C2 - Side Exhaust Conversion

[Donald M.]

Re: C2 - Side Exhaust Conversion

Roy, Don't let those guys get you down! Do what you want to your car. I have side exhaust on my '67 small block and it sounds just great. It's not too loud on long trips, either. Maybe because it's a small block, I don't know. You will also have the added benefits of lots of room to work under the car and a set of pipes that will virtually last the life of the car (or as long as you own it?) This is because they get hotter than an undercar system and thus burn off moisture which accumulates in the rear-mounted mufflers of an undercar set up and leads to premature rot.I know a guy whose side pipes actually rotted out--at 250,000 miles!! VROOM!

[Everett Ogilvie]

Here's the real scoop...

As one poster stated, if you are going to drive cross-country, take your Caddie or your C6. If you enjoy "spirited" non-constant throttle driving, get some side exhaust. Here is how I rank exhaust from best to worst (and I have had most of the items listed below - still working on number one...);
1) Kustom headers and open sidepipes on the L88 motor
2) side exhaust on any big block motor
3) Chevrolet off-road under-car exhaust
4) Chevrolet std. under-car exhaust
5) any aftermarket pipe/muffler system

As stated by others, your gear ratio will make a difference. There is also quite a difference between the "drone" between small and big blocks with side exhaust - big blocks are not as bad, it must be due to different pitch and harmonics.

[Dick W.]

Re: Here's the real scoop...

Everett, I have experienced number 1 several times. I think that might have something to do my loss of hearing. I was not happy just crusing with the open pipes, I liked to see 6,500+ every chance I got. Sweet music but just for brief periods of time

[Everett Ogilvie]

Re: Here's the real scoop...

Agreed! I want to experience it, but briefly, as you state. I will be putting off-road under-car pipes on the car shortly - what a great sound.

[Michael H.]

Re: Here's the real scoop...

Everett,

I may be able to help with your #1 choice. (I hope) When I drove the Burroughs/Krughoff/Miller 67 L88 at Laguna Seca many years ago, there was in car video of the event. If I can figure out how to post a link to a short clip of it, I will. I may need a few days because I don't know exactly how to do that and may require assistance.

It may be a tossup for me between the L88 with factory headers or the 63 fuel injected car at Road America. Beautiful sound from both.

[Kenny Hancock]

Re: C2 - Side Exhaust Conversion

Are the GM service standard mufflers still available?

[Jack W.]

Re: C2 - Side Exhaust Conversion a vote FOR

Best advice here is to pre-acquaint yourself with how it will sound and then make your move on an informed basis - if you have a coupe, test drive a coupe, etc. as there is a difference between coupe and vert. Then, with an understanding of the kind of driving you truly will be doing with your C2 in hand, go with your gut, but on an informed basis.

on a personal note, I wouldn't have my C2 any other way - side exhaust was a "must have" criteria item for me, or a "will make it so" item if the best deal was on an undercar exhaust car - I alos like the "look" too, in addition to the bad @ss sound. The main reason I posted my suggestion to you above is so I do not have to read another post from someone who put side exhaust on his C2 and then comes back to say "these stink they are too loud!" because that seems to spook more folks away from the experience. Absolutely to each his own on this one, although I am never ever swayed by the reasoning that "on really long highway trips you'll be hating it" since I SERIOUSLY doubt that 95% of us are taking "really long highway trips" in our 40 year old C2s, the subject of the original post. I completely agree with the "top down side pipes rumbling backroad blast" description of an ideal ride - me too.

PS - I have a 365 hp SHP SB (L76) vert with a 4.11 rear end, probably the height of "side pipe music" as far as SBs go. Or the height of "loud" if your vote is different from mine.

Let me also admit right here that the only reaction my [car nut gene donor to me] father had to his first ride in my 65 was - "wow is this thing loud, too loud for me" [not "what have you done to the car" not "what engine do you have", not "cool, are those real knock offs?" not "wow this car looks fantastic" not "wow how fast is this thing" - just a noise complaint!! sheesh!] So, different opinions exist even within the same family of "car guys".

On another note related to my vote for side exhaust, I am always crushed to see my idol Joe Lucia express his [now predictable to his followers] opinion on this matter - if only because it is contray to mine

[Steve Antonucci]

Re: C2 - Side Exhaust Conversion a vote FOR

" On another note related to my vote for side exhaust, I am always crushed to
see my idol Joe Lucia express his [now predictable to his followers] opinion on
this matter - if only because it is contray to mine "

Yea Joe, what he said !

