Dual stacks!!

I finally got off my butt and started this project.

I bought the stacks, one heat shield, and mounting hardware from a junk yard. Got the other heat shield online. International wants $931 each!!!

Chrome tips (5" to 6") came from Empire Chrome here in San Antonio. Got the flex and band clamps from San Antonio Brake and Clutch. Elbows I got online for $35 each.

Junk yard: $200
Tips: $250
Heat shield: $125
Flex and clamps: $80
Elbows: $70
The whole kit and kaboodle cost me $725, and some elbow grease. There was also some cussing. By "some", I mean that's mostly what I did the whole time.

Now phase 1 of "Operation Headache Rack" is finally finished.

You can see the stacks already hanging, but this is what the old muffler looked like:




This is my Y-pipe fabrication:


Finished product! Still need to clean everything, but I'm heat cycling it now so I can re-tighten all the bolts. Sounds great in the driveway. If I don't like the sound on the road, I'll add some spools later. Truck was totally transformed in my opinion.


Edit: If anyone happens to notice the expired sticker on the Z...we just don't drive it. Probably the last time we drove that car was to get it inspected to renew the registration, so I'm not renewing it again. Anyone wants an '04, PM me an offer.

 

Out of all semi trucks, I think International really nailed the heat shields. They just look real good how it goes flat on the outside, and in line with the sleeper. Clean look.

If you're wondering why I didn't just buy a Y-pipe? It's because it's 5" to 4", and the cheapest one was like $190. This way, I spent $70, and I had control of the output angles. Where the stacks go under the cab, they're at an angle. So I needed to make my exhaust pipe longer, and then the Y-pipe kind of hooks around backwards, and aims at the stack inlets. Since the flex on the passenger side was only 8" long, I really needed to get them aimed at each other pretty good to make it work.

 

I expect this one will too, since it's now just raw carbon steel. But God willing, I'll be in a Western Star 4900 before that happens. At that point, "Betsy" will be my backup truck.