Chevy swap exhaust ?

[Brad W.]

Those of you running chevy engines, what did you do fro exhaust? manifolds or headers? part # on headers that fit the wag frame?? I want to order all the stuff before I attempt to rebuild this 350/383 and cram it in. TIA

[Bama Burden]

ram horn manifolds. got em cheap off ebay. they hug and flow

[bowtieman55]

If you do decide to go with the ram's horn manifolds, make sure of what you are getting. The "good" ones have a 2 1/2" outlet, whereas some of the lower H.P. engines came with 2" (if that, I think) outlets.

[Kenall]

Stock log manis.
On my 66 with 3" bod lift I ran the D side forward and around the oil pan, down the P side into a 'Y' and to a single 2 1/2 muff/ex tubing. I used the JC whipme bendable 2" from the manis to the 'Y', then 2.5 after that. on the 75 I ran the D side back toards the trany xmbr, made 'a left' to the P side and then 'a right' between the QT and the frame. into a 'Y' and then to an OE round 'log' muf.

[Bama Burden]

Here's a pic from the yota section at Pirate. I think these guys use a y-pipe from a '65 or '66 1/2ton chevy with a 283.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=24089&stc=1&d=1024525178

pic of y pipe:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=24086&stc=1&d=1024525091

[Rompn]

I am putting in my Chevy 350/TH400/Dana 20 combo here soon to mock up for motor mounts. I'll take a look at what I'll do for exhaust then. However, currently I have stock log manifolds. I'll use them if I don't get anything better before trail day however I did do some research on this two years ago. I met with a local board member who bought my Quadra-Trac and AMC housed 400 tranny. He had a J-10 truck with a Chevy 350 that had full length headers. I got the part number from him and made a post about them. They weren't the best set out there (Heddmans I believe) however they were working for him. Do a search for this and you will find my post with the part number. I remember them having a thin head flange and that's one of the main reasons I haven't gotten them yet. I have tried to cross reference that part numbers to higher quality headers however no luck. I called Doug Thorley one time and actually spoke with a tech there who tried all of there headers on a Chevy 350 swapped Cherokee. He said the frame rails are just so close on these Jeeps that nothing they have would fit without major reworking of the chassis. My plan would be to run a good set of ramhorns however I haven't found a "cheap" set on E-Bay yet. I may just build my own.:fsj:

[Kenall]

He said the frame rails are just so close on these Jeeps .:fsj:

:confused: are you kiddn me. the motor mount arms on these things are like 5" long on ea side. Was he talkn big chero or little chero??

[elbastardo]

FWIW Im running the 350 400 D20 combo in my 64 P/U, or I was. And the headders that im running came off the chevy donor truck, it was A 77 k20. I ran A pipe on either side of the T-case, alittle tight on the pass side, but no real problems. They dont look real spendy, and if they came off A 77 chev SB 4wd, there about as run of the mill as you can get.

[Rompn]

:confused: are you kiddn me. the motor mount arms on these things are like 5" long on ea side. Was he talkn big chero or little chero??

I know, but that is what he said. The Jeep was a 79' Cherokee. I have never seen a set of Thorley's for a sbc in real life but apparently they stick out pretty far to fit. It could have been all BS but he sounded legit.

[Rompn]

FWIW Im running the 350 400 D20 combo in my 64 P/U, or I was. And the headders that im running came off the chevy donor truck, it was A 77 k20. I ran A pipe on either side of the T-case, alittle tight on the pass side, but no real problems. They dont look real spendy, and if they came off A 77 chev SB 4wd, there about as run of the mill as you can get.

Do you have a picture by chance? Curious to see the clearance for the steering shaft. Don't know how close your 64' is going to be to my 79' but it is better than nothing. :thumbsup:

[Brad W.]

yeah, after having seen the options for stock manifolds, I say to hell with it. I'll run some block huggers with jet-hot coating to keep the temps down. That stock stuff looks restrictive, and i'm not about to snake 50' of 2" tiny pipe around my oil pan and run a y-pipe. no way in hell i'm going through that maze again, it was bad enough that way OEM.

