Dual exhaust "plumbing kits" for 60s GM A-body wagons?

Dear Station Wagon Lovers,

This appears to be a long shot but just in case. I need to find a dual exhaust system that permits me to get this engine:



into this station wagon:



Technically speaking I looking for a 2 1/2" dual exhuast with an "X" crossover (or perhaps an "H" pipe) that will allow me to mount two Walker Dynomax Super Turbos mufflers and of course provide tail pipes that work with a wagon.

This isn't as hard as it looks at first glance. Summit racing has 38 such kits listed:

http://www.summitracing.com/search/...partment/exhaust/section/exhaust-systems-kits

However, there is one huge gotcha - all these are probably for sedans or coupes. On the station wagon, the spare tire well interferes.

Does anybody know by change of a mandrel formed exhaust system kit that can be bought off the rack for a 1964-67 GM A-body wagon?

I'm getting plenty discouraged, but figured it was worth asking just in case.

Cheers, Edouard

 

buy the mufflers you want ,take them to a muffler shop and tell them what you want, they can make anything at a good muffler shop

 

Edouard

I was planning on using this system on my 70 Chevelle wagon
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/flo-17120/requiredparts

El Caminos are pretty much the same as wagons without the spare tire well or, in my case, the side mounted fuel tank.

It was available without the mufflers (I wanted quieter turbos) for about $250, but is not showing available that way any more.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLO-1023/

Based on what I am finding now looking at this, I will probably order up the complete system before it goes completely unavailable.

Good luck,
Tom

 

When I put the BB in my 65 - 2dr wagon, I exited the tailpipes straight down behind the rear tires - never had the exhaust fumes come in the back window, when down.
Had my German Shepard in the back quite often.

 

The exhaust should exit behind the rear tires and to the side so the spare tire well doesn't mean anything. That's the way the factory did it on station wagons with singles and duals. I had a 350 in my '71 Vista and duals were only available with the 455 engine so the guy at the muffler shop used those numbers to enter into the machine and just used smaller pipe.
It seems like I've seen systems that give you the pipes that go from the muffler and over the rear then instead of using the tailpipes going straight back they give you a 90 to turn it out to exit behind the rear tire for wagons.
Personally I don't like that extra connection or connections on those systems and would have the pipes bent up at a decent muffler shop, they have the numbers for the bending machine or can use similar models that had dual exhaust specs like they did on mine. The pipe from the header collectors to the mufflers and crossover pipes should be no problem, you may want the header collectors welded to the pipe.
Just don't exit the exhaust straight out the back of a wagon or you'll have exhaust fumes getting sucked back into the car through the tailgate and window openings even if they're both closed.

 

Great looking wagon and engine! My '67 Vista has duals with Flowmasters and they exit behind the rear tires and to the side as mentioned before. There is a small area just ahead of the spare tire well where they exit. This system was on the car when I got it but I'm pretty sure a custom exhaust shop made it up. It doesn't have a "H" pipe but no big deal to me.

 

Looks like some custom bending required.

Dear 59 wagon man, Tom, 65 2dr, BlueVista, willys33, and Station wagon exhuast experts,

Thanks for all the feedback. Sorry if my posting was a little confusing. If I'm willing to have a muffler shop do the bending then I can get a custom job easily. My question was either someone made a "mandrel-formed" kit for a station wagon. when bends are made using a mandrel you avoid all crimping and therefore get a smoother flow and maintain the full diameter of the pipes throughout. It is a modest advantage, but admittedly I'm being greedy!

I saw this system too and also noted that it worked with El Caminos, but do El Caminos want a side exhaust? You don't have the same problem of a tailgate window being a bit open on an El Camino.

Actually isn't this the pipes only kit:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/flo-17107/overview/year/1965/make/buick/model/special

The price seems to have gone up, but it doesn't seem to be disappearing.

I certainly agree with you, I don't want the flowmaster mufflers!!

I just checked what is on the car now. It does go to the side a bit further back than the rear wheels, but doesn't seem to be any obvious reason for that. However, what's on the car now was the GM practice at the time. I think I would prefer to move the exhaust closer to the rear wheels if practical.

I'm planning to head back to the muffler shop tomorrow to see what they think. My current thinking is to go with a mandrel-formed kit for the plumbing between the engine and the mufflers and go custom the rest of the way. That will be a lot easier.

