Another Exhaust Help Question!

[crombie02]

I am looking at putting a full exhaust on my car. It is currently completely stock. I want to put headers, dual electric cutouts, x-pipe and mufflers. No Cats. My questions is do the cutouts go directly behind the headers before the x-pipe or after the x-pipe? And I am guessing there needs to be a small amount of pipe between the headers and cutouts if this is so? A picture would be awesome if anyone has a setup like this. Should I go with a since muffler or dual mufflers? Will dual fit under our cars? Any help would be great.

[SMWS6TA]

Most ppl here do LT's with ORY due to limited space and your choice of mufflers. I'm not saying you can do a x-pipe, just that clearance issues will come up. Another option is "true duals" They also have issues with clearance and size of pipe. If you run an e-cut out with and ORY almost everyone installs it just behind the rear passenger seat just before the bend up. It seems to have the most space available for the setup. You can put them on the collector of the headers but again clearance issues.

In regards to what headers/mufflers to get you are going to get a wide variety of opinions. It depends on how much $$ and your tastes. I would strongly recommend avoiding SLP headers. Many ppl complain about clearance issues with them.

Jeff has a pic or two of his e-cut out set up and will probably post. Only person I know that had 2 mufflers or resonators was Mr Luo's. He has since sold his T/A and has gotten a Trail Blazer SS, but I think he could also post a pic or two on his setup.

Here is a video of mine. My mods are listed in my signature. The rev up is only to 3k because my son was afraid to rev higher. The hwy was crowded so I couldn't really get on it.

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f100/my-19...3/#post2691343


Some other things you will need to consider while doing this mod:

Tuning - Not necessary to run the car but to get the most out of the mod it is recommended. I ran 8 months without a tune before I got one from Frost. He is a sponsor and one of two resident site tuners. Tampa Tuning is the other.

EGR & Air Pump delete - these are not needed and really bog the motor down. You can remove them and tuning will get rid of the codes.

In the stickies section there are a couple of threads that can help on these mods.

[crombie02]

Thank you for the info. Your car sounds really good. I have about $1500 to put an exhaust on. Would really like the Ceramic Coated or Stainless Headers. Any ideas on where to start the mods at? I have already done the SFC's, Panhard bar, and shocks and springs to lower about an 1". I am thinking maybe lid, filter, cam. What do you think? Besides exhaust I have about $2K to put in it.

[crombie02]

What is the "Passenger Window Fix" and Free Mods?

[SMWS6TA]

Thank you for the info. Your car sounds really good. I have about $1500 to put an exhaust on. Would really like the Ceramic Coated or Stainless Headers. Any ideas on where to start the mods at? I have already done the SFC's, Panhard bar, and shocks and springs to lower about an 1". I am thinking maybe lid, filter, cam. What do you think? Besides exhaust I have about $2K to put in it.

IMHO it's SS>CC>Painted headers

SS are best for show & prevents rusting
CC are best at keeping temps down & prolongs* getting rusted. * - as long as the coating is on it will not rust.
Painted - are worthless, spend the extra 30-40 to get them CC at least.

When it comes to modding you need to 1st decided what you want the end product to be. DD/Street/Drag/Show or a combo. Each has it's pros/cons and different amounts of money needed. Research, research, research. Can't say enough about it. In the long run it will save you time & money. Remember it takes the average builder about 3-5 yrs to finish a project car. Most of it has to do with how much $$, next is time & tools, then experience. Know your experience level when tackling a mod job. If your doing it to learn for the first time, get someone to help. No shame in that. Some jobs just need to be done by the pros. Plan it out, I have mine on a spreadsheet that has every thing I want, vendor sites and cost. Without it I'd be lost.

A majority (and I'm one) here will tell you to do suspension mods first. Lid & headers are an exception beacuse everyone likes a great sounding car. The reason for suspension mods first is even under stock power the rear can snap. Our cars biggest weakness is that POS rear 10 bolt end. Most will recommend for M6 - 9", A4 12 bolt rears. For suspension brands UMI and BMR are highly recommended. I'm going with UMI, great product and very affordable.

What is the "Passenger Window Fix" and Free Mods?

Passenger Window Fix - GM for some dumbass reason decided to run the hot wire for the passenger window through the drivers side switch/motor. When the electrical current finally gets there it is not 12 volts. Over time this drag cause premature failure of the passenger window. One of our sponsors Autotrix has come up with a fix for about $38. I have to say it's a must unless you like changing out your passenger window motor every 18 months.

There are free mods on ls1howtoo.com they are consider "Free" because the require little or no $$ at all to do. Check out the link.

The free air mod opens up the restricted air flow going into the filter. Doing this mod will mean changing/cleaning* your filter more often. * - Filters -I will strongly recommend staying away from K&N, most of it is marketing, but the real reason is the oil used to clean the filter can never be fully dried out and will always get on the MAF sensor. This in the long run will effect the car's performance. Another thing I strongly recommend you to run away from is the SLP Cold Air Kit. Think of it as a way to tunnel water directly into your motor on rainy days. Your just asking to get hydro-lock.


Also in the top part of each section we have stickies. In the General Help section is alot of the. Many of us here have come up or done fixes for the most common problems our F-bodies have. Use them as a reference and ask questions if you get stuck or want clarification on.


You have done quite of bit of suspensions mods and I would recommend finishing them. Now my recommendations for you. All of these are using UMI. I just using them because that is what I have researched and listed the prices for in my build sheet.

