Side Pipes (carlos) help
06-30-2009, 12:07 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Iowa
Posts: 36
Side Pipes (carlos) help
I have been looking for some side pipes but cant find much except ac cobra pipes i love theses pipes but how will they look on a 67 coupe. The cobra pipes come through the front fender but i am assuming this is becouse there so much lower would they fit without cuttin body or can a good muffler shop build something that works without tearing up body incase I dont like. If anyone has pics of this I would appreciate it.
check out carlos pineiro this is what i am thinking of doing.
check out carlos pineiro this is what i am thinking of doing.
06-30-2009, 03:09 PM
#6
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Santa Monica, Calif.
Posts: 958
Some side pipe thoughts:
1. I don't really recommend chrome side pipes on classic Mustangs. They really belong on roadsters like Cobras and Vettes, and on some fun pickups. I installed mine because Debbie is currently in a "70s street rod" phase complete with big white letter tires, Cragar SSs, extended shackles, hood tach, modified hood scoop, etc. Unless you are going for this type of complete thematic look, if all you're doing is adding pipes, and the rest of the car is stock, they kinda look out of place. JMO, of course. The only opinion that matters is yours.
2. I installed 73" Patriot pipes for $250. They have shorter sizes, but short glasspacks can be annoyingly raspy. Also, you don't want to dump right under your window! 36" glasspacks are spot welded in. They work and sound great. The hottest they get is only about 200°F, so you won't burn your legs unless you really try hard. They hang pretty much under the rocker panels so your leg won't hit them anyway getting in or out unless you are under 5' tall.
3. Patriot sells generic connecting pipes, but save your money. You'll get a cheaper, cleaner look if you just let the muffler shop cut and bend the engine pipes.
4. The core on my glasspacks is 1¼". Don't go narrower. Any narrower almost defeats the advantage of straight thru exhaust. The subsequent diameter of the pipe that contains the muffler is 3½".
5. Three of the pipes that lead into the connector are dummies. There is only one working pipe that connects to your headers/engine pipe. On a Mustang, you can see the fake end of the dummy pipes (nothing is more bogus than that), so I had my muffler guy add on about a foot more dummy pipe to reach more under the car. It looks like real custom headers that lead into the collector now, and he didn't even charge me. It took him 15 minutes to add on 6 short pieces and they all look like legit connecting pipes. Aluminized steel will last many years, so buying stainless steel pipes is a waste of money, IMO. SS pipes can be really expensive.
6. Don't get the heat shields (sold separately). Draws too much attention and are not needed. Also, you will never keep your pipes clean and shiny with the shields on.
7. Patriot sells different versions of side pipes, so check out their website first. These pipes are sometimes listed as lake pipes, but they are technically not lake pipes. True Lake pipesare thinner and don't have mufflers. Make sure you get the right thing if you are buying online.
8. Unless your muffler shop does a lot of classic cars, it's very possible they have never installed pipes like this. The most important element to installation is that they are perfectly aligned. If not, it will instantly look like shlt, big time. The pipes should end at the same place on both sides (just before the rear wheel well), the pipe opening should be plumb, and not tilted, and the hanging brackets should be tucked as tight as possible under the rocker panels. Remember, he's probably doing this for the first time, and if he tell you he installs side pipes all the time, he's probably lying.
9. Get used to smelling a whisp of raw gas fumes when you get out of the car. Personally, I kinda like it, but chicks don't. Also, you will have to remind them to watch their legs getting out or you will hear a bone-chilling scream that will be an immediate date-ender as you look for ice to put on that red mark on her leg. Chicks can burn legs on a hot can of beer so be careful.
10. Drive-thrus can force you to roll your window up in order to breathe (if you are in line next to a wall) until you actually get to the pay window. Fast food clerks, parking lot attendants, and toll booth guards will give you really dirty looks if you rev the engine while they are getting your change so don't do that.
11. Kids will point and mouth "Whoa! Cool!" constantly. If you really don't care about being a Mustang purist (most people actually don't care), your car gets a lot of compliments. I never built my car for that, I did it for me, but the compliments happen anyway.
12. I love the sound and the performance compared to the stock duals and mufflers I had before. You can actually feel a bit more HP. Being louder at freeway speeds is actually safer because people know you're there. Remember, the first thing someone usually says when they cause an accident is, "I didn't see him!".
13. Check the laws in your state. Straight thru exhaust is illegal in many states. In some states, they are OK in cars originally sold before 1972. In some states, they have to have veen offered as orig equipment. In CA, my 69 doesn't get inspected or smogged, so they don't even check for something like orig equipment. Most cops compliment the car, actually, lol.
