Raising a car with 3” exhaust and an x pipe

Discussion in 'Wrenchin' Secrets' started by wildcat4, Mar 25, 2020.

  1. wildcat4

    wildcat4 Well-Known Member

    What are some solutions for raising your car with 3” exhaust and an x pipe. The driveshaft comes in contact with the x pipe before the wheels are off the ground.
    I always have to raise the rear end then support on the lower control arms with jack stands. That is a bit of a pain when I want to change rear tires because I have to then put jack stands under the frame then lower the rear end some before the driveshaft hits.
    Can a person shorten the shock travel or what exactly does a guy do with say a 2 post lift?
     
  2. 1973gs

    1973gs Well-Known Member

    Check Summit. They sell limit straps for 4wd trucks.
     
  3. hugger

    hugger Well-Known Member

    Yet another reason why I don't like Xpipes,..we simply don't need them on our high tq engines
    But yes some limit straps would be good run them thru the spring maybe leave about 2in slack in it
     
    docgsx likes this.
  4. wildcat4

    wildcat4 Well-Known Member

    Thanks I will look into that idea.
     
  5. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.


    I added an X-pipe to one of my cars but not for power, it was to reduce the horrible drone that the Walker Ultraflow mufflers (part #17295) produce right at cruising speed. The X-pipe didn’t eliminate the drone completely but did made a big improvement.
     
    Doug Hoyle likes this.
  6. hugger

    hugger Well-Known Member

    I'm the opposite I prefer the rougher "poppier" sound of traditional duals
     
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  7. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    Duals also have a better WOT “ROAR” which is hard to describe
     
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  8. BrunoD

    BrunoD Looking for Fast Eddie

    I never had a problem like that.Also,I can take the x pipes off anytime,they are attached to the long pipes just as they are attached to the headers.,as I instructed the guy doing the job that on one time or another,I might want to take the trains out or whatever.Tight as anything,.never a problem to work under the car.Bruno.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2020
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  9. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.


    I don’t think me message was clear. It was an ear-splitting drone without the x-pipe. Anyone that rode in the car at a steady 45-50 mph would say “please speed up or slow down and make me ears stop hurting”

    Your cars may not have ever had this issue but I’ve have this issue with a couple of cars over the years. One had Walker UltraFlows and another had done 1-chamber Flowmasters. The drone at one speed made it feel like someone was pushing a screw driver into your ear.
     
  10. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.

    We all have different tastes. I prefer the smoother, quieter sound with the x-pipe because I like sleepers. A big block at high rpm is still plenty loud even with an x-pipe and full exhaust.
     
  11. Dan Gerber

    Dan Gerber Founders Club Member

    I had the exhaust shop weld gasket-type exhaust flanges on where the X-pipes join the muffler inlets. That way it's relatively easy to disconnect the entire X-pipe assembly from the manifolds and mufflers and slide the X-pipe out from under the car, or to temporarily move a muffler/tailpipe assembly.
     
  12. wildcat4

    wildcat4 Well-Known Member

    Not a bad idea, just seems like alot of work just to change rear tires.
    Thanks for the thought
     
  13. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    Maybe I don't get the question, but why not jack it up from the pumpkin and then put jack stands on the axle shafts?
     
  14. 1973gs

    1973gs Well-Known Member

    That's what I do, but when I need to remove the rear tires, I also need to put jack stands under the frame to allow the axle to drop. The exhaust isn't the issue with my car, but I don't like all of weight of the differential hanging on the coilovers.
     
  15. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    I forgot how truly separate duals sounded, I had an "H" pipe on my GS for years.
    When I went to larger headers on my last build, I scrapped the "H" pipe and went back to true separate duals, the exhaust sounds more "Stereo" now, like yah said, its hard to describe:D
    The "H" pipe made it a pain to do any trans. work, plus I didn't feel like making another one:p:p
     
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  16. jay3000

    jay3000 RIP 1-16-21

    Fender skirts.
     
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  17. 1973gs

    1973gs Well-Known Member

    Maybe next winters project.:D IMG_0010 (1)_LI.jpg
     
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  18. jay3000

    jay3000 RIP 1-16-21

    OK. How about try this. Jack the car up by the diff. Put one jack stand on one axle tube as near the outside as possible. Put another on the frame on the other side and release the jack slowly until you can get the tire off.

    That may not drop the shaft low enough to rest on the exhaust? I suppose you could use a similar variation with a ramp on one side.
     
  19. 436'd Skylark

    436'd Skylark Sweet Fancy Moses!!!!!

    X-pipes are not worth the money.. seems for a minute X-pipes were somewhat of a status symbol in the hotrod world. Standard duals are so archaic....

    Huge PITA for a few HP and loss of ground clearance. Great way to waste a couple hundred bucks.
     
  20. BrunoD

    BrunoD Looking for Fast Eddie

    Why would that effect ground clearance?They are at the same height as the headers and the mufflers!Bruno.
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2020
    72gs4spd, wildcat4 and 1973gs like this.

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