After recently buying my chevelle again (divorce) I'm having great urges to get it back on the street.

I just got off the phone with three muffler shops in my town, and none of them can bend 2 1/2 inch exhaust over the axles of my 65 Chevelle? I know there are several kits (2 1/2 and 3 inch!) for my car, but apparently it can't be done in Wichita, Ks. Does this seem right?

I could go with 2 1/4, but everyone I talk to, except the muffler shops, recommend 2 1/2 for my size motor (355 with Performer RPM package/Turbo 400/3.73 Posi.) Is 2 1/4 too small? Normally I trust the professionals, but if they can't do it and they sell it in a kit....

They can do 2 1/2 back to the rear axles, but I really wanted a complete system.

Should I buy a kit and install it myself? I looked through the archives for some 65 specific info, but I didn't see anything. If you have a 65 and you have installed a kit, which one was it? How easy is it to install? The car has Hooker comp ceramic headers if that helps.

Thanks,
Jeff

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Got Chevelles?
Jeff Carpenter
65 Malibu Convertible
See it before- www.littlecars.com/car1.jpg (http://www.littlecars.com/car1.jpg)
Team Chevelle Gold #61

Hey Jeffc,

Glad you got the car back... I looked at the various possibilities and I decided to have my exhaust built because it worked out lighter on my wallet. If I lived in the states I would have bought from the company below but by the time I did currency exchange, s&h, duty etc... OUCH! The system I had built took Mister Muffler two tries to get it right. I have 2 1/2" to the Dynomax 20" mufflers with a 2" cross over. Then from the mufflers, it's 2 1/4" around the diff and out under the bumper.

Try the company below, they mandrel bend everything and it's a clean install. I have been told by several of the fellow Cheveller's that this is the best solution. They also offer 3" kits starting at 329.00 plus mufflers.

Torque Tech
1826 Woodland Drive
Valdosta GA
31601
(800)408-0016 or (912)241-1563 orders
(912)242-0691 Tech Help

Their 1999 catalogue lists 2 1/2" kit without mufflers 279.00
with mufflers from 339.00 to 467.00 depending on what you want.

If you would like to see some pic's of how my exhaust is setup on my 64, send me an e-mail and I will e-mail you some pics.

BTW: I am running a 350/ZZ4 which produces 355HP/

Hope it helps.

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The proud owner of a Canadian 64-SS with ZZ4 Power!
Team Chevelle Gold Member #37
Canadian Classic Chevelles & Beaumonts Member #350


[This message has been edited by Canuck64ss (edited 07-27-99).]

I would like to hear some other opinions on this.>>> Aren't 2-1/4 pipes big enough for a 355? From some of the post I've read people have been running 2 1/2 exaust on their 454s with great results. So I thought 2 1/4 would be good for 355. Is that the wrong thinking? The reason I ask is , soon it will be exaust time for me too .

I have a complete borla stainless dual exhaust system on my 71 that is a 2 1/4 inch system which replaced a 2 1/2 system. My engine is a ZZ3 350 rated at 345hp. I haven't been able to notice much of a difference at all....maybe a little more low-end torque....but for a mostly street car that's ok with me. Bottom-line is that you'll lose a few ponies at the top-end but pick up a little more low-end grunt. You will probably not even notice.

[This message has been edited by 71velle (edited 07-27-99).]

I have to throw in my two-cents worth and say...it depends. I did a lot of checking into exhaust systems for my 71 SS 454 and also my 77 Blazer which had a mildly built 350 I was working on at the same time. Most of the professionals I talked to agree with 71velle in that smaller pipes will build more torque at lower rpms, but could restrict flow above 5500 to 6000 rpm. Since my Blazer would never go to 5000, I put in a 2" system through Dynomax turbos at it had tons of power down low. For the 71 Chevelle w/454, I went with the Flowmaster 2-1/2" kit with Dynomax Hemi Super Turbos and it too has waaaay too much power(is there such a thing??) down low but still pulls really strong through 4000 rpms which is as far as I pushed it so far. (Only have about 150 miles on the new motor so far...) To re-state what 71velle said, if you want lots of low-end torque and are not gonna rev too high, smaller tubes are better, but if you want to rev higher and are willing to give up a small amount of power on the low side, then go with the larger pipes. The larger pipes are supposed to help quiet things a tad more than smaller pipes if that is a concern. Feel free to e-mail me with any specific questions .

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Bill C.
'71 SS
ACES #2780

I've been thinking of this question too about exhaust diameter size.
I suspected 2 1/4" since my engine isn't radical. So, I decided to email to Borla, Hooker, and Hedman headers to see about where I should be aiming for. The only people to reply so far was Hedman headers, that got back to me in less than 48 hrs.
As other people have already suggested this size, my reply only adds more support, but if you want more professional-type opinion, email hedtrnsls@aol.com:
hedtrnsls@aol.com
Free opinion cost ya nothing http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

Tony

Hey Jeff,

For my '71 I bought the Flowmaster 2 1/2" tail pipes (~$100) and had a muffler shop fabricate 2 1/2" aluminized head pipes. They then installed Super Hemi Turbos and the big block tips to complete it. Sounds and looks great.

Your engine is a "revver" so I wouldn't settle for the 2 1/4".

I'm running a mandrel bent 2 1/2" on my '67 Elcamino with no problems. However, I'm installing a ZZ430. I had a '69 Elcamino and bought a complete Flow-master kit from JEGS. for about the same price, but it wasn't as nice as the exhaust on my '67. Most street machines rarely see the power band above 5500rpm anyway. But if you want to run down the 'ole 1/4 mile every now-n-again then go big 2 1/2" MAX on a small block.


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You may want to look at the Gardner Exhaust web site. They do really nice reproductions of original systems including the chambered exhaust systems that were options on some Chevelles. Chambered exhaust systems sound really nice but are pretty loud. the web site is www.gardnerexhaust.com