The Random Technologies catalytic...
The Random Technologies catalytic converter fits nicely in the area, but it's close to the firewall and footwell. We used some .100 steel to fabricate heat shields and welded them directly to the cat. The heat shields really work-no hot feet and you can see that we've driven the car in most every condition possible from the corrosion. After many miles, it's obvious the converter placement was the right choice. Overall, the floor is much cooler, and the passenger compartment is comfortable.
The rear pipe slips onto the...
The rear pipe slips onto the front pipe and gets clamped with the clamps that are supplied in the Corvette Central exhaust system. The rear pipes fit correctly with no modifications. The only modifications were at the front for the headers. Since we have the Keisler Tremec five-speed in place, we fabricated a custom bracket to retain the exhaust at the transmission. Corvette Central supplies a new transmission exhaust mounting bracket when the system is changed from single to duals when you have an OE manual or automatic transmission.
Once the front pipes are in...
Once the front pipes are in place, we install the mufflers. A light coating of never-seize allows the pipes to slip on easier. Plus, the never-seize allows you to move things around until the system is properly aligned. As you can see, the Corvette Central supplied Magnaflow mufflers have the correct pipe welded in place and is ready for installation.
when we install the clamps,...
when we install the clamps, we put the saddle "up" to keep the threaded portion from hanging down to be caught on the ground. Whether you put the clamp up or down, always watch the placement to avoid spring contact. The TRW composite spring is wider than the original metal spring and can be damaged by the exhaust clamp.
Before we fully tightened...
Before we fully tightened the rear clamp, we found that the rear pipes would hit our Vette Brakes and Products Smart Strut rear camber bracket when they were in the correct position. Our handy air hacksaw took out just enough material to allow the pipes to fit properly. Always be conservative when you cut or modify parts for a better fit. If you remove too much material, the part can be weakened. OE camber struts wouldn't require any cutting because they position the camber struts up higher, which, unfortunately, effects suspension geometry in a negative way.
It's hard to see in the photo, but the exhaust tips are black chrome, which went well with the PSA color scheme. They weren't high dollar, but were heavy gauge steel and should last a while. The tips were too long so we cut them off and welded them in place avoiding the screws that were supplied for retention.
As you can see the Corvette Central system fit perfectly from front to the back. Although our '79 shark didn't come with duals, you would never know it from the fit of the system. The aluminized exhaust pipes will last for quite a while with the electronic fuel injection. As an added benefit, this system won't be expanding and contracting like a stainless system would.
We like the fit of the Magnaflow muffler under the bumper. The mufflers fit in place correctly and required no massaging to get in the correct position. There's a fine line when it comes to positioning the muffler at the correct height. If installed too low at the rear, the pipes will be too low. If you install the muffler too high at the rear, the pipes will hit the rear camber strut bracket.