Exhaust cost

[Al Fernandez]

Those of you that have recently swapped to an LS (or an LT in a 3rd gen...) Did you have your exhaust fabbed at a shop? How much did it cost?

[Pranav]

I made it myself using the factory y pipe and cats.

Rent the exhaust repair kit from AutoZone and get some tubing and bends from summit.

It actually is a lot of fun and very rewarding!

[Supercharged111]

I'm a cheapass and found the rear section of the factory y which has much better ground clearance than the aftermarket y pipes. Going to spend money on the manifold flanges but the rest will be like what Pranav did just welding bends together in the garage. Hell you can really cheap out and do some pie cuts where the bends aren't quite enough.

[Al Fernandez]

Unfortunately my factory Y pipe was lost so have to start at the manifolds.

[Supercharged111]

You can start with one of these. They require some massaging to fit properly and the ground clearance isn't as good as stock. A few off road excursions ought to fix that though.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/wlk-88028/overview/year/2001/make/chevrolet/model/camaro

[Storm Trooper]

I Purchased flame cut flanges on eBay for $40
Then had a local exhaust shop build a 2 1/2 inch y and then 2 1/2 inch out. I had them install a flange so I could remove the drivers side and drop the transmission without pulling the whole entire exhaust system. 2 O2 bungs was around $100

[Al Fernandez]

Yeah that's the part I was eyeballing Dustin. I added up more than that just in individual 2.5" bends, collector, ebay flanges (thanks Sean!) and O2 bungs.

Sean, you got a shop to build your system from the flanges to the exit for $100???

[Storm Trooper]

Sean, you got a shop to build your system from the flanges to the exit for $100???

$200 fat fingers lol

[BryanL]

I have had several different exhaust systems and still have some of them. Original car came with custom cats and 3" exhaust out the back with no muffler but it was quiet with the cats. I then went with one of the aftermarket y pipes like above. One of them broke somewhere and I then took some flanges, factory y pipe and a slp bullet muffler to an exhaust shop. Had them make some pipes from the flanges to the y pipe and then a pieced welded to the the bullet and a turn down. I don't remember what I paid the shop but I'm guessing anything a shop is going to do like that should run $200. The other parts I had laying around.

I'll see if I have anything you could use and you could get it with the connectors!!

[Pranav]

Ripley's off 1960/kuykendahl does good work.

Tell them the Indian guy in the black Camaro sent you and make sure to tell them you to off track a lot.

[Supercharged111]

Ripley's off 1960/kuykendahl does good work.

Tell them the Indian guy in the black Camaro sent you and make sure to tell them you to off track a lot.

Will they charge him more or less if he supplies that information?

[marshall_mosty]

Will they charge him more or less if he supplies that information?
it will determine if they integrate a flat bottom "skid plate" to the underside of the exhaust.

[Al Fernandez]

Lol

[39PitCrew]

it will determine if they integrate a flat bottom "skid plate" to the underside of the exhaust.

For Al's car they could just install a 4 inch lift kit all the way around and give him some mudder tires.

[Alien]

Ripley's off 1960/kuykendahl does good work.
I can't weld nor have the equipment or patience to do exhaust work myself. For Knocker, I've been to at least 4 different shops trying to get good work. Ripley's was the best of the lot, but not THE best IHMO.

After I swapped in the TPI to start CMC in 2008, two different muffler shops refused to work on it because it didn’t have cats. Against advice, I went to ARD off Hwy 6. They said it would be ready in a week for $200 for a y-pipe and side exhaust. After getting the runaround for two weeks, I go to pick it up and they’re still welding on it as I pull in. Then the owner gives me the invoice for $340. YGTBSM. A week later than promised with them wanting 70% more than what they first estimated without ever contacting me? Poor welding at that. A few days, 15% is understandable. I think they went out of business since then.

The third shop that did the TPI exhaust made a laughable y-pipe. They simply cut an oval hole in one pipe, and y'd the other into it. They were also so proud of how stout the entire system was... "This thing isn't going anywhere", which was fine until it cracked the y-pipe at Hallett since it was too rigidly mounted.

When I swapped in the LT1, I went to Ripleys. I took them the cut y-pipe flanges for the LT1 manifolds along with a 3" dia rear section of exhaust I had in storage; a section that went from just infront of the axle, over the axle and into a flowmaster in the factory location. They fabricated the Y-pipe from scratch and iirc it was about $700. I did tell them to add a flange to join the old and new sections. The guy was so proud to show me the slip fit connection, not the flange as I had asked. A trip to the dyno showed fuel pressure issues. Go home to drop the tank, and spent way too much time fighting the stupid slip fit connection. Changed fuel pump, redyno'd and took it back to Ripley's to have them put a damn flange like I asked the first time. The y-pipe is difficult enough as it is to get off since the studs on the manifolds aren't parallel side to side. Once again, this exhaust setup was pretty rigid, so I wallowed out the rubber hangers a little to give it some movement.

For the LS1 streetcar, I took it to Vorshlag in Dallas knowing they'd be expensive but at least Fair would do it right and with whatever little oddities I request. Headers were already installed, and I supplied the cats and muffler. They fabricated the Y-pipe from the headers back. 2.5" into 3.5" stainless with mandrel bends and O2 bungs. It was just shy of $2000. If/when I do heads/cam, I will upgrade the headers and only have to have a new 3" y-pipe fabricated. On this car too, I had them add a flanged connection as it turns up to go over the axle. They used a V-band setup.

I can't stand that a typical shop will simply weld the entire exhaust without thinking of serviceability. If you have to drop it to do a clutch, you have to cut the exhaust, or drop the axle if the muffler is in the stock location. If you can, talk to the guy doing the actual work.

[Al Fernandez]

Wow Gary...some not so good experiences there. Thanks for the tips though.