Jim's 1969 Custom/20

[bollybib]

EXHAUST (Part 3 of 6)

I should also mention that the pipe ends were distorted by the manufacturer’s end cuts. They looked to have been cut with a cutting wheel type tool. As they came out of the box, none of the sections would slide into a mating pipe section or a muffler. I took a file to the ends and removed material at the last inch or so of pipe near the cut. After that, the pipe sections slipped firmly into their mating section.

By this time I got a response from Summit (but nothing yet from Holley). Their response in part was "We've had 37 sets sold in the last three years with 2 coming back, 1 return was similar to yours". Summit offered to exchange my kit for another, but I felt that I’d get the same stuff in a new kit because the left and right headpipes are the same part number according to Hooker’s installation instructions. So I proceeded knowing I’d have to have the droopy headpipe bent by a shop.

I needed to make sure it got bent correctly. To ensure my measurements were accurate, I moved my truck into the garage so it was on a flat surface. I rigged up some layout string across the frame to get a good reference point to measure from. With my measurements and a little trig, I computed that the pipe needed to be bent an additional 6.7 degrees upward. I also measured (with less accuracy I’d say) the compound angles of the outlets on both manifolds relative to the plane of the inlet ports. I found them to differ between the driver side and passenger side by about 6 degrees. This confirmed that the outlet angles of the manifolds are not the same side-to-side and that my calculated angle was in the ballpark. I made up a template on a piece of cardboard, took the pipe to a shop with bender, gave the guy eight bucks, and he bent it for me. I took it home and finally it fit right so I could move on.

Here is another member that experienced the same problem but with a different kit:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...&postcount=320.

Eventually, I got a response from Holley. Here it is.

"Jim, I have forwarded your issue to product management and discussed your concerns. Unfortunately at this point with this being a cost effective kit with no other complaints YTD on quantities sold they are advising me the kit is what it is basically and if you are not satisfied with it and do not want to make any mods to make it work to return the kit. At this point we are not going to redesign the kit. I apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks Shane Whitescarver Technical Service Representative"

Hmm, cost effective. For them perhaps since they won’t incur expenses to improve the product. Isn’t anyone complaining about the fit of this kit ? And is Holley admitting that they sell a poorly designed product ? I sent a reply to Holley saying that they should add a cautionary note to the kit instructions, i.e., "this kit may require field bending and cutting to achieve correct fit".

[bollybib]

EXHAUST (Part 4 of 6)

I found some beam clamps at Home Depot that looked like they would stay secure. I changed the bolts from square head to hex head and added a jam nut. I used Loctite on all the screw threads when I installed them.

The passenger side tailpipe gave me some grief. Turns out that when the tailpipes are level, the drop from the muffler to the outlet on the passenger side is two inches less than the driver side. Since the muffler outlets have to be at about the same height when using the Hooker mufflers, the passenger side tailpipe had to droop a little to clear the frame and also to have the outlet at the same height as the other side. I needed to cut a little bit of pipe off at the muffler end too, about one inch. Viewed from the rear, you can see the difference but it probably wouldn’t be obvious once the bed goes back on. What kind of fun is this ?? (I should have bought a shop quality hydraulic bender, a welder, and some fat pipe sticks and fabbed up my own system, huh).

Pipes with Hooker mufflers installed showing droopy PS tail

So anyway, after a lot of you-know-whatting around, I finally got it all hooked up so the pipe had good clearance and it was all secure (quite secure IMHO). I sealed all the pipe joints with Permatex Ultracopper, letting each joint cure overnight before snugging up the clamps. Time for a drive. Well, it sounded better for sure, I didn’t get that Model T sound from the broken muffler anymore, and it was definitely quieter. It was a lot quieter under the hood, all the leaks up there had been eliminated. The sound at the rear had evened out from side-to-side. I could hear valve train noise from the engine rattling around inside the mufflers. All in all, better than before, but way too loud for my tastes.

