350 Vortec Headers and exhaust

[DerekTheGreat]

I want to say “maybe no” on this. Someone here tried it the other way (putting a Vortec Y-pipe on a TBI) and it was off at the header flange though you wouldn’t think that it would be.

@DerekTheGreat was the guy that did that, maybe he could chime in. Here’s his thread, maybe it will help.

If you don’t have the EGR tube on a vortec header, I’d just put a threaded plug into the port.

Bosal 0795111 - Does it fit K series TBI?

Hello everyone. Quick question regarding this converter set-up: Bosal 079-5111 Bosal Catalytic Converters | Summit Racing Does anyone know if it'll work with my stock 350 TBI powered '89 K1500? I need all new exhaust from the manifolds back and want to do true dual, that dude seems like the...

www.gmt400.com

He might be able to get away with it on his Vortec truck if he swaps the stock TBI manifolds over as well. From what I recall, the flanges appear the same, but take different hardware to seal up. From there, my issue with trying to put Vortec exhaust on my TBI truck was with the floor pans- apparently they're different. My trusty exhaust shop gave my parts a go, but said the Vortec dual Y-pipe was hitting the floor pan as well as the issue with the exhaust manifold flanges. Based on that costly blunder, I'd expect the TBI exhaust would hang lower on a Vortec truck.

 

[Erik the Awful]

You can definitely get it done cheaper if you're willing to weld your own exhaust. I did my 2.5" dual exhaust for under $500, and that's with the headers and cats. I could very easily have gotten away with no cats, but I'm trying to be a good neighbor. I did build my own dropped transmission crossmember to fit the exhaust. I used Cherry Bomb Salute mufflers, and they're a bit too loud, but I do plan to finish out the tailpipes at some point, and I think that will help.

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Also, if you ever plan on welding roll cages or anything structural, get a 240v welder. I have a Miller 211, and it can run on either 110v or 220v, which is supremely handy when your friend across town needs some welding on the window net anchor tabs on his track toy Miata, but his garage doesn't have 220v.

 

[El Tigre]

Dual Y-pipe that goes to single 3" muffler tailpipe is easier ,cheaper ,and better once one considers the cross-sectional area of pipes. JBA has done exhaustive (no pun intended) into this issue ,and these products in my opinion.

 

[clgodwin79]

You can definitely get it done cheaper if you're willing to weld your own exhaust. I did my 2.5" dual exhaust for under $500, and that's with the headers and cats. I could very easily have gotten away with no cats, but I'm trying to be a good neighbor. I did build my own dropped transmission crossmember to fit the exhaust. I used Cherry Bomb Salute mufflers, and they're a bit too loud, but I do plan to finish out the tailpipes at some point, and I think that will help.

You must be registered for see images attach

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Also, if you ever plan on welding roll cages or anything structural, get a 240v welder. I have a Miller 211, and it can run on either 110v or 220v, which is supremely handy when your friend across town needs some welding on the window net anchor tabs on his track toy Miata, but his garage doesn't have 220v.

Wow! Super impressive! So did you have some kind of list or how did you even know where to start with what pieces to buy? And did you order your stuff online or from a local auto parts store?

 

[Erik the Awful]

summitracing.com

I bought headers, two cats, one 2.5" mandrel bent U-bend, one 4' section of 2.5" tubing, 2 Cherry Bomb Salute mufflers, some 2.5" ball-flange adapters to mate to the headers, a couple exhaust hangars, and I used an O2 sensor bung I bought years ago off of Amazon in a pack of 10. It's in the driver's side header reducer - the reducer came with the headers.

Since then I've bought another two u-bends and another 4' of tubing so that I can go over the rear axle and out.

Just so everyone knows, in those pics above, everything is just tacked together. Those "pretty" welds are from the factory at Jones Exhaust. My welding looks like a pile of worms shriveled and died.

 

[clgodwin79]

summitracing.com

I bought headers, two cats, one 2.5" mandrel bent U-bend, one 4' section of 2.5" tubing, 2 Cherry Bomb Salute mufflers, some 2.5" ball-flange adapters to mate to the headers, a couple exhaust hangars, and I used an O2 sensor bung I bought years ago off of Amazon in a pack of 10. It's in the driver's side header reducer - the reducer came with the headers.

Since then I've bought another two u-bends and another 4' of tubing so that I can go over the rear axle and out.

Just so everyone knows, in those pics above, everything is just tacked together. Those "pretty" welds are from the factory at Jones Exhaust. My welding looks like a pile of worms shriveled and died.

That’s really impressive to me! I know that maybe for some not so much. But I’m really excited to buy these pieces and get this part done. Unfortunately I have quite a bit of other work to do before I’m there.

Like finish building the engine. Buy a transmission, and put the driveline all back in! Hopefully this summer.

 

[Erik the Awful]

This was my second exhaust. It seems daunting, but it's just a bunch of trial-and-error. Tack-weld, test fit, cut it apart, tack-weld it again, test fit, fully weld. I started at the front and worked my way back. Yarn and duct tape aren't a bad idea if you want to keep it straight, but I just eyeballed mine. Just remember that there's going to be some flexing and wiggling and you don't want your exhaust resting up against anything else.

 

[clgodwin79]

So I pulled the trigger and bought these along with the 3 bolt flange collectors. I’ll buy the rest of the stuff I need later when I’m closer to getting my drivetrain put back in. But this way at least I can get picks with the engine on the engine stand with the headers installed. They say that they fit 1988-98. So that tells me TBI and Vortec heads. I think that they will work fine and hopefully bolt right up. Also, I got a set of gaskets in my rebuild kit I think. I’ll compare the one it comes with to the one that came in my kit once I get home from travel and when they arrive.

I took the advice of those here and decided not to go with stainless steel for the headers or any other part of the exhaust. That way I should be able to easily weld it myself without too much trouble. My back already hurts just thinking of how many times I’ll be getting in and out from under my truck! Lol I guess maybe it’s time to invest in a chop saw. Or maybe I can find a metal cutting blade for my DeWalt miter saw.

The plan is to run 2.5” duals the whole way with an X pipe. But maybe I’ll merge the X pipe into a Y pipe for a 1 in 2 out muffler.

Any advice on mufflers? I want a nice deep sound, but no drone and not so obnoxious that it annoys me or ****** off and wakes up the neighbors.

There are so many options, and I know that since I’ll already have headers that I need to be careful what mufflers I get to help keep the sound nice, but not over the top.

Hooker Headers 2462: Competition Headers 265-400 Chevy Small Block V8 - JEGS

This header is equipped with a fitting to accept the stock oxygen sensor.

www.jegs.com

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[Supercharged111]

This is what I put on my 1500 eons ago, they were a lot cheaper back in 09.

1992 CHEVROLET K1500 Hedman Hedders 69840 Hedman Elite Extreme-Duty Headers | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Hedman Elite Extreme-Duty Headers with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Headers at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

I also swapped the stock Vortec stuff over to my 88. It all bolted right up no problems, manifolds and all. I bought a plug at Lowes for the unused EGR port in the exhaust.

 

[clgodwin79]

How would I know what type of ARP header bolts to order? I can obviously just order the ARP version of OEM exhaust bolts, but I wasn’t sure if the needed to be longer or shorter maybe because of a difference in the header flange thickness vs the stock exhaust manifold thickness.