I'm about to order a 2.5 exhaust system for long branch manifolds from Performance Years, has anyone got these or have any feedback on the fit?

No first hand experience, but I have heard good things about most of the systems that you can get from the major players now...

Keep us posted, and let us know how it turns out!

Brett - 67 Drop Top 455!

I got 2 1/4" pipes from Year One. They fit great and go above the X-brace on my vert. Is your's a vert or coup?

Bob S,
Did you get the set-up for long or short manifolds? I had the local Tuffy make mine and they hit the X-brace. I'm tired of asking them to tweek them.
Jim

Jim, I've got repro long branch manifolds.

I have a coupe. I've been watching the performance years site and there is alot negative feedback about the tail pipes not fitting correctly on the GTOs. I was hoping someone here might have a Firebird system.

I have the PY 2.5 inch X-pipe system for headers on my '67 coupe.

In general, the install was pretty easy. With the narrowed 'X' that they designed for the Firebird, I was able to tuck the pipes up into the tunnel.

The one issue I have is with the tail pipes over the axle. To me it appears that the bend is too large, so I can't tuck the tail pipes up high enough for the muffler outlet to sit level with the inlet. The mufflers are offset inlet and outlet. With the inlet pipes positioned up high in the driveshaft tunnel, the mufflers can be placed close to the floor. The tail pipes go up too high over the axle and the muffler has to be rotated (around the inlet pipe) so the outlet is about 2 inches lower than the inlet in order for the tail pipe to line up with the outlet. That reduces the ground clearance and makes the mufflers the low point. At some point, I want to re-work the bend over the axle.

I hope this description makes some sense. I can take and post some pictures if anyone wants.

Pete Klager
'67 400 coupe

I took some pictures last night. I was wrong in my previous description. The pipes currently are not up in the tunnel. If I were able to raise the mufflers up more, the pipes would be able to fit in there.

Here are some pictures of my install.

Pete Klager
'67 400 coupe

Wow, from the pictures I would say the fit is pretty lousy. The mufflers are a good 6-8 inches below the bottom of the axle and the frame rails. That's no good.

Could it be your muffler hangers are too long and the mufflers and the pipes to the rear just need to mount up higher?

PS, I see you could use some of the new axle bump stops!

Nothing personal, of course, because you didn't make the exhaust system, but it seems generic. Like a one size fits all. It would be alright for the track. A good street exhaust needs more custom bends.
Jim

Find a good shop in your area and have a system built. I had mine custom bent and installed a few months ago for less than the catalog parts alone. Plus the parts are warranted, and the fit is incredible. I have a convertible, and kept the x-brace in its stock location. The over-axle muffler provides full exhaust crossover and the resonators provide proper pitch.

Hi Salmon38,

Yes, the fit could be better. I did a quick install to get the car driveable. The previous 3 inch system was hacked up and too loud to tolerate. (Yes, I'm over 40! :rolleyes: ) I'm sure a pro could fit it better, especially with some modifications.

All the piping forward of the muffler is flat, so the header height sets the starting point. The mufflers are hanging about 2.5 or 3 inches below the indent in the floor pan, so they could be raised up some, but the tail pipes can't go up much more without some modification. The tail pipes mount to the hangers on the rear frame rails in the stock position, so the fit is OK from there on back. It is the over-the-axle bends that need to be shortened up. (The vertical rise after the muffler needs to be reduced.)

And yes, the new axle bump stops are going in this weekend!

I'll take a better side shot to show how the system hangs.

Pete

Vikki, I really like how your exhaust looks. Where did you buy your stuff from?

Steve

I had the exhaust system fabricated and installed by Doug's Muffler in Clinton Township, MI. They do a LOT of custom and race work. $400 total, installed, guaranteed with 5 hours of cutting, bending, welding and fitting. Doug Jr. is a perfectionist and very careful, too. I thought the pipes looked great the first time he fit them up; he made several more adjustments after that. I highly recommend their work.

Now I just have to get under there and clean up that ugly axle tube and diff cover...

I just installed my Long branch mans and my 2.5in x-pipe system from PY in my 69 coupe. No tailpipes. The mans were the 2.25s from Ames but the exhaust pipes bolted up fine. Fit was great. Only one area that wasn't just right was the angle of bend coming off the end of the mans(off a little). Pipes came long enough that you could position the x and the muffs just about anywhere. Mounted the x as far back as I could. Ended up cutting about 20 inches off one pair of pipes. Installed a set of ultra flows(offset in/center out) with some dumps. Souds great not too loud at all(IMO). Although when I have it parked next to my son's car(5.0 mustang) in the driveway it sets off the first stage of his alarm. Probably just sound envy. I'll try to post some pics if I can figure out how.

Robert

Thanks for the responses and pictures on this post. Robert If you could get some pictures I would appreciate it. Where in California are you?
Dean

Here is another picture of my car showing how the exhaust pipes hang. The pipes aren't very far below the sub frame in the front. As I said before, the mufflers are currently two low for my taste.

Pete

Dean, I'm in the east bay. About 10mi north of Berk. About 45-50min from you. I'll try to get time to post some pics soon. Right now I'm putting the heater core back in. Man, what a b*tch getting that thing back in. I thought I was going to have to take the fender off. If you're down my way you can roll by and take a look at the old girl's plumbing in person.

Robert

I have the Pypes 2.5" with x-pipe on my conv. What I did was lay a 2x4 under the two mufflers and jacked them up so they were level, then clamped the hangers on. Only issue I have is I went with the straight out the back tail pipes and I can not, for the life of me, get them level with the ground. They both go up at an angle. Oh well, time to spend more money for new tail pipes

So it sounds like the head pipes and x-over fit good but I should stay away from the tailpipes? 69FBConv do you have long branch manifolds? What mufflers did you go with?
Dean

I have Headman 4 tubes headers and I went with the Dynomax Super Turbos. It's mechanical music! Love the sound. Very mellow until you get on it.

Pete, Hard to say what went wrong there on your tailpipe install but that is not a normal installation height of our mufflers or tailpipes. It appears like the mufflers are too far forward and therefore your tails are hitting the floor on the way up whereas if they were back a little further you would get some extra clearance.

Yellowbird, That is an exceptional local installation. If that was under $500 that was a bargain. Unfortunately there aren't many local shops that are capable of quality work like that. We are working on a similar version that will be Mandrel bent and include an X pipe and will have a unique straight thru muffler for the higher flow necessary on the higher horsepower cars.

From the pictures it look like if you brought the whole thing forward a inch or two the tail pipes would fit up inside a little better and bring the mufflers up with them.