WPEDirect

Ok, ok... everybody that has a brain knows it's illegal - but so is exceeding the speed limit. Nobody here does that, right...?

Now, for the good stuff. Anyone running post 1975 'pipes... do you have any pics or sound bites before and after the pipes?

I have a picture of Sam Gogas's pristine vette as my background. My wife walked in this evening, and said 'Ooohh... pretty! I like all the chrome down the sides!'. Good enough for me.. she doesn't have to ask twice! How about keeping the 'legal' exhaust around (uninstalled) for 364 days a year, and crawling under the vette for a quick switch once a year to get 'Uncle Sam's stamp of approval'? I don't know about you guys, but sidepipes just get me goin'. I have yet to hear a set, though. Anyone want to help me out? Thanks! :steering:


[Modified by WPEDirect, 11:11 PM 6/30/2003]

Schmucker

I've seen it on a few. I'm making my own. You basically have the choice of either hookers or stock style with either fiberglass or metal (chrome I believe) covers. C3s are one of the few cars that can get away with sidepipes because they look so classic.

Down8

Are sidepipes illegal completely now? Meaning, if GM wanted to put sidepipes on the C6, could they? Does the law rule out side exhaust, or just modification of original emissions?

Trying to get the low-down. I want sidepipes on my dream C3, but I like the '73s plastic front/chrome rear....

-bZj

DMONSVETTE

Round here the exhaust system cannot exit in front of the rear wheels.
There are some vintage cars that run with them.
I'm going to go with some fake ones and then once the cops get used to
seeing my Vette with them on and once I put in my new motor I will
try going with real ones. Do a search for sidepipes in the archives, alot of info.
:seeya

87bob

Side pipes are not illegeal under Federal law but running a car that was equiped with catalitic convertor without one is. So you can take your chances put side pipes on and hope you don't get caught. Even putting duals on a car that was equipped with a single cat is illegal a lot of people do and get away with it. That is true even if the car meets the emissions test standards. You can do any thing you want to the exhaust system after the cat.. I had the aftermarket side pipe header side/pipes on my 66BB and burnt my calfs and ankles several times. I would only use the factory style side pipes. Speed bumps are a problem with either style as they do hang lower than the under car system. Side pipes are sharp looking and sound good, but so does the chambered exhaust system. If you even think you may have to test for emissions in the future I would stick with the stock cat style system and go with a high flow cat.. There is a company that is making an electric activated cutouts that you might consider using to route from your factory system to side pipes when you wanted. Some states will exclude a car from emissions testing after so many years. You might check to see if your car would be excluded from testing. But just because it doesn't have to be tested the air quality cops can get you if change the design. There is nothing stopping you from puttin the factory side pipes on the car and not hooking them up if it is the look your after. Good luck making your decision.

NHvette

I stopped Friday night to chat with an owner of a 76. I had seen his vette out
in the driveway often - but the hood was up tonight. We talked for about 1/2
hr - then I noticed his fiberglass sidepipe covers. I asked, "How do you get
by inspection with the sidepipes ?". He said, "Take a look". Well, he had run
dual exhaust to a couple turbo mufflers - then right angled the tail pipes to
the rear cover openings. This way - you get the looks of the sidepipes, while
opening up the opportunity to choose different mufflers (or none). He did
admit that the heat from the dual exhaust/mufflers under the floor pans was a
problem. He was goign to insulate the floor. I suggested wrapping the
relatively short system with header wrap.

The choices for true sidepipe mufflers are few - and the price is high.
I'll be making my own, but that is beyond the scope of the average enthusiast.

Having a 'inspection freindly' system to swap in is a common cure for sidepipe fever.
:seeya


[Modified by NHvette, 10:12 AM 7/1/2003]

fauxrs

I have the sidepipes on my 78 - i just keep a legal set hanging from the ceiling and swap out for smog purposes.....BTW mine are obviously the factory type with covers.

isosceles

ask Scott about his: http://www.c3sharktank.com/scott/my81now.html
He comes to the Corvette Challenge in Bradenton. They look and sound REALLY :cool: on his car!

Michael Tucker

i went to florida and met GrandSportC3 (Olivier). his car is one of if not the best sounding vette i have heard. he runs his with open pipes. you should check and see if he has a link to it. it will make you want them even more.
Mike

nastee383

Careful, it may be a sting operation! :skep:

Michael Tucker

nastee you dont have any files of yours? it sound nastee too
Mike

baja216

I just bought my first corvette and the previous owner installed side pipes. It's an '80. Here's the picture!

:auto:

gdh

I sold SuperFast80 my sidepipes andcovers last summer and he ended up getting rid of the pipes and kept the covers with the above configuration under the fiberglass covers. Looks good, but those turbo mufflers are really loud, worse than sidepipes as those Dynomax Turbos are essentially race mufflers with virtually no restriction, more or less just to say I have a muffler on it to meet req'ts. I also just saw a set of the chrome covered covers yesterday, not worth the $, spend the $300 from Summit or wherever and get them coated yourself or use chrome dupicolor even cheaper with great outcome if you want them silver chrome.

fauxrs

LOL those pipes are getting around.. I bought the sidepipes from him and they now reside is sunny southern California.

Down8

Not to hijack the thread, but in the vein of sidepipes....

Some I've seen look like they exit right onto the rear tire. If my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, wouldn't this kind of take some life off the tire?

Also, re: exit before rear wheel, I thought some stock full-size truck exhausts exited right before the rear wheel? Maybe it was after market?

Anyway, here's hoping no one will notice when I put 'pipes on a '73, since 30yrs+ = no emissions in CA.

-bZj

C3 Shark Tank

Thanks Mark! Sorry I missed it last weekend, my brother came down from Detroit on his motorcycle and we took a trip to the Keys, didn't get back in time to get out there. I'll have the DVD's next month for everyone.

If you are worried about burning yourself on Hooker sidepipes check out jim's site Spiral Turbo Specialties he sells covers for them, I've seen them mounted on a Shark and they don't look bad either.

As for the exhaust coming out right in front of the rear tires it should have no effect unless you are shooting flames out the pipes...then you have bigger problems :jester

gdh

I bought them with covers from a fellow forum member from just outside of Detroit for $300 US as the 75 vette he bought had them but were never installed. I ran them for a short time to see how I liked them and they were too loud and I worried about my wife burning her ankle getting out. too funny about these travelling sidepipes. :rofl:

Rockn-Roll

You mean like these?



I do have some audio files, but they are too large for me to host them on my computer. But, just think Don Garlits doing a burnout and you will get the right sound. :)


[Modified by Rockn-Roll, 1:35 AM 7/2/2003]

gotchashawn

I'm glad you brought up this subject ! I've been beating myself in the head :banghead: writing e-mails to many different people asking about this . .I 'm not worried about emission test here ,so I have finally found sidepipe exhaust that I wanted fused up to my stock manifold system ! It's in the new SummitRacing catalog pg.52 and 53. one by Dynomax the other is by Patriot. I had planed to keep stock system also , for back up for a "just in case" situation. But now after finding this: I want Edelbrock Performer heads with matching cam and performer intake manifold , toped off with holley's 750 vac sec. carb. in which i'm thinking , i gotta get the headers for flow ! which I may get holley's header/sidepipe kit , bigg bucks though !! I hope this helps , jus check out SummitRacing.com , it seems they got it all and with free shipping for you mainlanders ! but the bottem line is: yes sidepipes are Killer !!(if we can get away with it !) Aloha-Shawn. :cool:

GR8T WYT

In most areas of the country a car 25 years old or older is emissions exempt. No emissions equip. required and legal. For what it's worth. :D