joe_padavano

Finally completed the exhaust system for the 62 wagon. Frequent readers may recall that the 61-63 F-85s used a transverse muffler behind the rear axle. The single exhaust pipe runs in the trans tunnel, next to the driveshaft. Many folks run conventional dual exhaust under the car, but that makes for low-hanging mufflers. I wanted to keep the exhaust pipe in the stock location. I talked myself into a single pipe when I realized that two 2.5" pipes are fine for a 455, so a single 2.5" pipe should be acceptable for a 215. For now I kept the stock Y-pipe; I'll change that when I install the Rover factory shorty headers.

After scanning the Walker Exhaust catalog, I noticed that Camaros have exhaust pipes that look a lot like the one in my 62, at least from the middle of the car over the axle to the muffler. I also figured I could use the Camaro-style muffler, with a single inlet and two outlets on opposite ends. I first got a Dynomax Super Turbo, but when I held it up under the car it seemed to hang down too much. At GMs at Carlisle I came across a Magnaflow with the same inlet/outlet configuration that was quite a bit smaller (5 x 8 body vs. 4.25 x 9.75). In this photo, the lower right tube is the inlet on both and the other two are the outlets.



I was afraid that the Magnaflow would be too loud. Turns out I was right, but I don't have a choice right now.

With the muffler settled, it was time for the exhaust pipe. I initially got a Dynomax 46744 pipe for a third gen Camaro. That pipe is supposed to have 2.5" ends, but what was not in the listing is that it's actually a 2.75" pipe with the muffler end necked down. Here's a photo next to the stock "soda straw" pipe. Needless to say, it did not fit well under the car.



I then discovered the Dynomax 47638, also for a third gen Camaro, which is a true 2.5" pipe. It only required a small pie cut over the rear axle to fit perfectly. I formed the front section from straight pipe and mandrel bent elbows. Here's the fabricated pipe next to the original.



Here's a closeup of the pie cut over the axle.



And finally, a view of the front end. Note the S-turn that peeks out from the driveshaft tunnel and aims at the end of the Y-pipe. The flare and flange is also a stock Walker item.



With the pipe and muffler in place, I fabricated tail pipes. I didn't want the pipes to run out the back, since I like to drive with the back window open, so I went for dumps behind the back wheels. Again, stock mandrel bent elbows and straight pipe were welded up.



Note that I used the Walker band-style clamps, which make it easy to disassemble the exhaust system. I love these clamps now. I will probably made a few tweaks to the pipe routing after Nationals, but for now it works. Yes, it's louder than I'd like, but with the tailpipes it's not unbearable inside the car. Hopefully it won't drone on the freeway. Once I get the pipes exactly the way I like them, I'll have the whole thing HPC coated (except for the stainless muffler).

gearheads78

Nice work Joe

2blu442

Yes, it looks like a little patience and creativity has paid off!
John

The Stickman

Damn that looks pretty good. Too bad it's a bit to loud.

joe_padavano

Thanks, but don't let your wife look too closely at the welds...

I took it for a drive yesterday evening, and the sound isn't too bad.

citcapp

Joe,

looks great, turn your hearing aid down and you'll be fine

The Stickman

Haha. If you need it or anything else welded just let us know. Is it loud all the time or just when you get on it? Or is it something you can get used to? BTW is that muffler used? If so then it shouldn't get any louder.

Aron Nance

Joe: The Wagon (and you, of course) are going to be on the Show Field next week, right? Want to see it/hear it run! Great job on fabbing the exhaust, southern engineering at its finest!

joe_padavano

Actually, it's not bad at idle. It's a little loud outside when you get on it but inside isn't too bad, even with the windows down.

No, brand new in the box. It is unpolished stainless, which is why it looks dull compared to the aluminized Dynomax.

I'll be there, though it seems like this car has one of those "crisis detector" circuits that they build into office copiers - you know, the circuit that senses you need to get these fifty copies made immediately and causes the machine to jam up. Last night when I got back from driving it, something in the rear axle was making an ugly noise. Then the noise stopped but the brakes appeared to be dragging. Turns out that the e-brake link between the two shoes had fallen out of place and wedged between the drum and backing plate (and gotten destroyed in the process). Naturally the thousand A-body links that I have are too short, and the B-body link is too long. I sectioned and welded one of the B-body links to fit.

That's fixed, but now it won't start. I decided to come in and cool off for a while before tackling that problem.

Uh, I assume that's a compliment???

The Stickman

Sounds perfect to me. Loud outside for people to notice, but quite inside when you want it.

joe_padavano

Yeah, it's growing on me. I just haven't had it on the freeway yet. I'm always wary of the "flowmaster drone".

1969w3155

Would resonators help?

joe_padavano

Only if there were someplace to put them. You can see the tailpipes in the rear end photo above. The 2.5" pipe in front of the muffler is a tight squeeze in the driveshaft tunnel, and the short section where it jumps out of the tunnel to mate with the Y-pipe is already the lowest part of the car.

panos

really nice job there Joe,wish i can make mine that nice

dfree

Joe,
Congrats on the exhaust. Thanks also for your detailed post with pictures. I learn
lots of things reading posts here. I may be brave enough to tackle exhaust when the time comes. Also glad to see the plywood with jack stands. Thought I was the only one.

Best of outcomes and hope you make it to the Show Field.

Dan