Glutton for Punishment
 

Well I ordered a box full of exhaust bends and straights and now doing a lot of creeper work under my truck thinking about how I might build my exhaust system. Yeah...I know! It would be a lot easier to take the truck to a muffler shop. What would be the fun in that?

Back to ordering the exhaust........Speedway Motors.......about a 140 bucks and some shipping and UPS drops a couple of heavy boxes at my doorstep. Inside a bunch of 45, 90, and 180 degree mandrel bent exhaust pipe along with several straight sections. Now I've got pipe laying all over the place. I think they're multiplying.

http://imageshack.us/a/img715/37/p1011201e.jpg

Anyway over the next few days or maybe weeks, hopefully not months I'll be putting together multiple pieces of pipe to make what will hopefully be something that resembles an exhaust system. Pics to follow if interested.

Yes, I want to see that. I have thought about it, but I am not so sure that I want to tackle that one. Subscribed!

I am looking forward to seeing your progress as I am going to try mine too. I picked up some bends at a swap meet and already have mufflers.

How are you coming off the manifolds (or do you have headers)? Stopped by the only exhaust shop in town today to see if they could make some pieces to come off the manifolds, but they were closed so that will wait until next week.

Take lots of pics for us.

Drew, I have confidence that you will suceed without any trouble. You are very talented, and have a good eye for imagining the completed task, B4 you even start. Please dont forget to post pics, I/We realy enjoy seeing your work.

I might pay you a visit Friday morning when I get off. Maybe can help with some of the up/down creeper work..

Pretty sure I'll be here............probably laying on my back getting some creeper time in. You know I never thought about the effort to get up off a creeper, but now that I've gotten a little older, getting up and down is not nearly as easy as it used to be.

If only I had built my garage with taller ceilings 30 years ago I could have a lift like some of the lucky guys here at FTE. Oh well......... you younger guys better be planning ahead.

Drew was it a kit or did you pick your individual pieces? Please post pics - I don't have your talent but need to do this as shops cost is out of the budget

It was an exhaust bend kit that comes with 4 48" straight pipes, 4 each 45 90 and 180 degree bend pipes. Each pipe comes with one end expanded so that the pipes can be connected with clamps. Speedway Motors sell these for 140 bucks but the shipping can be the deal killer unless you can catch them with a shipping special. I think to ship to my location was about $75, but I did use a promotion deal to get them here for considerably less.

Since I'm exiting through the running boards this kit is waaaay more pipe than I'm gonna need.

Cost is a factor to me also. I'm using a set of flowmasters that were taken off another vehicle that were hardly used. Any money I can save on one part gives more to spend on other things that I need.

Well, I got a bunch done over the last two days. I got a little bogged down on the X-pipe or H pipe deal. I finally decided to set my exhaust up to go either direction if I don't like what I start out with. The X-pipe setup requires a lot more space under the truck than the H-pipe.

After I got the pipes headed in the right direction coming off the headers, things went fairly well. After spending a lot of time looking at different designs, I finally started cutting pipe.

http://imageshack.us/a/img59/7669/p1011239.jpg

The X-pipe added to the overall length making me have to use a 180 to turn the exhaust around and come back to the exit in the running board. After going under the truck about a hundred times :D taking measurements, marking and cutting pipe I've got the basic layout tacked together. Probably the hardest part of this is cutting the pipe at the correct angle in the curved sections.

I used a lot of masking tape during this layout. I taped the joints together under the truck and removed the pipe and on the bench I would cut out a section of the tape and do a spot weld and move to the other side and do the same.

http://imageshack.us/a/img593/524/p1011207.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img690/1841/p1011208c.jpg

I used 1/4" tape to mark the cut lines in the curved sections.

http://imageshack.us/a/img89/461/p1011240c.jpg

I had some other photos to post but for some reason they loaded in a different size and were too big. I don't know if others are having any trouble out of the new and "improved" Photobucket but I'm ready to give up. Now I can't even get a photo to upload to the site.

Your on the right track . Stick with small tacks until you are sure everything is the way it needs to be . (Just think of all that wonderful exercise you are getting:-X04)

As another ol' guy who hates creeper time but gets more than I want anyway I found an easier way to get off the dang thing.

hit up the hardware store and buy two rubber bumpers with a stud mount. Then drill the very end of your creeper and install the bumpers. Now when you sit up to get off the creeper (and it flips up under you) the bumpers will keep the creeper from wanting to slide out from under you as you stand.

It doesn't make getting older easy, just less of a b****. ,,,hehehe

I just roll out from under the truck far enough to be able to roll off sideways. It is easier for me to get up facing down than from my back. But l like the rubber bumper idea to allow sitting up without the creeper suddenly rolling away and me falling down on my butt. :D

Thanks. If I foresee a lot more creeper time I'll have to try that.

Hopefully my creeper time is coming to a close. I'm hoping to be able to sit in my truck more than laying under it in the fairly near future.

I must admit.......it's been good exercise, but I can think of better ways.

I learned the hard way once, make sure your out from under the truck completely before you go to sit up on your creeper.. I ended up taking a "nap" once when my forehead met frame...

But I do like the looks of the exhaust, I've gone through my fair share of masking tape when it comes to cutting tube

I admire your work and look forward to following this project

Thanks for sharing with us
Bobby