I should have specified i'm running 2.5" duals and probably flowmasters, I want it to be kinda quiet, but still throaty. My dodge is straightpiped and i think it's really annoying, so I'm going to go quiet on this rig, i'm sick of not being able to hear over the engine.

I'll just run block-huggers and a balance pipe behind the t-case. Good enough.

[elbastardo]

This is all that I could find for now, Ill look for more:thumbsup: http://sore4x4.com/gallery/d/7794-3/headers.JPG

[Brad W.]

Thats pretty cool. Too bad i'll have this huge bull-bar on the front, I really do like the tilt front clips.

Those look like regular headers for a SBC chevy, i'll have to measure my friends truck and see...

[El Jefe]

i just got cheapy headers from summit, fit fine. i got a custom tank in the spare tire area so mine just go straight out.

[Rompn]

Pictures?

Also, how is everyone mounting their 350 engine? Anyone move it back, forward or down at all? I bought the Advanced Adapters swap brackets but they are cheap looking and I really don't want to run them now. I was going to have the engine and tranny hang from the cherry picker inside the bay and set it where I think everything should be. Then I was going to make some templates and build my own mounts. Ideas?

[JpX]

Novak Adapters has a small write up on engine placement. Drivers side to Passengers side alignment has some dependancy on front prop shaft being on drivers vs. passenger side.

Novak's write up is here
http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/fsj_swap.htm

I would also be curious what other people who've already dont the Chevy motor swap have found.

[El Jefe]

the way i did it was bolt the tranny to the engine, i have a 350 th400 d20 combo by the way, then used the cherry picker to slide it in. while it was hanging i bolted the tranny to its mount and then centered and leveled the engine, then built the motor mounts from there.

[Rompn]

the way i did it was bolt the tranny to the engine, i have a 350 th400 d20 combo by the way, then used the cherry picker to slide it in. while it was hanging i bolted the tranny to its mount and then centered and leveled the engine, then built the motor mounts from there.

Thanks for the info.:thumbsup: Since it sounds like you have about the only rig closest to the rest of us years wise, can you take some photos of the engine bay (top, sides and bottom) and the undercarriage (tranny to engine bolt up)? Also, do you have HEI? That's what I'm running and since the cap is so large, I was wondering how close to the firewall it would be with the tranny being bolted in the stock location. Thanks again.:fsj:

[El Jefe]

yeah i'll get some pics. i do have HEI, its a close fit but it fit under there. i have to use a stubby screw driver to remove it.

[Brad W.]

my mounts are just a plate bolted to the engine block, with a piece of rollcage scrap tube welded to them and running down to a sleeved urethane spring bushing and tabs on the frame rail. I'm not about to fork out a couple hundred bucks for adapters and stuff when I can use $40 worth of spring bushings.

No, i haven't welded them up yet, so don't ask for pics. I'll take some when I do the install.

[Rompn]

my mounts are just a plate bolted to the engine block, with a piece of rollcage scrap tube welded to them and running down to a sleeved urethane spring bushing and tabs on the frame rail. I'm not about to fork out a couple hundred bucks for adapters and stuff when I can use $40 worth of spring bushings.

No, i haven't welded them up yet, so don't ask for pics. I'll take some when I do the install.

So your going to go with a small block Chevy now instead of a big block Chevy like it says in your sig?

[Brad W.]

yes. the BBC is going in a different project. m715 with rockwells and 42" xl's. unless i can get a good deal on a 12v cummins.

[Rompn]

yes. the BBC is going in a different project. m715 with rockwells and 42" xl's. unless i can get a good deal on a 12v cummins.

Good deal. Start a thread if you haven't already on it.

[JpX]

My Novak Adapters arrived today, they look pretty darn stout, I'll have no problem trusting those with my motor. I plan to have the old AMC engine out tomorrow.
I have a 383 shortblock that was supposed to arrive today but when I called the engine builder they were still working on the engine. Guess I'll be getting it next week. I can't wait to get everything installed.

So Novak's site also said something about routing the exhaust along the drivers side frame rail. Seems to me one would have to reroute fuel lines to do something like that.

