Ok. So I'm a sucker for not ever being satisfied with imperfection...

I bought a stainless steel 5" magnaflow turbo back system that is 5" all the way to the muffler, and then splits into two 4" duals. To me, there's no more flow than that, and overkill for what power I will ever make in my truck I think.

Well, when I got the magnaflow I didn't like how the transition in the downpipe was fabricated. The turbo outlet (3 inches?) to 5" diameter is not smooth but a hump. See pic #1. Ugly.

So I bought a 5" megaphone transition from Burn's Stainless and had a fabrication shop splice it in (where the hanger is). See pic #2.

Then I saw that there is a company that sells a honeycomb tube to straighten airflow going into the turbo and as well, out the exhaust. So I thought, well...since I have 5" of flow, why not get a 6" Magnaflow high-flow cat (which is honeycomb) to do the same...no restriction there and environmentally friendly to boot! Also spliced into the downpipe. See pic #3 (the hump in pic #2).

Then I thought, better keep that heat in as the cat works more efficiently with more heat. Downpipe ceramic coated black.

Hmmm...then I thought I want my truck to be as quiet as possible. Saw a resonator design here and on youtube...so I copied it. I had an auger fabricated and welded into the pipe after the downpipe. Heck...maybit a bit restrictive...but ****...it's a 5" pipe! And a little back pressure will keep that cat hot too... See pic #4

And again, better keep that heat in. Custom resonator ceramic coated black. See pic #5.

And now, I decided to just have the whole exhaust system ceramic coated, since a friend owns a shop and is experimenting with doing both the exterior and interior of piping. I'm waiting on that.

And so that's my crazy exhaust. Not installed yet. Still waiting on the final pipes to be ceramic coated.

Fun. Crazy. And overkill. I admit it to it all. But it's a one-of and it's beautiful.

I just hope that resonator isn't too restrictive...I'll see with the EGT's once I install the whole thing in a few weeks....

 

I think the cat will be the most restrictive part of your exhaust

 

There is no question on that point. The rest of the system is completely open - I attached a couple pics of the muffler.

Even the high-flow cat transitions from 5" to 6" with a straight-through honeycomb section in it - so not much restriction there for the HP I will push. It's not like I will be going over 800 hp or anything.

 

So what do you expect from all your work & money? Don't you still have a cat, resonator & muffler? I don't get it! It looks pretty, I will give you that.

 

Looks pretty, but looks restrictive...Why bother with the cat?

 

man, somebodies got a little to much time on there hands. come on over and mow my lawn! LOL. its pretty neat though, props for that

 

Send your paycheque to me in Red Deer please....

 

Yeah...I've been doing it bit by bit and got carried away. I should have taken up smoking a pack a day.

The point? A few of them...

I wanted a cat but not restrictive. The magnaflow cat fit the bill on that one. I'm not into the black smoke that much. It's cool here and there...but I got tired of cleaning off my garage door.

I wanted a quiet exhaust but still hi-flowing. I spent a good deal of money on an audiophile stereo system and I want to hear it when towing. Five inches diameter is overkill for most guys from what I read...unless you're pushing over 800 HP. Since I'm not, I took advantage of the huge pipe and copied a high-flow resonator design I found online.

The "hump" in the stock pipe bugged me. If we put on better flowing exhaust manifolds, etc. why tolerate it in the exhaust system? I'm OCD I guess.

And as for having time on my hands. None. Just paid people to do the work for me (I got a second job to pay for toys).

I guess the truth is, I get tired of seeing the same ol' slap this on, slap that manufacturer on, blah blah blah...I wanted to do something different, an experiment. It's how I roll.

 

Good for you, I do the same thing. If I can do it myself id rather cobble something together and say it's my own than just buy somebody elses idea and just bolt it on there. If I had my own machine shop, id be in serious trouble....

 

FYI, SS exhaust is not really SS. It will pit rust and look like crap in no time. That's why I will only run aluminized exhaust from now on. Sorry to tell ya that but at least MBRP SS pit rusts like crazy....

 

Your money, you should spend it how ever it makes you happy

 

there's a hundred grades of stainless steel, just like aluminum. some are cheaper and corrode and some will last darn near infinity......course you'll pay for that dearly

 

looks like there are some neat ideas there. i cant wait to see how it does. if its really quiet it mite be work lookin into for hunting.

 

Yes, stainless steel does rust unless you go to 321 SS or better...depends on the environment you use it in. And really, "stainless" was a poor choice when naming the metal - it should have been called "stain resistant". (Leave bleach standing in your SS sink here and there and you'll see the point on that one.

hmm...maybe I should have done an entirely Inconel system!

Probably would cost $15K!

(Inconel is a nickel alloy for those that don't know. It's used for very harsh conditions. And I think the Formula 1 cars use it for headers - and it goes translucent when it's running red hot.)

I love metal.

But the ceramic coating will keep things pretty...but who the heck looks under the truck anyway???

 

Nice work EC, but you should find Timo's thread on building his Suburban over on TDR to see what that crazy dude did.

I think his was a wee bit more overkill.