Endre
(Andy) Bujtas
Prototyping the Exhaust Headers
It may look silly, but they do work! I used some of the tubing that is
normally used for our swimming pool vacuum system as mock primary tubes
to map out the tube locations. This gave me a good idea on the positioning
of the primary tubes as well as what types of bends and tubes I'll need
to purchase. The flange you see is from "Headers by Ed" and
is 3/8" thick with 1 5/8" diameter starter tubes. The ports
were matched-up nicely with my heads (I send tracings of my ports to Ed).
The primary tube arrangement and location of the headers will look very
similar to John Gelsimino's Phantom exhaust setup. It appears that the
IFG tubular chassis almost mandates this form of header.
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Rear Frame & Muffler Location
This view illustrates the location of the Flowmaster muffler as well as
the exhaust system flow path. I also added a bracket to support an AN-10
90 Deg. bulkhead fitting for use with the transmission oil cooler.
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Fitting Exhaust Piping
After the headers were completed, I began to fit the rest of the exhaust
system up to the muffler. That part of the exhaust system from the muffler
to the exit and the tips will be performed later. The entire exhaust system
is made of 2.5" pipes - there are no reducers from the header collectors.
It's a straight shot from the headers to the muffler. The system also
has a balance pipe between the left and right sides. This aids in exhaust
scavenging and adds a little to the bottom-end torque. You will notice
that the starter tubes on the header flange were brazed. This was recommended
by Ed for strength and longevity.
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Preparing to Add the Collector
When all the tubes are welded in place, the last step is to fit and weld
the collectors. First, the tubes are tacked together so that they don't
move. I then torched the tube ends in oder to pinch them together. Pinching
them together in the middle makes it much easier to weld them together.
Otherwise, notice the large gap between the tubes that must be sealed.
The next step is to add the flange to the collector before its final assembly
onto the tubes. I weld the flange on the inside of the collector tube,
clean and blend the welds for a smooth finish.
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Exhaust System - Side View
This shows how I routed by exhaust system to the muffler. The picture shows
a muffler support bracket. This bracket will support and hold-down the muffler
in place. Long springs will be used to hold it in place, while leather strips
will be used to prevent the muffler from banging around.
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Exhaust System - Rear View
This picture shows how the entire exhaust system is configured. You will
also note that the flanges were welded on the inside and smoothed down.
This way there is no unsightly weld fillets on the flanges.
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Exhaust System - Inside View
This picture shows the exhaust system from the inside of the chassis. You
can see how the balance pipe is setup. The "T" connection and
piping is from Summit Racing. I would suggest if someone were to make their
own balance piping, that they use another kit. Summit's weld quality leaves
much to be desired. I had to clean their sloppy welds on the inside of the
joints.
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Exhaust Tip Fitting
This picture shows the fitting of the exhaust tips to the exhaust piping.
You can see the individual tubes from the muffler to the body exit. The
piping is made of 1 7/8 inch header tubing from Headers by Ed. They are
attached to a 2 -> 1 header collector from Stahl Headers.
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Exhaust Tips - Rear View
This picture shows how the exhaust tips are aligned with the bumper. The
tips are individual "Big Bore" Monza tips from Pacesetter. Originally,
the tips come painted yellow on the inside, but I wanted them red. The individual
tips were matched then aligned and spaced on a simple jig I made. Short
strips of 1/8 X 1/2 and 1/8 X 3/4 steel were welded to the ends of the tips
(on the top and bottom) to hold them together at the proper spacing. The
exhaust tubes were then fitted based on the tip configuration.
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Exhaust Tips - Painted
The exhaust tips and piping were painted with Black "wrinkle finish"
paint to match the finish on the original tips. This picture was painted
shortly after the first coat. This type of paint takes about 48 hours to
cure, so "wrinkling" does not occur immediately.
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