Rory, since you are not going for a "Certificate Restoration", I will offer
my opinion on side exhaust. OK guys, don't get mad at me for this, but here's
a comment on side exhaust from a non-Corvette owner. No grumbling please !

I have a factory side exhaust car also. Not a Corvette, so don't ask. You
guys would probably kill me if I told you - anyway. But I bought it because
it reminded me so much of the C2 Vette's with side exhaust, from my childhood.
How's that for a tribute - sort of? Anyway, the sound of a side exhaust car is
unique and all its own. I don't drive mine every day, so I can deal with the
drone of the exhaust. But I love it and if you are into side exhaust at all,
you will too. Besides, side exhaust always gets tons of looks. Isn't that
part of the reason of why we drive these things anyway? Just another point of
view.

Steve

[Roger Legge]

Re: C2 - Side Exhaust Conversion

Is there a .wav or some other sort of sound file available where one could hear a reasonable sample of the sound of the original mufflers?

Roger

[Jim T.]

Re: C2 - Side Exhaust Conversion a vote FOR

Don't really know how much difference there is between the sound of the C2 and C3 factory side exhaust. I installed the 69 side exhaust on my 70 350/300 in 1973 and drove it several years which included trips to both coasts from Dallas several times and other interstate trips. Liked the sound and appearance of the 69 system. Really sounded good to me when the insides of the mufflers was gone. Replaced the 69 system about 1988 with under the car 2 1/2 system. Engine is now a ZZ crate engine, would like to hear it though those old side exhaust mufflers. Mayby someday, I still have the covers.

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 - Side Exhaust Conversion

Kenny-----

Unfortunately, they are not. No pipes or mufflers are available anymore from GM for any 53-72 Corvette. Very few pieces are available for 73-82 models, either.

There is no reproduction muffler on the market that has an internal design even close to the design originally used for 63-72 Corvette mufflers. Consequently, while the "reproduction" mufflers may have a very similar EXTERNAL configuration, they're quite different internally. Since they're not the same internally, they don't sound the same.

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 - Side Exhaust Conversion

Roger-----

Not that I know of.

[Warren L.]

Original GM Mufflers

Joe,

I have two original new mufflers for my 70 L-46 purchased 25 years ago.

What's inside? is it just metal baffles that can be duplicated or is there more "stuff"

Warren

I have met people before you have opened up mufflers then had custom car builders either copy or modify that design to get the sound they want

[Joe L.]

Re: Original GM Mufflers

Warren-----

63-72 Corvette standard exhaust mufflers have 3 tubular internal baffles that run lengthwise (off-road has 2 such baffles). I'm sure that it would be possible to duplicate the original mufflers, but no one currently does. The tooling cost to do it right would be high. In order to produce a muffler that would sound like the originals, every single aspect of their construction would have to be precisely duplicated. With a muffler, every nuance of design and materials affects the sound.

Many years ago, I discussed this issue with a fellow from Zierden Company that used to make Corvette exhaust systems, both stainless and carbon steel. This guy's name was Tom something-or-other and he was a muffler "fanatic". We discussed at great length the extraordinary efforts that he had gone to in his quest to duplicate the factory sound. He admitted that the factory sound could never be re-created with a stainless steel muffler since the material, itself, has an effect on the sound. With their carbon steel mufflers, the original design could have, theoretically, been duplicated. The problem is that the tooling cost to do it would be far greater than could be justified by the market. Some of the aspects of construction could not be duplicated in a custom-made muffler, either.

Quite a few years ago I read that Mazda had experimented with over 700 muffler designs before they found the one with the "just right" sound that they wanted for the Miata.

As I say, with mufflers very nuance of configuration and materials contributes to the sound. It's like a Stradivarius violin. Another violin might LOOK just like a Stradivarius, but no one's made one yet that SOUNDS like a Stradivarius.

[Terry M.]

Re: C2 - Side Exhaust Conversion a vote FOR

I have brief experience with original side-exhaust on C2 and C3 - both BB cars. Unfortunately they are still apples and oranges. 1966 425hp, and 1969 390hp.
There is significant difference in the sound of the two, but I can not tell you how much was due to the engine differences and how much due to the different construction of the side exhaust systems.
I have substantial experience with original C3 undercar exhaust.
If all side-exhaust cars sounded like that 425hp car, I would be in the side-exhaust camp. That was the sweetest sound I have ever heard.