Looking for some opinions on exhaust options for my 1977 f100. Has a 5.0 high output/small c4 combo, no saddle tank just rear tank. Does have longtube headers that have 3" collectors. All the exhaust shops around me want anywhere from 800-1000 not including mufflers or tips. Been digging around for bolt on systems but am coming up empty handed, anyone have any suggestions?

 

800-1000 isnt a bad price if they know how to make hangers and do good

 

How nice of an exhaust do you want? Is that price for a mild steel or aluminized pipes? I paid for exhaust work twice and never had to pay more than $600 plus my mufflers and tips. The last exhaust I did, I did it myself for around $180 total ($50 muffler, $30 tips, and $100 for pipes). The welds aren't the prettiest but they are holding up nicely. Shop around and even go a couple towns over if you have to. If I'm paying $1000 for exhaust, that better be stainless steel.

 

Was that 20 years ago?
buy 20ft of pipe now decent muffler a handfull of Band clamps material to make hangers, wire, sheilding gas

Good luck hitting that 500 mark. You might but barely then you gota do the job of doing the job.

Just saw your pics. In front of the tire is cheaper.

Last cummins exhaust i did i used stainless because it was cheaper. Always used a mandrel duramax pipe because it was cheaper than dodge stuff. Its a full exhaust from down pipe to rear bumper

Heres mine.

Dual 2.5 to 4" back to 3" resisinator at axle dump.
I like ti follow the frame lines and muffler hanging down wad driving me crazy. Was a fair amount of work plumbing pipes from manifolds clear frame starter and fire wall.

This probly isnt the average exhaust job as modt will tie into factory crossover or into headers. Hanging down.






I do more Diesel stuff so this little 300 found 4" on it then a 3" resonotor cause its to loud lol. People think its a v8 im like nah a 300 6 is all.

 

Non stainless. No extra v bands nothing, 800-1000 and the shops have iffy reputations. I want to do it once and do it right with extra v bands so I can easily remove it if I need to pull the trans later.
just seemed ridiculous to me paying that price for shoddy quality at best.

 

Thats what our market is, we created it with the fast food drive through trash. Average house price is 500k and theyre junk too

 

@SlikWillie how do you like that FlowFX? I was looking at trying to pickone up and install this weekend to replace a rusted out glasspack.

To the op ... Check what components they are using ... do they need to intall hanger backets, extra bends or sweeps, crazy tips etc. Shop around but also check around. Find someone with a nice old rig and pick their brain locally. I did that for an alignment and found an old timer in a run down looking shop ... you open the door and its all classics and hot rods ... he looks at my truck as a simple quick job that really didnt need a lot of finess and priced accordingly.

 

Sounds easy to do. Just need to reduce that 3" collector to about 2.25" pipe at most, take it back to two turbbo mufflers under berd front, then two 2" pipes up and over the axle and to the rear either under bumper or angled tp corners. I have seen pipes hung straight under a rear axle, but usually a low car. 2.25" in front of mufflers and 2" behind mufflers works because the gasses cool and contract as they move and these keep velocity up and pipe warmer for better drying.

I have had quite a few systems done at exhaust shops since 1970, some were just mods to stock systems, some werte scratch built All but one was alumanized steel tubing ... and that one was a cat back in stainless for my '07 (it come in a box, $456 in '15). I always looked for pipes to the rear, no side pipes ahead of wheels (though three of four pickup trucks bought came home with them and cherrybombs, but all three of them stayed in my driveway until I could get a shop to build a real system fit for the street) and no dumps under body ... but they are cheaper. I like my "turbo mufflers" for tone. Alumanized steel lasts me 10-20 years. This 1977 F-150 I bought in 1986 is the only vehicle I've owned long enough to need the alumanized steel I had put on need replacement, and it's on it's third pair of mufflers, second set of tail pipes, it was all done in 2.25" alumanized pipe. Most all of mine were done with 2" or 2.25" pipe. My Chevelle and a GTO used 2.50" head pipes, but reduced to 2.25 after the mufflers. I have noticed at cruise ins and such that the best sounds come out of the smaller puipes as exhaust velocity is both warmer and faster, those 3" and bigger are harder to bend, take up more room, and I don't much care for the sounds.

 

If you are getting multiple quotes in the 800-1000 price range thats what custom made duals is going to cost. Agree by the time you buy the pipe, hardware, misc materials, then add labor I can see it EASILY being in that range. Costs for materials, shipping, and labor for everything has gone up so much. Its going to push people out of the hobby.

 

The Flow FX is ok if you don't want loud at low to mid RPM. It is louder than any stock muffler but much quieter than an actual performance muffler. Now, when I floor it, she sounds good. But I hate rapping my engine above 4000 RPM just to pi$$ off the neighbors. Would I ever buy it again. Probably not. Still a good muffler though.