Side Exit Exhaust

89SCK@t

Registered User
Has anyone ever seen, or heard of, an SC/XR7 with side exit exhaust? I was thinking it would be a cool little project to do. High Flow Cats, no res, and 2.5in pipe, both sides. maybe dual 2.5in exhaust tips...I'm also thing of getting custom fiberglass front lip, rear valance, and side skirts, simple, nothing to flashy....I know there could be problems with trying to route it and all....but it would be kinda cool:D
 
wow thats a cool idea there dude! i have much information, but good luck. that woudl be neat to see, and posibly even do on one of our own :)
 
When I was a kid I put duel side exhaust on a 79 2 door marquis. I used the stock cats and put two turbo mufflers with 2.5 inch pipes routed them right in front of the rear tires at an angle from the middle. the only problems i had was speed bumps. I don't know if that helps you out any? Try it, if you don't like it change it, just keep all your stock stuff....Bill
 
I've thought about that as well, but I have found a problem with 1) ground clearance. The mufflers would have to go under the passenger area which sits lower than the resonator. And 2) you will have to cut some of the undercarriage (rockers/ground effects) to support your exhaust tips. With some innovation and creative thinking, it can be done. I am still thinking about doing it myself. My exhaust project won't be until next July to August so I still have plenty of time for research. Let me know what you find out on it. I think that it can be done without too much work. The only problem I see is if you are/have lowered your bird.

Just FYI I'm planning on some custom long tube headers (2000 degree coated, of course and high flow cats with true dual 2 1/2s) I still have to check on the long headers though.

Cheers
 
I thought about it when I was under my car this summer. There are some real clearance issues.

Our cars are Uni-Body design with structural integrity coming from the central tunnel and from channels that run down either side of the car. These channels on either side are well below the floor pan and would be the main thing in the way of a side exit exhaust. Cutting into these could seriously compromise the strength of the body if you don't re-enforce it somehow. I wouldn't know how to begin.

Also, there is almost no room for a converter plus a x-pipe plus a muffler plus a tailpipe. Certainly a very custom job will be necessary and my thought was we might need to re-form (pound on) the passenger floor pan to gain clearance for the mufflers.

I still think the big problem would be cutting into the structural parts of the body.
 
problems....maybe solutions

i have thought about the clearance issues as well..my XR7 has not be lowered yet, hopefully soon...anyway, would oval shaped exhaust work as well as a circular exhaust. i wont have mufflers, i love a loud car:D
i would try to have the exhaust pipes as close to the chassis as possible, and try to weld brackets to hold onto the pipes.....hmm....plan formulating..... :cool:
 
It might be a good idea to take a look at the Rouch edition Mustang. They have the side exit. Just a idea.

Rich
602-909-6937
 
If I'm not mistaken, those ground effects are made to go below the vehicle itself, whereas the ground effects on our cars simple cover the lower portion of the body. And the exhaust for a mustang has the mufflers positioned infront of the rear axle and ours is after the axle. This is done to gain ground clearance. And I have thought about having oval exhaust all the way through, but I think that the cost will get too much for that. I believe it would all have to be custom made. I'm already looking at about $2k for my exhaust as it is. I'm not going to give up on the side exhaust yet though. I'll take my bird to a good shop and ask the "professionals" about it before I do anything.
 
This is my set up:

Replace the factory "Y" resonator after the cats with a dual 2.5 in and out muffler. The Magnaflow WOT series is a nice muffler and it actually looks like a "X" pipe on the inside. The case dimensions are small enough it can tuck up right where the factory resonator was. If you don't have a hydraulic pipe bender, forget about this exhaust. You will need to bend some shields out of the way on the driver's side. No problems on that side. The Passenger side is very tricky. The exhaust pipe has some very unique bends and you should put some heat shields on the pipe that hangs under the GAS TANK (passenger side only). I used Camaro Style tips. They are 1 7/8 tall by 8 inches wide. This tip will not hang down too low. My Xenon body kit fits and the tips don't touch it. Unfortunately you cannot set this car up to have an exaust like a mustang. My shop just installed the Ford Racing side exhaust on a 98 Mustang V6. The Borla is sweet, but that is beside the point.
****Clearance issues. The exhaust can scrap when you leave or enter driveways that are really pitched. The muffler is what usually touches. No bid deal. The only other thing that will touch is the pipe on the passenger side. I have a solution to that though. There is a company that makes oval tube that would gain some extra clearance, but it is stupid expensive. Also I used 2.5 round tube, 2.25 would help and make it easier for bending. You can crush the tube and it will accomplish the same thing as the oval tube. However my 95 is put away until the snow melts, so I will change this in the spring. One more thing I lowered my car over two inches and it has a V8. This exhaust required no cutting of the car. If you want the exhaust to come out of the rocker you are going to spend a lot of money on adding extra support to every thing that you will have to cut out.