[oldcj5guy]

Don't see how you would get the exhaust down the drivers side with the fuel tank there. I have an '88 350/TH400 in my J10, and there is a lot of room on both sides of the engine and at the distributor. I have the stock manifolds at the moment, but I think I can fit any of the shorties in with no problems. Once I do the springover I think any truck manifold would fit. Motor mounts are homebrew, and engine seems to sit a little low, but is based off of the original trans mount.

[Kenall]

the way i did it was bolt the tranny to the engine, i have a 350 th400 d20 combo by the way, then used the cherry picker to slide it in. while it was hanging i bolted the tranny to its mount and then centered and leveled the engine, then built the motor mounts from there.

same here
xcase to tranny, tranny to engine, slide that in, bolt tranny mount to xmber, and then fab some motor mounts.

[Rompn]

same here
xcase to tranny, tranny to engine, slide that in, bolt tranny mount to xmber, and then fab some motor mounts.

Sounds good, thanks. Looks like I might be able to do this during the week to mock up for motor mounts. Can anyone snap a few pictures though of the engine compartment, motor mount placement, etc.? Just for refrence. :thumbsup:

[Rompn]

What the heck????:confused: I got an e-mail saying that El Jefe responded to this post and that he was posting pic's. But when I clicked on the link, nothing new in this thread. Hmmmmmmmmmmm...:confused:

[El Jefe]

ha, i screwed up the first time, heres a couple of pictures., my camera sucks though.

[Rompn]

ha, i screwed up the first time, heres a couple of pictures., my camera sucks though.

I think you may have a leak. :thumbsup:

Serisously though, thanks for getting those pictures up. That right there answers a lot of questions.

Can you also take a picture of how close the distributor is to the firewall?

Also, it looks like you used the stock arms coming off of the frame. Can you explain what mount setup you used off of what year car/truck, etc.? I like this factory type look rather than the Novak or Advanced Adpater setup.

The headers look like they fit great in there. Any idea on a part number?

[JPSwapMohn]

I am running ceramic coated pacesetter mid-length headers on the LT1 in my GW. The muffler shop did a great job (just saw it for the first time tonight...and got to DRIVE it! YEA! A few things left to tie up before I bring it home on Monday.

Anyway, I am running 2.5" dual exhaust (Driver's side wraps over to the passenger side, then back to driver's side back behind the TC. Running Flow Masters with pipes coming out at 45 degree angle behind the rear wheels about 3-4 inches short of the bumper.

It sounds calm when at idle, has a nice low rumble at cruising, and SCREAMS when you step on it. :thumbsup:

I was already planning on using sound-deadening on the interior anyway, but it is not as loud as I was concerned it might be.

Will get picks next week after I pick it up..

bm

[El Jefe]

I think you may have a leak. :thumbsup:

Serisously though, thanks for getting those pictures up. That right there answers a lot of questions.

Can you also take a picture of how close the distributor is to the firewall?

Also, it looks like you used the stock arms coming off of the frame. Can you explain what mount setup you used off of what year car/truck, etc.? I like this factory type look rather than the Novak or Advanced Adpater setup.

The headers look like they fit great in there. Any idea on a part number?

the only thing my cherokee doesnt leak is fuel and antifreeze.

i'll get you a pic this weekend, those are the stock arms off the frame. had to move them forward a bit. then i just welded a flat plate on them, and bolted stock chevy motor mounts on.

i dont know the part number, they are just 4wd chevy headers, with the 4" lift i had to clearance the flange a bit for the driveshaft though.

[Rompn]

I am running ceramic coated pacesetter mid-length headers on the LT1 in my GW. The muffler shop did a great job (just saw it for the first time tonight...and got to DRIVE it! YEA! A few things left to tie up before I bring it home on Monday.

Anyway, I am running 2.5" dual exhaust (Driver's side wraps over to the passenger side, then back to driver's side back behind the TC. Running Flow Masters with pipes coming out at 45 degree angle behind the rear wheels about 3-4 inches short of the bumper.

It sounds calm when at idle, has a nice low rumble at cruising, and SCREAMS when you step on it. :thumbsup:

I was already planning on using sound-deadening on the interior anyway, but it is not as loud as I was concerned it might be.