Good luck. Post pix.
CP
1. I don't really recommend chrome side pipes on classic Mustangs. They really belong on roadsters like Cobras and Vettes, and on some fun pickups. I installed mine because Debbie is currently in a "70s street rod" phase complete with big white letter tires, Cragar SSs, extended shackles, hood tach, modified hood scoop, etc. Unless you are going for this type of complete thematic look, if all you're doing is adding pipes, and the rest of the car is stock, they kinda look out of place. JMO, of course. The only opinion that matters is yours.
2. I installed 73" Patriot pipes for $250. They have shorter sizes, but short glasspacks can be annoyingly raspy. Also, you don't want to dump right under your window! 36" glasspacks are spot welded in. They work and sound great. The hottest they get is only about 200°F, so you won't burn your legs unless you really try hard. They hang pretty much under the rocker panels so your leg won't hit them anyway getting in or out unless you are under 5' tall.
3. Patriot sells generic connecting pipes, but save your money. You'll get a cheaper, cleaner look if you just let the muffler shop cut and bend the engine pipes.
4. The core on my glasspacks is 1¼". Don't go narrower. Any narrower almost defeats the advantage of straight thru exhaust. The subsequent diameter of the pipe that contains the muffler is 3½".
5. Three of the pipes that lead into the connector are dummies. There is only one working pipe that connects to your headers/engine pipe. On a Mustang, you can see the fake end of the dummy pipes (nothing is more bogus than that), so I had my muffler guy add on about a foot more dummy pipe to reach more under the car. It looks like real custom headers that lead into the collector now, and he didn't even charge me. It took him 15 minutes to add on 6 short pieces and they all look like legit connecting pipes. Aluminized steel will last many years, so buying stainless steel pipes is a waste of money, IMO. SS pipes can be really expensive.
6. Don't get the heat shields (sold separately). Draws too much attention and are not needed. Also, you will never keep your pipes clean and shiny with the shields on.
7. Patriot sells different versions of side pipes, so check out their website first. These pipes are sometimes listed as lake pipes, but they are technically not lake pipes. True Lake pipesare thinner and don't have mufflers. Make sure you get the right thing if you are buying online.
8. Unless your muffler shop does a lot of classic cars, it's very possible they have never installed pipes like this. The most important element to installation is that they are perfectly aligned. If not, it will instantly look like shlt, big time. The pipes should end at the same place on both sides (just before the rear wheel well), the pipe opening should be plumb, and not tilted, and the hanging brackets should be tucked as tight as possible under the rocker panels. Remember, he's probably doing this for the first time, and if he tell you he installs side pipes all the time, he's probably lying.
9. Get used to smelling a whisp of raw gas fumes when you get out of the car. Personally, I kinda like it, but chicks don't. Also, you will have to remind them to watch their legs getting out or you will hear a bone-chilling scream that will be an immediate date-ender as you look for ice to put on that red mark on her leg. Chicks can burn legs on a hot can of beer so be careful.
10. Drive-thrus can force you to roll your window up in order to breathe (if you are in line next to a wall) until you actually get to the pay window. Fast food clerks, parking lot attendants, and toll booth guards will give you really dirty looks if you rev the engine while they are getting your change so don't do that.
11. Kids will point and mouth "Whoa! Cool!" constantly. If you really don't care about being a Mustang purist (most people actually don't care), your car gets a lot of compliments. I never built my car for that, I did it for me, but the compliments happen anyway.
12. I love the sound and the performance compared to the stock duals and mufflers I had before. You can actually feel a bit more HP. Being louder at freeway speeds is actually safer because people know you're there. Remember, the first thing someone usually says when they cause an accident is, "I didn't see him!".
13. Check the laws in your state. Straight thru exhaust is illegal in many states. In some states, they are OK in cars originally sold before 1972. In some states, they have to have veen offered as orig equipment. In CA, my 69 doesn't get inspected or smogged, so they don't even check for something like orig equipment. Most cops compliment the car, actually, lol.
Good luck. Post pix.
CP
Last edited by Carlos Pineiro; 06-30-2009 at 03:26 PM.
06-30-2009, 03:39 PM
#8
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 358
I've seen sidepipes on a stock looking mustang and they looked awful i thought. Carlos' look good with the stance and the external look of his car but on just a regular stang, no sir! I've seen it several different ways and they all looked bad. But I digress, its all in the eyes of the beholder and its your car. Do what you want. I'm doing a sidepipe kind of thing but they'll be hidden under the car and then only the tips will be visible when looking and they'll come out right before the rear tire.