So I did some more research and ended up choosing a different muffler, Walker Quiet Flows. Smooth and quiet, that’s where I wanted to go.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/WLK-21200/

After I told Summit that I had to bend the headpipe and cut the tailpipe on the Hooker kit, they sent me a gift certificate for $25, what a bunch of swell guys huh ?. Less the eight bucks to bend the pipe, that will offset the cost of the Walkers by 17 dollars.

[bollybib]

EXHAUST (Part 5 of 6)

It took about a week for the first Walker to show up after I ordered it, and it was defective (split pipe). So back it went and Summit shipped me another.

The second one showed up shortly thereafter and looked OK. I removed the Hooker mufflers and installed the Walkers. The Walkers are longer overall and the inlet is offset from center along the minor chord of the oval face of the muffler. The Hooker inlets were centered, not offset like the Walkers. The offset outlets of both have the same geometry. When the Walkers were rotated into position, it caused the outlet on the passenger side to drop about an inch and on the driver side to rise about an inch. This was a serendipitous event, it caused the horizontal run of both tailpipes to be parallel to the ground with the outlets at the same height. This was another design issue that made me shake my head regarding Hooker’s mediocre design.

.................
Walker inlets.......................................................Hooker inlets

So finally I got the system all hooked up and ready to go (again). I installed a pair of mudflaps and some taillights so I could drive it around legally with the bed off to check all my work. The Walkers sounded quieter, but not as quiet as I expected. After driving around for a while, I concluded that I could live with the sound I was getting. After all, a big truck should make its presence felt.

[bollybib]

EXHAUST (Part 6 of 6)

...

I drove around for a week or so with the bed off which was way cool fun for me. Here is a video showing some of this fun..->>>> [ http://jims1969chevroletcustom20.shu...om/pictures/10 ].

After I put the bed back on I didn’t detect much difference in the sound from the exhaust.

Near the end of the week the fiber-type DS manifold-to-pipe donut blew out so I replaced it with a solid metal one. As of this writing, everything looks secure and the sytem is tight.

................
Blown out donut (a poem).........................................................Solid vs fiber

In conclusion, unless you are prepared to go through what I have described above, take the advice of many others here and take your truck to a shop. You could save yourself all this trouble (or fun) and probably not spend a whole lot more than I did. I have loads of time to play around with this stuff, and for me, it was an interesting challenge.

Exh man gaskets…………..$……9.78
Hooker mufflers……………..…..82.85
Pass side exh manifold……....31.50
Exhaust pipes……………....….199.95
Hardware…………………......…….4.70
Driver side exh manifold…....38.00
Beam clamps………………….......8.52
Bolt exh man…………………...…..0.77
Bend headpipe…………………...…8.00
Exh packing sleeves…………….17.50
Deformed lock nuts…........…..3.07
Fasteners……………………....…….2.22
Gaskets…………………………......14.10
Walker mufflers………………....171.85
Summit gift certificate…......(25.00)
Total…………………………....…$.567.81
(I suppose I could sell the Hookers and decrease the total a little…)

January 10, 2012
Sold the Hooker mufflers...$.(60.00)
Shippping for mufflers...........31.85
Paypal fee for mufflers...........2.04

New Total......................$.541.70

OK that’s all for now, I’m exhaust-ed.

Peace.

[bollybib]

OTHER TASKS WITH THE BED REMOVED (1 of 2)

**Clean the frame

After viewing the many rustbucket examples to be found on this site, I consider myself fortunate that the extent of rust on my truck is minimal. The only place I found flaking metal due to rust was at the trailing arm reinforcement plates. Most of the frame cleaned up nicely with soap and water and revealed much original paint. Where oil/dirt buildup had accumulated at the differential leaks, I had to use solvent, a scraper, and a wire brush to clean it all off. I then gave everything a coat of boiled linseed oil thinned about 1/10 by volume with mineral spirits. Applying a thin coat, letting it sit for 15-20 minutes or so, then cleaning up remaining puddles with a rag dampened with mineral spirits gave everything a pleasant looking appearance and will inhibit rust well enough for my use of the truck (no rainy day driving, dry climate, low mileage driven, etc.). It was cheap and easy to do. I liked that part.

