I AM LOOKING TO UPDATE MY EXHAUST SYSTEM. I HAVE VERY LITTLE KNOWLEDGE ON THE TRUCK AT ALL (WHICH MAKES ME WONDER WHY I BOUGHT AN 86 TRUCK!!). WILL THIS IMPROVE MY GAS MILEAGE FROM 6 MPG?? WHAT TYPE SHOULD I BUY IF I ONLY WANT TO KEEP IT SIMPLE AND CHEAP? I ONLY PAID $1000 FOR THE TRUCK. I AM WILLING TO PUT SOME CASH INTO THE TRUCK, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND TO BUY. IT IS NOT A PERFORMANCE TRUCK, I JUST WANT TO OPEN THEM PIPES A BIT. SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. WILL IT BE NICE AND LOUD TOO? THAT WOULD BE COOL!!!

THANKS,
BIGBRONCO (can't believe this name was available!!)

 

i want pipes also.

brands like Flowmaster are good, Hedmann headers.

check out jegs.com
jcwhitney.com
autopartswarehouse.com

 

sounds like there is more to address here first before you go spending money on exhaust. why are you only getting 6mpg that is real real real bad . something isnt right . what motor,trans , tire gear combo you running. whats the mileage on the motor. if things are working properly it makes no sense to spend money on exhaust because the gains would be minimal at best.

 

Kem made some good points! When was the last time this thing went to the Doctor? Tell us more about the truck. I have an 86 too. You are limited to the amount of header choices (shorty headers for the most part) if you have a manual transmission...unless you know a good exhaust fabricator.

 

and ill recommend you search before an admin yells at you anyways here it goes

truck definatly needs checked out. Even a 460 shouldnt be getting 6 mpg. Somethings wrong there.
Exhaust wise. Depending on your motor.... i would recommend shorty headers(long tube are limited for that yr.).
302 5.0L V8 or 351 5.8L
Your stock exhaust pipe is around 2"-2.25"... If you open that up to 2.5 or maybe even 3" you will see your revs going higher. I put 2.5 inch pipe on my 91 302 and now its loving 4400 rpms...never that high before(no it doesnt stay there long)...The right size pipe will get you good noise. If you go too big you wont have the pressure necassary to make a ton of noise until you get on it. Big pipe adds rpm's but lowers bottom end torque. These sizes vary to wich motor you have.

go with a magnaflow high flow cat which you can get for around 50 bux new on ebay.
I got an origional 40 series flowmaster on ebay also new for 45 bux.
Thats all true there are a couple big overstock sellers on ebay that sell great new in the box stuff for dirt cheap.

Dual or single side is up to you it depends on your preference. if you get headers get yourself a new y pipe or x pipe(xpipe for duals)

all depends on what u wanna spend and what you like

if you have the I-6 forget exhaust hahaha j/k guys
460 can get even bigger pipes

first find out why ur getting 6 mpg. Even a big 460 can pull off 8-12 city easy if tuned properly. Sounds like your getting a little too much fuel unless you are a nascar driver

l8r
Dc

if im wrong on any of this plz feel free to make me feel small by shouting at me and correcting me harshly

 

I appreciate the advice and input. YOU ARE RIGHT. There is much more here to address than the exhaust. There are some problems. I think it is geared really low. It runs hard when getting above 50 or so. I am not sure what the rearend gearing is, but it runs at very high RMP's. I am not sure what to do next. I EAT gas like there is no end. 351 C6 tranny is the most I have inspected. What do I do!!!

 

I appreciate the advice and input. YOU ARE RIGHT. There is much more here to address than the exhaust. There are some problems. I think it is geared really low. It runs hard when getting above 50 or so. I am not sure what the rearend gearing is, but it runs at very high RMP's. I am not sure what to do next. I EAT gas like there is no end. 351 C6 tranny is the most I have inspected. What do I do!!!

 

look on the rear diff , there should be a tag giving the gear ratio. but if its stock your probably at a 3.50 gear ratio. what are your rpms at say 65 mph.
that 351 is carbed so I would look into either rebuilding it or getting an aftermarket carb/aluminum intake. first. a tune up helps alot to. replace fuel filter and if the miles are high on the motor do a compression test. a haynes manual will help with everything you can image on this rig. if you can try and do the work yourself it will save you some serious coin in the long run.

 

KEMI YOU ROCK! I will give this a try. I have 140K on the motor. Book is on the way to the house and I am going to get started. It, luckily, is not my only vehicle, so I am going to do these things. I am going out now to test the RMP's. I will let you know what it says and check that tag under the rearend! I appreciate the help. I gotta get this mileage down!!! If my gear is 3.50 what do I want to change it to???

 

probably nothing. running a larger tire will help counter act the hi rpms while driving. see your c6 is a 3 speed thats why the rpms are so hi and uses more gas. what size tire you running right now??

 

Yup....that is the big problem....a 3 speed! It hits 3000 rpms at 65 mph. The tires are 31's....I didn't think they were that big. I just put rims from a 94 Bronco that are less than 1/2 the weight too. That darn C6 is gonna make it tough to get MPG down...huh? I would think it should still be better than it is. What do you think? I guess it is good for pulling stuff out of the mud and dragging boats and trailers around....not for driving to work or on road trips.

 

a 33" tire would help some. I suspect a tune up and new carb would help a bunch.

 

Thanks Kemi. And the rest of you too! I appreciate the input. I think I am over my head with this truck and I am not sure what is next. I am going to get my buddy to help me do a tune up this weekend. cje.....I think it needs a trip to the doctor! I rebuilt the carb and it helped out quite a bit. Maybe I will just use it to hunt and bogg around in the woods on the weekends. I don't think I will ever get it to where it needs to be for a daily use vehicle. Thanks again everyone. I put in a new drivers side window motor last night.....watch your fingers and toes....this thing moves fast!!!

BigBronco (How did I get that name anyway!!)

 

If your like the rest of us...it will just take time. I have had my 86 for 5 years and I do somehting new to it every few months. Cosmetic changes can wait spend the money on the motor, trans, driveline etc. The broncos are a fun vehicle to work with.

 

dont give up. you just need to learn how to do this stuff on your own and you will find its not so bad. if its not your dd right now thats even better