TA with Tunnel Brace with Drive Shaft Loop $400 - this will remove it off the tail shaft of the tranny and improve the rear suspension.
Sway bar Combo (35mm Front and 22mm Rear) - $360
LS6 Intake - Depending on your yr. If you have a 02 you already have it, no need to get. $300-$350 used on ebay and craiglist
Air lid - SLP - $90, Volant - $293 are the most common.
Headers - I got my Pacesetters & ORY Combo for about $480, others here like Ebay SS headers, Kooks, it's kinda what your tastes and how much you want to spend when it comes to this area.
Exhaust - again, it's kinda what your tastes and how much you want to spend when it comes to this area. You can go true duals also. Mufflers - I like Magnaflow, the rumble and deep growl, Flowmasters - are more raspy IMHO.
E-Cut Out, Single - $185 QTP e-cutout with SS 3" turn down
Line Lock - SLP $130, be careful when going to install. Their directions have one step wrong on install.

This above with say $100 for a muffler comes to about $1695 prior to tax.

Frost Tune - $150+shipping

Other items I would recommend doing with above:

Replace your crappy OEM PCV with a LS6 Valley Cover tray Mod. If you have a 98, then upgrade to 99< knock sensors and wire harness. If you already have a 99< just replace. They are due.

Heads/Cam in the end are going to cost about $2500-$3000, depending on brand, specs & tuning. Most ppl forget to plan for the tuning. You will need to do a full tune on a dyno to get the new H/C running right. You could get a mail order, but that is to get you to a tuner if you had to drive it, not for long term. Tuning goes for about $500 a session. Try to find one that is familiar with LS motors.







One more thing........when ask, we can spend your money very easy here

Go through the car and make it a solid foundation so that when you do get to the high power mods you know it won't break for something stupid.

[crombie02]

WoW! I can't start to say thanks for all that info. It is very very helpful in my start. I have been on this site all day long looking at different stuff. I saw the ebay SS headers only run about $200. How are those? They are not a big name so I was really wondering. I also saw the OBX headers on there that are SS. They also have a catback on there too. Kinda wondering how that is. After looking through a lot of stuff on here I am looking at Pacesetter LTs, dual cutout, ORY and a Magnaflow catback. Of course I am still thinking a little of the True Duals as well. Just really depends on clearance and being able to find someone to help me with it. The car is going to be a street car for sure. I have a few friends that own a reputable garage here that have helped me quite a bit with all this. I am going to finish the suspension first. That is what I have been told over and over again. Sway bars are next. But I def have to do an exhaust during the whole process. Again, thank you so much for helping out with this. I am sure I will be asking a lot of questions down the road. I just got the car about a week ago and should have it paid off by the end of the year so I am looking to put quite a bit of money in it after that. I want to be able to do 475-500 to the rear by the end of next year. Then after that I will be saving for a procharger. I have a friend who can get a little bit of a discount on most parts so I am sure that little amount will add up after a while. I look forward to the build and hope to put up some pictures of the before and after on all of it. I am of course keeping all the stock parts as well just because it is the CETA and may need them for value down the road a few years. Seems like the garage may fill up quick with stock parts. Haha. But again, thanks, your info has been more than helpful.

[SMWS6TA]

Over 400 RWHP, It's not if but when your rear will go. Good luck with your build. I got mine a little over 2.5 yrs ago and I was gong hot and heavy the first yr, then I had to hit the breaks because of family reasons. I'm hoping to get back at it real soon. My next mod is going to be getting the WSQ hood from VFN. I was going to wait till after the suspension mods where done, but I love this hood so much that I can't wait. I hope to order it by the end of this month.

[crombie02]

What have you heard about the SS headers on eBay that don't have a brand name. Or the OBX headers on there?

[SMWS6TA]

I haven't used them. I'm not sure which ones others have used on here. I think Spaz has one of them.

[crombie02]

You have been a HUGE help through this whole process. I have just one more thing to ask, at least right now. I have planned on doing a magnaflow x-pipe and then bring the exhaust out the back to dual/dual tips. My question is what kind of choices do I have for mufflers? I am thinking they would have to be some type of bullet style so that they will fit. I saw some SLP LM2 on here but I have also heard some bad stuff about the sound of them. I know it is all about personal preference but I am open to suggestions on what would work and what would fit. I have ordered a lot of the stuff we talked about ealier such as the torque arm, cross member, drive shaft saftey loop, sway bars, etc. I just want to make sure I can get something that fits under the car. A local shop is going to be doing all the custom pipe, so that will help out a lot. Any help with this would be great or if you could send me to someone that may know a little more about it. Thank again for everything.

[crombie02]

Another thing about headers. In KY they do not check cars for polution. I have been looking at TSP Headers and Pacesetter. If I get some with no EGR connections would I be able to delete that out of the computer and what do I do with the hoses under the hood? Or should I just stick with the EGR connections?

[SMWS6TA]

I got the Pacesetter Ceramic Coated LT's with no EGR. They are called the "Race Style". Install was quite easy compared to other brands. One other thing when doing this mod. If you ever though of doing poly mounts for the engine now is the time to do so while you have every thing out of the way. When I did my instal I did it in my home garage. I did everything up top first and then lift up and do everything on the bottom. It also helps to bribe a buddy with beer to help. Holding a LT while threading a bolt by yourself sucks.


With True Duals you are looking at these type of mufflers/resonators below. They all have bullet type mufflers for 2.5" and 3" piping:

SLP Loudmouth I & II
Dynomax Bullet Mufflers
Magnaflow 10416, 14419 mufflers
Borla XR-1 muffler
Cherry Bomb
Flowmasters


If I was you I'd talk with Mark form KYSpeed. He is very knowledgeable in these areas and has helped me a lot when looking for stuff. He is a member here.

Here is his id: marksls1ta

You can pm him or I can pm his site.


EDIT: I've been told he has no renewed his sponsorship so I can post his site direct, if you want I can PM it to you

[crombie02]

Is Kooks the only guys that make a true dual exhaust that goes all the way out to the back of the car?