Im looking for an exhaust for my 68 coupe. Does anyone have any experience with the Summit branded 3" System?? SUM-680102 It is $225
I was originally thinking of the flowmaster 17201 3" system for $595.95 but thats really alot more then id like to spend and i wonder is it really that much better then the Summit system? Pretty big price difference there.

I have a mild 454 with roller cam,rockers, 750 edelbrock, perf rpm intake, 049 heads.

Do you guys think 3" is overkill and i should stick with the 2.5"?

Im also looking at the Hooker comp headers with 2" primaries.

Jeff im not sure about the Summit deal. But i have Super Comp headers with a 3.5 flange into 3" pipe into 3.5 X-pipe out to 3" pipe into 3" super 40's out the rear with 2.5 and im very happy with it. Hope this helps, i know there some threads about 3" out the rear but its very tight. Oh and yes its a BBC 498 putting out 636.8hp at the crank.

Im also interested in opinions on the summit system as im at this point also .

Well i ended up ordering it and will give it a shot. They have a very easy return policy if i dont like it. I noticed the instructions note that you may have to modify the inner quarter panel lip for clearance. I called their tech dept and they in turn called the pipe mfg. The guy at the pipe mfg place said he has a 67 that they tested/designed this on and on his there was only aprox 3-1/8" clearance between the leaf spring and the quarter lip for a 3" pipe to fit thru. So this is why they noted that. Will see what happens, i dont mind bending or grinding the lip a little.

Well i ended up ordering it and will give it a shot. They have a very easy return policy if i dont like it. I noticed the instructions note that you may have to modify the inner quarter panel lip for clearance. I called their tech dept and they in turn called the pipe mfg. The guy at the pipe mfg place said he has a 67 that they tested/designed this on and on his there was only aprox 3-1/8" clearance between the leaf spring and the quarter lip for a 3" pipe to fit thru. So this is why they noted that. Will see what happens, i dont mind bending or grinding the lip a little.


Jeff I have 3" on my '67, ending below the rear 1/4s and outside the leaf. With the rubber suspenders that were installed by the muffler shop, it hits (proabably both the leaf and the 1/4). It has not caused any damage but it is as annoying as Hel! The first time it happened, I actully pulled over to check what was wrong, because I had just finished assembying the car.

Please post back how you like the Summit system.

Thankso

I was thinking about something like this .
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-680101/
with these .
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-638222/
I have a 355 4sp 3.23 gears with 280/480 cam , headers , and 650 dp .
If im highjacking let me know and ill start my own thread .

Yea thats the 2.5 version of what i ordered. I got the 680102

I put a 4" summitt exhaust on a diesel pickup. It went on very easy, fit excellent. They forgot to send me the hardware, and when I called they overnighted it to me. I ordered the aluminzed, and it came with blade clamps, but I used SS band clamps instead. No issues after 3 months. The muffler seemed to be quality also, not thin easily rusted junk. I don't even have any surface rust on any of it yet. Not sure if that helps you.

throw the included mufflers in the dumpster- they will fall apart in a couple of years.
also watch the slip fit joints- they can be expanded too much and won't clamp back down. also be ready to trim some pipes, since they don't bother to make them the right length sometimes. also throw away the included clamps and get some decent hardware.
i know where these systems are made, and i've been there.
i've installed a few of those kits straight from the factory- not from Summit, but the "Heartthrob" brand that the manufacturer sells them under- and i've never had a kit fit right without a lot of screwing around.
i have, however, also done a few Flowmaster installs, and they always fit well and lasted a long time.
the Flowmaster kit in my Nova still looked brand new after 5 years and about 30,000 miles, while the Heartthrob kit in my 74 Monte is falling apart after only about 10,000 miles.

Doesnt sound too promising! I plan on having to cut the front pipes to length and weld reducers on them anyway since i have 3.5" collectors so not worried about that. I might ditch all the clamps and weld up the entire thing. Your right on the Heartthrob brand, they told me that was who made them. Still at $225 vs $595 for the flowmaster, i figured it was worth a shot. Doubt i even drive the car 10,000 miles while i own it so if they last that long, thats a long time for me.

I put the same 3 inch Summit sytem on my 68..There is not much room for the tail pipes between the spring and quarter panel..I ended up dumping it behind the rear axle.
I agree that the included mufflers are junk.. The sound with my small block was unbearable.. I cant imagine how they would be with your big block..
I ended up trashing the entire system and bought the 2.5 inch Pypes system with the race pro mufflers..I am happy with this system and it did not cost much more than the Summit system..

bummer. Sounds like i should just send it back when it arrives. I should have waited for some responses before ordering. :(
Im suprised those mufflers are louder then the pypes glass packs. Maybe i will get the flowmaster 2.5 instead. I just worry that going from a 3.5" collector to a 2.5" exhaust is too restrictive.

The flowmaster site says as a general rule that 2.5" is good for 500hp and 3" good for 600hp. So i think id be fine with 2.5".

Good info here .

Not trying to hijack, but since my question is subject related maybe someone could chime in. So far every exhaust listing I have seen in classic industries says except convertible. What is the diff? I have a 67 vert that I am getting close to reassembling and will need to choose an exhaust system. I am running stock 327 with stock manifolds. I don't mind paying the $ for a quality well fitting system. Can anyone reccomend a good system? I assume 2" would be the typical size I would want for this application?....Thanks for anyones help in advance...Jeff

Doesnt sound too promising! I plan on having to cut the front pipes to length and weld reducers on them anyway since i have 3.5" collectors so not worried about that. I might ditch all the clamps and weld up the entire thing. Your right on the Heartthrob brand, they told me that was who made them. Still at $225 vs $595 for the flowmaster, i figured it was worth a shot. Doubt i even drive the car 10,000 miles while i own it so if they last that long, thats a long time for me.

it will probably fall apart just the same from not a lot of miles as if you put a lot of miles on it- if the car doesn't get driven very often, and only for short trips when it does get driven, there will be a lot of condensation buildup inside the exhaust, which will collect at the lowest points and just sit there. the tubing that Heartthrob uses is thin walled and the galvanizing on it is a joke. it's the kind of kit you put on a car that you just want to unload to some young kid that doesn't know any better, but for a car you wil lkeep, spend the money and get a name brand that fits and lasts. i like Flowmaster, others like Pypes or Magnaflow. but you really can't go wrong with any of them.

I actually took a look at both kits. I ordered the summit one first and had the opinion that I'd use it unless it didn't look that great. I couldn't decide by looking so ordered the 3" flowmaster kit and the moment it arrived I sent the summit one back. Not that the one was junk, just that the other looked so much more "thought out" I guess I'd say. And no matter what kit you use, if you dump 3" exhaust between the 1/4 and the leaf spring there is not going to be more than an 1/4 of spare room really. The flowmaster kit fits superbly and the pipe was heavy enough to weld my collectors to without any trouble but not overly heavy. It sounds beautiful. I am sure the summit one would also be a nice exhaust, just didn't have the same polish the other kit had. Also it sure was nice to have the hanging hardware all work with factory locations except the two final hangers by the leafs that had to go into the rails. OH and I am running a 3 1/2 inch drive shaft that still clears well, never have had any interference with it.

-Adam