives a more aggressive note. Like the tubing, the mufflers are 304 stainless steel throughout. Completing our system are hangers and tips. Stainless Works offers various styles of hangers and tips to accommodate an individual's "custom" needs. In our case, we ordered several styles of hangers and a set of polished turn-down tips. By the way, Stainless Works can make a set of custom tips for whatever application you desire. Just send them the specs and your wish is their command. Way cool if ya ask us!  Here's what we're working...  Here's what we're working with, a 21/2-inch Stainless Works DIY Rod Builder Kit. The kit comes with a variety of tubes: four straight tubes, four 90-degree elbows, four 45-degree elbows, and four U-bends. Along with the kit we also ordered a set of polished oval mufflers, polished turn-down tips, a set of header collectors, and hangers. If your project requires more bends you can order them separately. A "grab bag" of bends containing random angles and lengths can be purchased as well.  Before we could get started...  Before we could get started working towards point B, we needed a point A; with point A being a set of Doug's Headers. Even though Get Shorty sits only inches off the ground, the high-and-tight tuck of the headers allowed us to use a set of Tri-Y long-tube headers. The headers come complete with mounting hardware and the proper gaskets.  The first step was to use...  The first step was to use an appropriate gasket sealant on the supplied gaskets. From there the gaskets were aligned for fitment.  Next, the Doug's Headers were...  Next, the Doug's Headers were installed. We were able to drop the passenger-side header in from the top, but the driver-side header needed to come in from below.  The good news is that the...  The good news is that the headers tuck up tight and run parallel with the frame. The bad news is that once the Stainless Works header collectors were mounted they're in a direct line of sight with the tranny crossmember. (Note arrow.)  When it comes to routing exhaust,...  When it comes to routing exhaust, whatever works ... well works! (Be sure to steer clear of hoses and brakes lines, and allow at least a 1/2-inch of clearance between neighboring objects.) Therefore, we studied the various tubes in the Stainless Works kit and figured out a solution. I found that if I shortened one side of each of the 45-degree tubes I could weld them together to form an elongated "S," which will dodge the tranny crossmember.  I started off by shortening...  I started off by shortening the collector and 45-degree tubes. There are multiple options for cutting exhaust tubing; I chose to use a 6-inch cutoff wheel.  Being that the cutoff wheel...  Being that the cutoff wheel is a handheld tool, it was a little hard to create a perfectly straight cut. In order to square things up, or add a bit of angle to a cut, a 7-inch grinder was put to the task.  Stainless Works offers two...  Stainless Works offers two styles of kits; one is the butt-weld kit while the other is a slip-fit kit utilizing clamps. We choose to go with a butt-weld kit. Whichever way you choose to weld up stainless tubing one thing is for sure, you must use stainless filler rod. If not, the tubes will retain their natural color while the welds slowly rust away. I choose to TIG weld the exhaust together with ER-308 rod. 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.  Next, I traced a 1-inch border...  Next, I traced a 1-inch border around the tip and shaped my tip flange using a grinder.  I then shaped the flange to...  I then shaped the flange to flow with the bedside. Because the back of the tip is 21/2 inches and the front is slender, I needed to be sure the opening was big enough to accommodate all parts. Using a hole saw and a cutoff wheel I slowly cut out the opening on the bedside.  Fast forwarding a bit, here...  Fast forwarding a bit, here is the tip all welded together and installed. I welded two bolts to the backside of the flange and ran them through the bedside to secure the tip.  Creating the tail end of the...  Creating the tail end of the new exhaust tips was a bit tricky. I used another piece of exhaust tube and shaped one end to match the rear of the tip, but I was sure to leave the other opening the full 21/2-inch OD. The other obstacle was getting the angle right, but again this is just part of doing a DIY exhaust system.  Here's the finished product....  Here's the finished product. Notice the gap at the end. When mounted, there is a 1/2-inch gap between the two. There are several reasons for this. One, the gap won't transfer the heat of the exhaust tube to the bedside. Two, I'm going to wrap the gap in exhaust wrap, which will dampen vibration and keep the exhaust from tearing up the bedside. The exhaust wrap will also seal the gap and reduce heat. As added protection I created a gasket from the wrap to mount between the tip flange and the outer bedside.  The last step is to install...  The last step is to install these hangers. Stainless Works offers several styles of hangers: vertical, horizontal, sideways, weld-on, clamp-on, etc., that allows you to custom mount the exhaust per your needs. The hangers come with special grommets for a clean install.
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The Thinker??? - Haul Monitor
Ryan talks about the friendly badgering that goes on around the shop and overcoming obstacles that seemly pop up out of nowhere during a project....
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