Yeah but, . . . . they would be much better - together!!

I've been trying to make sense of the "H" pipe versus "X" crossover and right now I think I would prefer the extra quiet of the "H" pipe over the additional efficiency of the "X" crossover.

However, this could all change tomorrow!

Thanks again for all the help!!

Cheers, Edouard

 

Edouard

El Caminos have side exit exhaust to help reduce dragging of tail pipes when heavily loaded. Also, keeps the tail pipes from running into anything when they are used as a work truck, much like on pigger trucks. Much of the same things apply to wagons, in addition to the prevention of exhaust being sucked into the car.

The pipes-only kiy you referenced has full length tailpieps that do not side exit. The 1023 kit was the 2nd-of-2-boxes box that made up the system, and is no longer available separately. They learne dthat everyone wnated the pipes and not the muffs.

Oh well, will probably buy the whole thing anyway, as I don't have time to mess with this anymore...

Good luck,
Tom

 

Spare tire well shouldn't interfere with exhaust.

Hi Tom and mid-60s GM Wagon fans,

I paid a visit at the muffler shop recommended for this project and they talked me into just have them make a custom exhaust for my trusty wagon. It will save me a lot of headaches and probably a little cash. Given how I want to use the car, the loss of piping cross-section isn't likely to matter. As I do the math, it is only a 20% reduction and this car is going to be a leisurely tow-vehicle, not a drag-racer.

While I was there, I took some pictures of the underside of my wagon. In particular, this photo shows that the spare tire well doesn't interfere with the "plumbing" for the exhaust.



You can barely make out the outline of the spare tire well behind the frame and the exhaust pipe.

Okay, I didn't know that. It wouldn't surprise me if it was identical to the wagon exhaust since after all, an El Camino is a wagon without a "factory shell." It wouldn't surprise me if the explanation for why the exhaust was going out the side came - after the fact!

Sorry to hear that. There are other places where you can get the pipes alone or get a piping system with the mufflers of your choice. Don't know how much you want to continue the shop around game though.

Good luck on your wagon!

Cheers, Edouard

 

Mine came straight down, after the 'over the axle pipe' and the exhaust actually hit the ground even with the center of the tires, ala 65 Chevelle L-78. I liked the 'stealth' look.

 

OK, all in, just bought the Flowmaster 17120 kit, so I'll be the test subject for how it fits. Will post else where, maybe in my main build thread, when I get that far, so all will know what I go thru to get it installed.

Best,
Tom

 

Hoping to go with the Pypes kit.

Hi Tom and Station Wagon restorers,

According to my engine builder I really should get an "X" crossover, so unless I hear something awful, I'll probably go with the "Pypes" kit instead:

http://pypesexhaust.com/sys-skylark.html

Something will have to be done to reroute the exhaust to the side but that should be quick work for the muffler shop.

I'll report on how this all turns out as well!

Cheers, Edouard

 

I used a straight 'H' pipe straight across on my BB wagon, with a slip joint, so I could open the headers, and spread the pipes to install 1 bolt to hold up the pipes.

 

Hi Edouard

That looks like a good system as well. Good price at Summit for the 2.5" unpolished SS tubing.

Looking at some of the other systems Pypes offers I would call their tech line and see if they can supply the system with the turnouts or side exits needed for a wagon/El Camino. They have "side exit" systems pictured for 65-69 Impala's, 55-57 Chevy wagons, and "quarter exit" systems for 67-69 Camaro's and Firebird's, so maybe they can do the wagon tails right, or supply the bits to help it fit better.

Best regards,
Tom

 

Okay, I'll ask them "Pypes"!

Hi Tom and Station Wagon Lovers,

I got chided a bit for wanting to go "H" pipe instead of "X" crossover by Jim Weise who built my custom engine. Since he got 509 horsepower out of it, I think I'd better listen to his advice!!

Okay, I'll give them a call, but I'm not too worried about it. I think a muffler shop can easily rework the piping to give me a proper wagon side exit. They could simply weld in some angled fittings and not even reduce the piping cross-section on the side-exit. However, I assume by the time the exhaust gases have gone beyond the axle, a 20% reduction in cross-section really won't cost me any significant efficiency.

Cheers, Edouard

Best regards,
Tom[/QUOTE]