Will get picks next week after I pick it up..

bm

Good deal, thanks. Part numbers always help too.:thumbsup:

I am dropping in my 350/TH400 setup together today to see what needs to happen for mounts. Then out they come and some paint is going to be laid down on the firewall and inner fenders. Just looking at it yesterday, the passenger side arm coming off of the frame looks like it has plenty of clearance to move forward, back, whatever. The driver side however, is pretty maxed out if it needs to go forward (towards the bumper) at all. This is due to the steering shaft being right there. I'll take another look at it when the engine is in there.

[Rompn]

the only thing my cherokee doesnt leak is fuel and antifreeze.

i'll get you a pic this weekend, those are the stock arms off the frame. had to move them forward a bit. then i just welded a flat plate on them, and bolted stock chevy motor mounts on.

i dont know the part number, they are just 4wd chevy headers, with the 4" lift i had to clearance the flange a bit for the driveshaft though.

Awesome, thanks.

[JPSwapMohn]

ROMPN,
here is a pic of my motor mounts. We notched the driver's side for clearance of the steering arm.
2743

I will try to find the part numbers for the headers.

[Rompn]

ROMPN,
here is a pic of my motor mounts. We notched the driver's side for clearance of the steering arm.
2743

I will try to find the part numbers for the headers.

Gotcha, thanks.

I dropped in my 350/TH400/D20 setup this weekend. When I went to setup the motor mounts, the ones we bought from Advance Adapters were the wrong ones. Apparently they sent me a shorter version which is about 2" shy of the frame on the driver side. I'll be calling them up tomorrow to see about getting them exchanged. Also, even with the longer one in it's place, the steering arm is going to be a issue. Looks like I am going to have to notch the new mount from Advance when they come in. Odd though becuase they don't mention you have to do so on their site or when I talked to them.

Also as an FYI, with the tranny bolted in (stock location) and the engine being supported by the cherry picker (but attached to the tranny) I have exactly 5" from the back of the HEI distributor to the firewall. This seems a little excessive from reading everyone else's experience.

[El Jefe]

sorry iam slow

[Rompn]

sorry iam slow

Hey, at least you came through with the pictures. :thumbsup: Thanks for those.

The back of my HEI distributor sits literally 5" from the firewall. What you show there is much, much less. When I had everything in place and the tranny mounted, I installed the transfer case and saw that if I went any further back, the driveshaft would start to hit the gas tank skid plate due to the output of the Dana 20. So, how can your engine be set so much further back than mine and still be clearing everything? Your running the 350/TH400/Dana 20 combo with the factory gas tank and a Dana 44 rear, right? Can you maybe take a picture of the output shaft area of the Dana 20? Please.:D

* Edit *

Ok, I just went back and read the first page Alex. Looks like your running the same setup as me however you say you have a custom gas tank mounted in the spare tire area. So, that's why you were able to move your setup further back without hitting the gas tank skid plate. I'll have to consider if it's worth the extra 3"-4" for the engine to sit back for weight distribution or if I should just run the factory setup for now. Thing is, if I go to upgrade later to an aftermarket tank, relocating the mounts isn't that easy when there welded in. Hmmmm...

[Brad W.]

split the difference, move it half of the available difference back. that gives the HEI room, improves radiator clearance, and will help with weight distribution.

I know it will hit the skidplate, :banghead: so fix that thing with a BFH and a saw. :whistle: :noevil: :hide: :sawzall:



My diff hits the gas tank, I just jumped on the bumper to begin the "self clearance" procedure. :eek: ;) :D :rolleyes: :thumbsup: :fsj: :dancingbanana:

[Rompn]

split the difference, move it half of the available difference back. that gives the HEI room, improves radiator clearance, and will help with weight distribution.

I know it will hit the skidplate, :banghead: so fix that thing with a BFH and a saw. :whistle: :noevil: :hide: :sawzall:



My diff hits the gas tank, I just jumped on the bumper to begin the "self clearance" procedure. :eek: ;) :D :rolleyes: :thumbsup: :fsj: :dancingbanana:

Well, if I move it back, I want to go all the way with it. I could split the difference but I would still have to hack up the skid plate plus I would still need to relocate the tranny crossmember back on the frame a few inches as I am as far back as I can go on it right now. Don't know if it is really worth it to only then pick up 2 1/2" closer to the firewall. I may just get an aftermarket tank, haven't decided yet. :confused:

[Brad W.]

