I’m looking for ideas on making my 3” x-pipe system fit. My Pypes 3” kit arrived the other day, and it’s not quite the bolt-in kit I thought it would be. Here’s the problem; I have a 1969 convertible with the x brace (I will call it a belly pan so as to avoid confusion) bolted in and shimmed down to fit my current 3“ system. The area between the body and belly pan shims is only 12” wide.
http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/Images/sorig3inch.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/orig3inchpic.html)
When I assemble the Pypes system, The part that would pass through the body/belly pan shims is 18” wide.
http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/Images/spypes1.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/pypes1pic.html)
I tried mocking it up with the x-pipe backwards, but as you can see in the next photo, the pipes run at a bad angle.
http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/Images/spypes2.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/pypes2pic.html)
I have been kicking around the idea of cutting a section out of the x-pipe and welding it back together. If I remove the area between the dotted lines, I think I can get the exit pipes down to the 12” maximum.
http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/Images/sxpipe1.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/xpipe1pic.html)
Before I start cutting (I have a mig welder and a sawz-all and I’m not afraid to use them!) and voiding my warranty, I was wondering if anyone else has run into this problem or maybe sees something that I missed? I have already called Pypes about the problem and was told that the 2 1/2” system has the x-pipe with less angle to it to fit in that area, and that all their 3” x-pipes are the large dimensions. Any ideas are appreciated.

Gary
1969 convertible/454/700R4

Gary, Holy $%*&! 3" on a 1st generation Camaro convertible? I hope one of our guys didn't recommend that! If you're making enough power to run 3" pipes, you should have frame rail connectors and then you don't need the body brace. You also might do better with offset/center mufflers. We can swap them out for you. If you are not making 500hp, I would highly recommend switching to 2.5" and then you can use the F-body X pipe kit that fits way better.

If you are set on making the 3" work, your markings are on the right track. You'd have to cut the X shorter and the fronts of the back legs shorter and like I said above, maybe offset/center mufflers would be better.

Hi Ccass, Thanks for dropping in. I asked Brian for the 3” kit, but substituted the tail pipes for the 2 1/2 inch ones. I am in the 450 hp range and figured that when I push it up to around 500, all I would need to do to upgrade the exhaust is to swap in 3” tailpipes.

I do have Detroit Speed and Engineering weld-in subframe connectors along with your spacers on the x-brace. Rigidity is very important in first gen convertibles and I don’t want to loose the x-brace if I can help it. The 3” system I have on it now fits well, but it has no cross over and is not mandrel bent. I think I can squeeze the 3” Pypes system in there, but it will require some patience and a lot of measuring. I don’t mind the challenge of making the 3” Pypes system fit. But if my measurements and test fitting don’t allow me to keep the x-brace, I may swap for a 2 1/2” system.

Right now it looks like cutting and rewelding the x-pipe, along with cutting the back legs extremely short, will work on this car. The offset in/offset out mufflers also look like they will fit with no problem. I am still open to suggestions though. Usually on this forum there is some one who has “been there, done that” and I have gotten some great advice.

Gary
1969 convertible/454/700R4

Gary if you want I can send you some pics of My custom built 3 inch system , I also engineered a new convertable cross brace that is fairly trick also , I made it so it has a driveshaft loop also . I went with 3 inch stainless right out the back .
Mark .

I bulit my own X-brace that runs ABOVE the exhaust system. It utilizes the front two bolt holes of the factory X-brace on each side. This allows you to mount an exhaust system as you would on a coupe, without shimming or trying to stuff everything above the factory brace.

I also used the Pypes 2 1/2" system, in which the rear legs are a lot closer together and fit in the tunnel better.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v61/gort69/69%20Camaro/DSCN2227.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v61/gort69/69%20Camaro/DSCN2230.jpg

J early had a post on this a few weeks ago. He said he cut 3" off the back legs off the x pipe and now it tucks up in the tunnel and picked up 1.5" ground clearence. I dont know how to link posts but its a few pages up like page 4 or 5.

Thanks for the quick responses.
Mark, I would love to see pics of your 3 inch system and your reengineered cross brace. Can you send an email?

Al, that was pretty cool the way you reengineered the X-brace. Even if I didn't have the brace, I still have to tuck the 3 inch pipes up high by the driveshaft as my car is pretty low and ground clearance is at a premium.

6D9, thanks for the tip J Early's thread (http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=57853&highlight=early) I am going to see if he can also email me some pics of his 3 inch X-pipe system.

I don't think I will be able to tackle this project until the end of the month, but once I finish it, I will try to post some pictures for the other guys trying to fit a 3 inch X-pipe system.
Gary
1969 convertible/454/700R4

Hey if you gets some pics from him could you send them to me . I PM'd him but have not got a response yet. Thanks

I will send them Gary later on tonite when the wife comes home , just to make sure I don't screw it up . I'm good with cars but bad with computers.
Mark .

Al,
Any chance you can post the dimensions of your home made x brace? I just ordered the 2.5" Pypes system for my '67 convertible and I am lerning how to weld.

I'll try - hope you can make sense out of this.

I used 2 pieces of 3" x 2" x 3/8" angle iron, each piece 8" long.

The center plate is 8 5/8" wide x 8" long, 1/4" thick.

The 3" part of the angle iron lays flat against the bottom of the car body, with the 2" part going up into the trans tunnel. The center plate is welded about 1"(half way) up the 2" side of the agle iron. This is way harder to describe than it was to build!

The easiest way is to start with the two 8" pieces of angle iron and test fit them under your car. Use the factory X-brace as a template to drill the holes. Bolt those 2 pieces in, and measure what is needed for the center plate. Cut it, tack it place, then pull the whole thing out and weld it up. Leave enough room for the drive shaft to move up and down.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Al, makes sense to me. If I do it with the rear end off the ground, that should assure me of driveshaft clearance, right?
Sorry for hijacking the thread Gary.

No problem GunnerV. I don't consider it hijacking. It has been my experience that it you have a question on something, there are ten more people watching the thread with the same question. More info is always better.
With that in mind, Mark L.W. said it was O.K. to post pictures of his modified cross brace and exhaust system. So here is his cross brace:

http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/Images/sbrace1.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/brace1.html)

http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/Images/sbrace2.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/brace2.html)

http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/Images/sbrace3.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/brace3.html)

And this is his 3 inch stainless exhaust system:

http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/Images/sbrace4.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/brace4.html)

http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/Images/sbrace5.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/brace5.html)

http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/Images/sbrace6.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~parkhillg/brace6.html)

Gary
69 convertible/454/700R4