I will post some pictures if I took some. This was done 4 months ago so I don't remember taking any. E-mail or post with questions. I will tell you this, it is loud, people can hear me for miles but the noise isn't bad inside. The down side is that my car is running a little rich and I smell like the exhaust fumes when I get in and out, depends on how the wind blows.

Brad
 
Hello

Hello,
Have you ever heard of Spintech?
They make some pretty thin mufflers that sound pretty good.
You could also use boom tubes or oval tubes this would help with any clearance problems.
Check out this site.
Spintech Mufflers

Laterz,
D Rainer
 
You could also use cherry bombs (Glass pack resonators) or even The Bullet Mufflers made by Dynomax. The bullets have a 4 inch round case. You will have no problems tucking those up in the tunnel.
Brad
 
SCYALTR

Thanks for the link. To answer your question, no, I had never heard of Spintech, but I have now. I've checked out the site and they have a lot of good stuff there that will help I think. I notice that they don't have any oval cats. I guess that is ok. I'll just go oval after my 'X' pipe. Thanks again.

89SCK@t

I think that site will be helpful to you as well. There is a lot of good stuff there. I'd still go oval of I were you, even without a resonator and mufflers. I just don't like mine quite so loud. I think I'd wake everyone up in the neighbor hood when I leave for work!
 
You are welcome

Hello,
At one time I was putting together a side exit exhaust for my SC but could not get any shop to put it on. That was about 3yrs ago. I have since thrown away the measurements and part #'s that would make the system work with my 2" drop
Good luck man.
Laterz,
D Rainer
 
This was brought up once before, oh maybe sometime during the summer and someone had actually posted a picture of the T-Bird as well. he was racing it I think(?) The picture wasn't really a close up, so did not get a good view of it.

I think it would be a sweet idea and I would think it would work. Heck it worked on the saleen Mustang. Lots of thought process in this one I would say.

GOOD LUCK :D !!

Jeff Bratton
 
ok...i called a muffler shop...they said that they needed to take a look under the car, to see what could be done...they said it would be 200-400 dollars..depending....i was just going to steal their idea..im such a bastard...anyway...for a price like that, i cant complain..and its exactly how i want it..
 
problem......

i just got my car on a lift....took a look and saw that the driver side is no problem to route side exit...the passenger side, like a few of you said, poses a problem...but im thinkin, there is a channel under the passenger door, which might be able to safely house the 2.5" with no problem. the channel is about 4" wide, and about 2" deep...it might be kinda ghetto, but would it work? i really dont want it to be like that, but theoretically, since the driver side pretty much has to be bent almost 180 degrees in order to go out the side(because using the routing of the driver side), it would be almost the same length as the passenger side going down right, into the channel, going straight back, with a 45 degree bend to go out of the side...hmmm....any inputs??
 
Well, if the passenger side is such a problem, why not have exhaust like the Lightning and have both pipes come out one side, or would that still pose just a bigger problem?
 
actually that would be an even bigger problem...the channel for the stock exhaust could probably house a single 3"...it would only be able to support, maybe, and this is a big maybe, dual 2.25". that is just a little bigger than the stock pipe on it now.

the plan for right now, without the passenger side, it to route a single 3" back, and have it come out the driver side....and it might be just a restrictive as the stock exhaust....the cost right now, is a little over 170 dollars...

is there anyone who knows what channel im talking about in the passenger side? would it be feasible?
 
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