[1971_c10]

The trip the local autoparts store is always an interesting one. There's always that one guy behind the counter who thinks he knows more about your custom hot rod than you, and he hasn't even seen it. Haha. So no 3" 45s at the local stores, but one did have a 3" extension pipe for $7 so I picked that up.

Then me and the hacksaw (yes, my shop currently lacks a bandsaw, porta-band or a cutoff saw at the moment) went to town on chopping up that 3" pipe. I was able to get a make-shift 'S' pipe tacked together to see what that would look like. It's not too bad. One thing is for sure, the collector would need to be cut back quite a bit for this to work.

On to more tid bits ... checked the O2 sensors, they won't fit, so bungs need to be moved (or added). There is only ~3" between the O2 bung and the first "bend" to fit a clamp.

So wow, the re-work list got long:
-Modify #3 primary to get proper steering shaft clearance (I don't want to have the look of a hammered pipe right there up front)
-Relocate O2 bungs
-Shorten Collector
-Cut driver side mounting tab for converter cover and relocate mounting hole
-Trim passenger side casting around starter bump in bellhousing casting

Lots to think about. I'm bordering on sending these headers back and just taking it to a shop and letting them do the whole exhaust.

Here's some shots of what the exhaust would need to do. Excuse the poor fitting parts. The hacksaw blade would twist during the cut despite cranking up the tension. So I just sanded enough to get the parts to where I could tack them together.