........
Frame Before………………........…….......…………….Frame Half-done

[bollybib]

OTHER TASKS WITH THE BED REMOVED(2 of 2)

Frame After

**Replace the shocks

I replaced both rear shocks with Monroe 32301’s so I’ve got new ones all the way around now.

*Replace the rear brake hose

I figured this was a good time to replace this hose. Access was excellent and the job took me less than an hour, including bleeding. Pricey little hose, that.

**Redo the rear end cover seal that I apparently didn’t do very well the first time

This time I followed vectorit’s (Chris’s) procedure at ----- http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...04&postcount=7. As of this writing, the exterior of the rear end is dry as a bone.

I also painted the spare tire carrier semigloss black and cleaned up the attaching hardware, detailed the spare tire because it would be left exposed, and cleaned and straigtened the license plate bracket and lamp assembly. I stripped then primed the strip of bed below the tailgate and I thought it looked OK just like that so I left it. I had the paint on hand so this was all freebie stuff more or less.

Boiled linseed oil, bed hardware…………….$....8.10
Shocks…………………………………...........………..54.35
Brake hose……………………………..........…………29.90
Total……………………............……………………$…92.35

I’ve been getting mucho enjoyment out of driving this beefy veteran around town to go surf, visit friends, and run errands. I’ve driven it at night and I even got it out on the freeway a couple of times with no problem.

The next thing I want to do is replace all the bench seat foam and install new covers. I’m thinking 69 CST all vinyl Saddle reproduction now. I’d like a smaller steering wheel so I’ll be looking. I’ll also be monitoring the condition of the engine to determine what needs to be done there to quiet it down and fine tune it a bit. A small, column-mounted tach would be nice. And anything else that looks interesting to do haha.

[treveiger]

Looking good!

[oldman3]

Nice job Jim, truck sounds good to me, enjoy.....Jim

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by oldman3

Nice job Jim, truck sounds good to me, enjoy.....Jim

Thanks a lot, Jim. Seems things are in good running order now so I'm going to enjoy driving it for a while. It's a lumbering beast but a lot faster than I expected. Without the bed it was quick. Runs on regular OK. Sucks it up like it was, well, 1969 !

[Stricklinator]

Nice write up Jim! I replaced my exhaust a while back too. I bought a dual kit from LMC, but gave up when I couldn't get the manifold collector bolts to budge. Trucked it down to a muffler shop and had them do it for me. He broke almost all of those bolts on the manifolds and spent quite a bit of time re-bending the supposedly pre-bent pipes. I am not happy overall, he did a poor job lining everything up and put hangers in poor places, but it sounds good and sure beats the rusted out single pipe! Happy trucking; I love your Corvette too by the way!

Paul
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[treveiger]

Originally Posted by Stricklinator

Nice write up Jim! I replaced my exhaust a while back too. I bought a dual kit from LMC, but gave up when I couldn't get the manifold collector bolts to budge. Trucked it down to a muffler shop and had them do it for me. He broke almost all of those bolts on the manifolds and spent quite a bit of time re-bending the supposedly pre-bent pipes. I am not happy overall, he did a poor job lining everything up and put hangers in poor places, but it sounds good and sure beats the rusted out single pipe! Happy trucking; I love your Corvette too by the way!

Paul
Posted via Mobile Device

can I ask what's a price range on getting custom pipes if you already have the mufflers?
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[Stricklinator]

Originally Posted by treveiger

can I ask what's a price range on getting custom pipes if you already have the mufflers?
Posted via Mobile Device

I paid $300 for the muffler shop to fit my "pre-bent" kit and weld all the joints. I thought it was pricey, but I don't have much experience with muffler shops so I am not sure.
Posted via Mobile Device

[bollybib]

Thanks Paul. $300 at say $50/hr is only 6 hours of work; I spent probably 10 times that amount of time over a period of 3 1/2 months to install mine. It's not reasonable to expect a shop to do work the way I do. Basically, exhaust systems are a RPITA.

