Anyone running the exhaust THROUGH the frame on their 58-64? I want the car low as possible with squashing or dragging the pipes. Is it safe to cut two holes and weld a pipe in the frame so that i can run the exhaust through it? Is this going to weaken the frame alot? Anyone have experience running exhaust through a frame? Pics would be great Thanks
Also, the rattling will be a problem. What could I use besides flexpipe trough the tunnel to keep it quiet?
I have built lots of lows and have lots of friends with lowriders, and have never really had problem running the exhaust tucked up and out the way, mostly cars sitting on the ground. Normally we just run the exhaust out and along the sides,running it on the outside of the frame rails...you just cut along the back of the front fenderwells and run it through the wheel arches and straight out the back or kick it down at the quarters if your worried about hopping it and crushing the tail pipes.
The trick is to wind the exhaust around the frame in the front where it kicks up so that it is no lower than the frame at any point and then run the mufflers under the body on the outside of the frame. Exit the exhaust where ever you want from there. That's how all of the lowrider guys do it and that's how I did it on my 60.
having mufflers under the floors was no good on my 63. they would pancake every time I dropped the car. I'm going to run the mufflers 'sideways' standing up in the quarters this time. I'm really reluctant to run the pipes under the frame
my 53 buick came stock just like you mentioned with the holes cut out and than the edges folded over for reinforcement. that was single exhaust stock, so i welded in a rim for the side i made. im unfamiliar with the frame your talking about but it would seem to me that this should work fine for you as well. fyi... i still didnt run the exhaust out the back, ran out of room from airbag junk and didnt feel like cutting everything up to snake it through.
If I was were to cut the X frame on my 58 Chevy to run exhaust, I'd brace the frame around the X for support and MAYBE throw in another crossmember for good measure. Late Great Chevs are extremely big cars to start with and the frames weren't the best source of strength............so I'd enforce it a tad bit more. I've boxed mine in, (finally), so it looks like this.....***bad rendition*** IXI Hope you get it? Never said I was an arteest!! **x Brandy
you have to just look for the right mufflers, you can't be running 3" exhaust or anything large like that. A few guys I know run gl*** packs in the rear quarters with no problems. If you curve the pipes out at the front were the frame kicks up by the a arms you'll have no problems crushing the tube. X frames twist a lot, I know on my lifted cars I wouldn't be cutting holes in the frames, even with a sleeve welded in. But I built my 63 as a hopper with a fully wrapped and smoothed 1/4" plate reinforced frame.
i bet you could get away with with like 1 and a half inch hole.. why not use the hole as your exhuast pipe and put a peice of flex on either end of it. that way u dont need a big hole and the 1 1/2 hole will allso act as a muffler of sorts i would guess but i would plate the **** out of that area if u were to do it. this is why i hate x frame cars but they make damn ***y lowriders
They are like any normal relationship.........one minute ya love the girl and the next you hate the *****. **x Brandy
I've got a 58 chevy wagon x-frame, with bags on 4 corners. I am running 1-3/4 pipe down both sides, have 12" gl***packs under my front seats, and the exhuast bends to follow the "x", goes up and over the rear axle (made the bends when it was dropped), then goes into bellflowers. No s****ing at all. The hardest part was bending the exhaust from the fenton headers (its a 235 six) to go around the ****** and down each side. Hope it makes sense, Erron
Originally, the exhaust came out in front of the rear tires (don't quote me on this)............when I took it to an exhaust shop to take a gander at her, they said they would follow the frame like the original did, but keep it going up and over the axle. They claimed it was the best way to route it. **x Brandy
It's totaly acceptable to torch holes through the X frame to run exhaust. Use an OA torch. To prevent rattling, weld solid hangers with the pipe running through the X frame and go from there. My '55 Olds had 2 hles cut in the X frame from the factory, another 2 in the other side won't hurt
Isn't the 55 Olds frame the same as a 55 Pontiac frame? If so, it's NOT the same as a Late Great Chevy. The X that runs thru my 55 frame is only for extra support is NOT the frame itself. Brandy
Never said it was the same frame, I'm just saying that a couple of holes torched through won't kill it and used my '55 as an example
My exhaust is ran up next to the frame for the length of the car. There are solid hangers welded directly onto the mufflers, and pipes. I have a pair of Cherry Bombs on mine. They're not wider than the frame height, and don't drag or get squashed.
Nah I got what you said the first time............I'd cut holes in the x that runs thru my 55 frame (think Convert frame for those who don't know), HOWEVER, I wouldn't cut holes into my 58 frame without bracing it first. It's the difference between cutting a hole right thru your frame and cutting a hole in extra support TO your frame. ***Take it to an exhaust shop if you have apprehensions*** **x Brandy
on my 61 im going to 'c' notch the frame in the front so the exhaust can tuck up a little more, then run it along the frame. if i have to ill gain some clearance by 'adjusting' the exhaust pipe a little. i think the only real problem is in the front of the x frame where the exhaust goes from inside the x to the outside of it. later.
**** Brandy you mean run rails along the rockers to reinforce the X? I just want to cut some holes, sleeve them, run my exhaust through and put 1/4" plate on both sides to reinforce it. I've never seen it done does anyone have pics or an extra frame incase i **** up?
There's no reason to and no advantage to be had by going through to frame, anywhere. To begin with, where are you talking about? Where the stock exhaust comes out the frame bends up like already mentioned and even if you did go through somewhere, the pipes would still bestraddling the frame, whick the stock pipes do anyway. The lowest part of those cars is the rear floor footwells, and the pipe goes next to and between them and the X part of the frame, not under them, so I don't know what you are trying to accomplish? The only thing in the way of tucking the mufflers high on my 60 is the speedo cable on the drivers side and just running a short gl***pack further back will solve that. A really wide tire might hit the pipe where it goes over the rear axle next to the frame arch, but you don't need big tires on a s****in' short anyway. big tires are for jacked up "hotrods"
okay i'm not sure if this is clear... Okay now when the pipe comes from the collector, it has to arch underneath the frame AND THEN run parrallel to the middle of the x and back. This HAS ALWAYS been a problem with X cars. This is the 63 we built a few years ago. Mind you, the car has ****** super comps MADE for a 63, but my car is only going to have block hugger style header. I want the front crossmember to sit right on the ground without touching the pipes. The Only way to do this is either run tiny exhaust (an still flatten it) or got through the frame. You can see in the pic how fast the frame comes into the x. The holes will have to be just before the ****** X member.
how big of an exhaust are your trying to run...in 10 years of building 60's x framed cars, we've never had a problem. crossmembers layed on the ground and everything. only problem we ever had was taking out an oil pan on a straight six hitting pot hole being young and drunk driving it canned sparking on the ground.
I guess the big difference is I normally just run the chevy ram horn manifolds on an xframe car. they let the exhaust dump straight down and make it easy to bend out right behind the a arm. I can see how a full header would be a problem.
ok maybe im missing something but arent you guys all saying run the exhaust prety much like lake pipes but tucked in under neith the body? so the pipes would have no interferance with anything and the frame would hit first like this pic? i just dont get why it wouldnt work and he thinks hes gona crush --the black is the frame side veiw-gray is exhaust-red is a gl*** pack
This is what I'll be doing on any future frame-off X-frame restos. The 2.5" pipe I'm using now on my wagon just hangs too low on the 'wrap around', even though it's tucked up pretty close currently. I think if you run a 2" pipe you should be able to get it tucked up to the frame and floor pan pretty well without requiring any frame changes.
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