The exhaust system is often one of the most overlooked aspects of a classic truck but let’s face it, when the key turns and the engine is fired, it’s time to separate the men from the boys. You could have the hottest looking shortbed Fleety on the block, but if it’s wheezing through a sad, single muffler, you might be laughed right out of the local drive-in. It’s as if you worked out on your upper body only, leaving two little, skinny bean pole legs to poke out from your awesome Muscle Beach stretchy tank top. It’s not cool, it’s not right, and it’s just plain sad.
So what do you do when you just bought a classic pickup with the aforementioned bean pole exhaust? You do what our buddy Danny Valenzuela did; you call up your buddy who works for a magazine and ask him to hook you up for free! Well, that’s not exactly what you’d do or what he did. What you’d do is bust out the latest issue of everybody’s favorite hot rod truck magazine, Custom Classic Trucks, and flip through and find an advertiser who sells exhaust products. Then you call them up and tell them what you need! Well, in a perfect world anyways!
But that’s what we did in a nutshell. I had a pair of Hushpower mufflers for a future project that wouldn’t need them anytime soon, so I donated it to the project as well as a U-Fit kit from Flowmaster, which I had borrowed a few pieces from over the years that also needed a good home. We called up Doug’s Headers for a set of bolt-in pipes to fit the 360ci Ford engine and they asked if we wanted to include their stainless steel electric cutout kit. Scare unwitting women and children? Uh, yeah!
We tore into the build on a Tuesday morning and save for a few unrelated snags along the way, were huffing and puffing out on the road by Wednesday evening. So to say that you could do the exhaust job in a weekend is to say the least. Next time you pick up a project that suffers from the wheezes, give the job a shot yourself; you’ll probably find it easier than you thought and you might even save some dough! Who wouldn’t appreciate that? CCT
The original exhaust in the...
The original exhaust in the Ford was pretty sad to say the least. The notoriously restrictive stock exhaust manifolds coupled with the single exhaust just didn’t let the 360 breathe properly.
To cure this asthmatic problem,...
To cure this asthmatic problem, we turned to Doug’s Headers for a pair of their full-length, tuned, Metallic Ceramic Thermal Barrier coated headers. Doug’s ships their header complete with gaskets, hardware, and collectors.
But what’s a new exhaust system...
But what’s a new exhaust system without a nice, throaty tone? Enter Hushpower HP-2 Series mufflers. Built of stainless steel for a lasting finish, the HP-2s feature an innovative “Cool Shell” casing, a key feature in contributing to the muffler’s sound and heat control design.
And if it’s that wide open...
And if it’s that wide open sound we’re looking for, a quick flick of the switch and our exhaust will be truly free-flowing thanks to a Doug’s cutout kit.
And if it’s that wide open...
And if it’s that wide open sound we’re looking for, a quick flick of the switch and our exhaust will be truly free-flowing thanks to a Doug’s cutout kit.
You need tubing to mate all...
You need tubing to mate all these components together and Flowmaster’s U-Fit kits are perfect for the do-it-yourselfer. All that’s required is a welder, something to cut the tubing, and a free weekend.
We laid out the components...
We laid out the components on the shop floor before we started to get an idea where everything was going to fit, and then it was time to get to getting!
I gave Danny the fun jobs...
I gave Danny the fun jobs (it’s your truck, you’re getting dirty!) like snaking the headers up between the framerail and the engine.
It was tricky business and...
It was tricky business and required the passenger-side collector be modified to clear the trans pan. But once the headers were in place, it was time to start attaching the rest of the exhaust components.
We lucked out and the S-bend...
We lucked out and the S-bend in the U-Fit kit gave us the perfect routing to clear the transmission crossmember on the driver side.
Luckier still was the fact...
Luckier still was the fact that the oversized end happened to be on the collector’s side, so all we had to do was clamp it into place before it was welded up.
The passenger side once again...
The passenger side once again was a bit more work as the S-bend needed to be sliced right in the middle of the jog portion to clear the tranny crossmember and not interfere with the floor.
With both sides tacked to...
With both sides tacked to this point, it was then time to install the cutouts and hookup kit. These were also clamped into place while we played with their positioning.
Pleased with the placement...
Pleased with the placement of everything, the collectors were unbolted from the headers and each side was welded up.
I then cut the corresponding...
I then cut the corresponding length of tubing on a chop saw.
A final fitment check under...
A final fitment check under the truck and it was back to welding.
Notice how high and tight...
Notice how high and tight the Hushpower mufflers tuck into the Ford’s framerail. You won’t be draggin’ these mufflers no matter how low you go!
The next step is to install...
The next step is to install the muffler. I fabbed a pair of turndowns using one of the bends from the U-Fit kit and welded them to each Hushpower muffler. With the turndowns as close to the rearend as possible to cut down on the cab noise as well as the smell created from the exhaust, I measured the distance from the cutout hookup kit to the muffler.
One little trick worth mentioning...
One little trick worth mentioning is how I marked the pipes to ensure that they got welded up properly. This was extremely important when it came to the union at the collector and the S-bend as well as where the turnouts met the mufflers. Three or four simple lines ensures that everything lines up just how I wanted…
…then the three pieces were...
…then the three pieces were mated together using a Lincoln 110V Power MIG welder.
A pair of exhaust hangers...
A pair of exhaust hangers was picked up from the local auto parts store for each side, one at the hookup kit and one at the turnout.
The cutouts operate via a...
The cutouts operate via a switch mounted under the dash and connect using the provided wiring harness. Note the band clamp mating the hookup kit and the rear portion of the exhaust. I opted to do it this way in case Danny decided to modify the exhaust, he could simply disassemble it in portions.
Here’s the exhaust cutout...
Here’s the exhaust cutout in the closed “respect thy neighbor” mode…
…and in the open “there goes...
…and in the open “there goes the neighborhood” mode.
And there you have it! A couple...
And there you have it! A couple days worth of work and you’ve got yourself a great sounding, simple exhaust and probably saved yourself a few hundred clams. Not bad for a weekend’s time, eh?