Hi treveiger. I never took my truck to a shop so I can't say what a typical cost to install might be. Labor cost is usually close to the cost of parts so that's one way to guesstimate it. Taking it to several shops and getting estimates and checking out their shops and their work is a better way. Asking this question in the main board and searching archives is another. I recall seeing this discussion in old threads so the info is buried in here somewhere.

[treveiger]

Ya I have seen a few also just hoping its not to insane
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[bollybib]

MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (1 OF 2)

Here are a few more things that needed attention that I’ve completed since my last FIXIT post in May 2011 (Post #21).

* Interior rear view mirror

The PO’s mirror didn’t look like it belonged in a truck.

From what I could gather here in the Board, 1969 was the last year that interior rear view mirrors were an option, so the one I inherited must have been added by a PO. I bought an OG mirror offered by 72shortbed12 in the Parts Board and installed it. It came from Utah so that was kinda cool since my truck came from Utah, too.

I looked for pics of mirrors in the Board to get the positioning as close to stock as possible. Pics were not easy to find, very few people take pics of their rear view mirrors. The cover should be saddle, not white, but I can paint over it or find a saddle cover later if it causes sleepless nights.

Here is a thread discussing these mirrors or lack thereof - - - - > http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=473824

* Glove box emblem

My Chevrolet was a Custor so I got a new emblem from Ironhorse in the Parts Board. I glued it on with silicone glue because the studs were broken. Now my Chevrolet is a Custom like it should be.

...

* Glove box light

I got one of these from thelonerife in the Parts Board - - - > http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...love+box+light. It was cheap and easy to install. The old liner was shot so I trashed it. I’ll get a new liner later.

[bollybib]

MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (2 OF 2)

* Paint line trim

This was the only trim piece missing on the truck. I got this one from KrazyRay in the Parts Board. It’s a little banged up, but so is the rest of the trim so it fits in just fine.

Just by chance, it came off a truck very similar to mine, a 70 CST C20 White/saddle (2nd pic here - - - >) http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...95&postcount=4

* Gas cap

The existing cap seal was cracked, and I could smell gas now and again while driving, particulary after turning a corner. I bought a replacement at NAPA and now I’m good to go.

* Cleaned the taillight lenses, lamps, and housings

The lamps and lenses were filthy so the lights were dim. Everything was nice and bright after cleaning. The DS bed corner is a little whacked so I straightened out the housings and trim on that side as best I could. I’ll replace the DS trim someday. The PS side looks pretty decent.

* Wiper refills

No one keeps these once-ordinary items in stock any more. I had to ask the O’Reilly salesperson to order them for me.

* Spot mirrors

To eliminate blind spots I installed spot mirrors on both exterior rear view mirrors. I had one on hand so I only had to buy one.

Little things like these sure can make a big difference in the operation and looks of the truck.

* $ $$$

Rear view mirror………….$.18.00
Glove box emblem…......….5.00
Glove box light…….......……8.00
Paint line trim……........….23.00
Gas cap……………..............5.97
Wiper refills, spot mirror....6.50
Total………………............$.66.47

[VA72C10]

Nice progress and enjoy the writeups!

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Nice progress and enjoy the writeups!

Thanks. It's a windy, rainy day here this morning (rather unusual the rain is this time of year) so I figured I'd amuse myself (and hopefully others) with a bit of a ramble on my truck.

[oldblue1968chevy]

You do an amazing job! keep up the GREAT work!

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

You do an amazing job! keep up the GREAT work!

Thanks. I enjoy reading your posts, too.

[CG]

I like these kind of posts. Very well done, cool truck.

[oldblue1968chevy]

They arent nearly as well laid out/detailed as yours!

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by CG

I like these kind of posts. Very well done, cool truck.

Thanks. I hope you are enjoying this holiday Monday as much as I am.

[treveiger]

Hey Jim can I ask what ft. lb. of torque did you use on your rear axle cover? Thanks
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[bollybib]

The Service Manual says 18 fp but I torqued them to a little more than 25 fp as I recall (following vectorit's procedure).