Don't go all the way back, that's gonna cram the HEI right in the firewall. If you are placing the engine in a custom location, you might as well make it the best for working on it. Believe me, it's a royal PITA when the distributor is in the firewall. It would be incredibly stupid to move it back so far if you have the capability to leave some clearance. See what I'm driving at?

[Brad W.]

And really, if the front end sits ok with the engine weight where it is, there is room for the radiator and fan, the oil pan clears the diff, and the trans pan clears the driveshaft, just leave it.

[Rompn]

Don't go all the way back, that's gonna cram the HEI right in the firewall. If you are placing the engine in a custom location, you might as well make it the best for working on it. Believe me, it's a royal PITA when the distributor is in the firewall. It would be incredibly stupid to move it back so far if you have the capability to leave some clearance. See what I'm driving at?

Well, the engine is setup great right now for maintenance wise. 5" clearance to the firewall, exhaust dumps right where it should, etc. Sucks that the fuel hardline is on the driver side when the Chevy's fuel pump are setup on the passenger side. Other than that, everything looks good. I just wanted it as far back and as low as I could get it for weight distribution. I can't go any further back without the driveshaft tagging the skid plate and also redrilling the frame for the trans crossmember to sit back further. Although, it would help with the motor mount hitting the steering shaft if I did move it back 2 1/2 more inches. I'll have to see this weekend when I put everything back in.:thumbsup:

[Rompn]

And really, if the front end sits ok with the engine weight where it is, there is room for the radiator and fan, the oil pan clears the diff, and the trans pan clears the driveshaft, just leave it.

Well, I haven't put the radiator support back in when the engine has been in so I'm not 100% everything clears but it should since I'm not running a clutch fan, only a large aluminum radiator and two electric fans. The oil pan was a concern of mine however straight up from the pumpkin is where the oil pan starts to go up to the raised portion of itself. I think I should be ok. I need to cycle the suspension to check however I don't know how I'm going to do that if the engine isn't mounted in. And then if it is mounted in, there is no point in checking to see if it clears because it's in and mounted. It kinda contridicts itself. :banghead: :D

[Brad W.]

compress the suspension with a floor jack and then adjust the hoist to hold the motor where it should be. I bet it will clear from the sound of it.

If the mount is in the steering shaft, it'd be worth ditching the gas tank to me. Besides, the factory tank is just a belly dragger. Get one of the auxiliary tanks that fits in the tire area, or get a cell. I'm going with a cell I think, but i'm not keeping the full roof either, so the venting/spilling are of no matter to me.

[Rompn]

compress the suspension with a floor jack and then adjust the hoist to hold the motor where it should be. I bet it will clear from the sound of it.

If the mount is in the steering shaft, it'd be worth ditching the gas tank to me. Besides, the factory tank is just a belly dragger. Get one of the auxiliary tanks that fits in the tire area, or get a cell. I'm going with a cell I think, but i'm not keeping the full roof either, so the venting/spilling are of no matter to me.

Well, I dont know how much the suspension is going to compress with just a floor jack under it. My buddy said he had to remove his leaf springs from his rig, disassemble the packs and then only bolt up the main leaf back in place. He said that was the only way he was able to fully compress everything. Now he's linked and doesn't have to worry about it.

Ya, the mount is right in the way of the shaft. If I had a few more inches back, the mount would clear. My buddy has a 22 gallon "plastic" fuel cell that he is going to bring over the weekend. If it will fit in the spare tire area, I may just get that off of him and ditch the factory tank. Guess I'll have to wait and see. :( He also says it has a Chevy sender in it so I'm glad I don't have my gauges yet.

[JPSwapMohn]

Here is my "finished" swap. I used the F150 19 gal. tank so it tucked up in the frame rails. I have and tried to use a 23 gal out of a 94 Caprice. It does fit between the rails, but the diff would hit it when you jumped up and down in the cargo area.

I threw some pics up on my website. Go to this page (http://home.comcast.net/%7Eobmohn/index_files/Page355.htm) and scroll down to the middle..

[El Jefe]

yeah i gots a homebuilt tank so no interfearence.

i had to make a notch on the motor mount to clear the steering shaft.