Straight Pipe Success!

[1971 Judge]

Gents,

I purchased a set of "straight pipes" from member, Top Toy. He's a great member and class act.

Let me tell you, these things are just beautiful and I was fortunate enough to get them mounted on my '90 today by Kinney's Muffler shop here in Watauga, Texas (20 minutes from D/FW airport).

Kinney's had to do some custom fabrication to make it all work, but the end result is truly impressive. I did add a new cross-pipe in place of the stock resonator as mine was on its last leg.

Yes, it's definitely LOUDER! But, the sound is just exhilarating. My Z is not a daily driver, so I am Ok with the sound increase. Around 3k it growls aggressively and at 5k and up it's pure NASCAR. LOVE IT. It's fitting for the name, "King of the Hill".

In terms of power, well, let's say the car is actually a bit smoother and the mid range feels cleaner. Hard to say if it's 10hp or more, but the psychology of it all is a lot more FUN...!!

A big THANK YOU to Top Toy for making this possible.

[Ozruss90]

Hey Judge. Are you running headers or std manifolds? And did the muffler shop take any decibel readings at various RPM? Curious!

[WARP TEN]

Third picture seems to show cats ahead of the flanged connections. --Bob

[1971 Judge]

Hey Judge. Are you running headers or std manifolds? And did the muffler shop take any decibel readings at various RPM? Curious!

Great questions! Yes, I'm still running OEM headers/cats. The car does pull smoother and you can feel more torque/power. I am considering adding OBX headers and calling it a day with my chip going back to Haibeck for re-calibration.

Decibel level is dramatically louder than stock, no numbers/data to share. For reference, It is louder than my 2008 Z06 which is running a Magnaflow cat back.

However, it's acceptable for cruising. If you keep the RMP's below 2200, it's no big deal, you can talk to your buddy in the passenger seat and the radio is still easily heard. After 2500rpm, people know you're running something strong. Here's a good example, when people are driving around me on city streets (and I'm driving between 2500-3500rpm) and we come to a red light, they look at my car now because of the sound; it's that good. Personally, since this is a super-car to me and today's Ferrari's and Jag F types are VERY loud in the mid-range and up; it is PERFECT.

Again, this is my personal style for a car that is NOT ordinary and deserves attention.

[ssrszz4]

Does Top Toy sell these pipes? Or was he just welling the one set?

[Top Toy]

Glad those straight-thru's found a good home! You should post some sound or video clips!

ssrszz4 -- sorry, these were a one-off R&D project for me. They look simple but took a lot of custom fabrication hours to put together!

[1971 Judge]

Glad those straight-thru's found a good home! You should post some sound or video clips!

ssrszz4 -- sorry, these were a one-off R&D project for me. They look simple but took a lot of custom fabrication hours to put together!

Here's the video at idle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJuT3jzi08g

Here's the video revving (did not go past 4k rpm): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjEOwGUMPSs

[Ozruss90]

I'm thinking that by adding aftermarket headers and cats it's going to change and increase the sound. Hope it doesn't spoil the party and make it to loud.
My 90z is currently std. and I want to add headers of some sort and a rear system to add some growl, but don't want it to sound like a truck either. I'll keep reading/ researching on here b4 I choose a system.
By the way, they look great on the car 👍🇦🇺

[1971 Judge]

I'm thinking that by adding aftermarket headers and cats it's going to change and increase the sound. Hope it doesn't spoil the party and make it to loud.
My 90z is currently std. and I want to add headers of some sort and a rear system to add some growl, but don't want it to sound like a truck either. I'll keep reading/ researching on here b4 I choose a system.
By the way, they look great on the car 👍🇦🇺

Hmmm...ya know...the car as it is right now is plenty loud. BUT, it has NO restrictions anymore. I don't think headers are going to make it much, if any, louder. I do believe with headers and a tune on my Haibeck chip, this stock LT-5 will probably make 430hp (LS3 territory), which is actually amazing as we all know that is modern day hi-performance territory.

I could be wrong-and it wouldn't be the first time; so I encourage others to comment - but I don't think headers are going to make much of a difference in the db level considering I no longer have any restrictions (I don't consider the CAT's to play much of a role in this equation).

[KILLSHOTS]

Hmmm...ya know...the car as it is right now is plenty loud. BUT, it has NO restrictions anymore. I don't think headers are going to make it much, if any, louder. I do believe with headers and a tune on my Haibeck chip, this stock LT-5 will probably make 430hp (LS3 territory), which is actually amazing as we all know that is modern day hi-performance territory.

I could be wrong-and it wouldn't be the first time; so I encourage others to comment - but I don't think headers are going to make much of a difference in the db level considering I no longer have any restrictions (I don't consider the CAT's to play much of a role in this equation).

I ran straight pipes on my Z (with stock manifolds) for a short time, as well. My understanding is that cats do muffle the sound more than you'd think. As loud as mine was in that state, I would never have added headers without putting on some mufflers. Yours seems surprisingly mellow to me in the video clip; mine was borderline deafening and I was seriously afraid of getting a ticket.

[Top Toy]

Wow! They sound great! Can I have them back now? 😁

They will definitely get louder, though, if you go with headers. You have to decide what works for you. The cats are worth about 5 HP, BTW.

[George45]

Grest sounding set up. Sure nothing like a small block.

Sent from my SM-T817V using ZR-1 Net Registry mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=90383)

[1971 Judge]

Wow! They sound great! Can I have them back now? 😁

They will definitely get louder, though, if you go with headers. You have to decide what works for you. The cats are worth about 5 HP, BTW.

Gotta admit, they look great and sound very healthy. If headers make them any louder I'll stay where I'm at. I'd love to uncork 20-25 more hp with headers but my cabin noise is "stout" with this setup. I'm pretty sure this setup here is worth 10-15hp. Pulls a little harder and is smoother. I'm happy with it...for now =D>

[1971 Judge]

Grest sounding set up. Sure nothing like a small block.

Sent from my SM-T817V using ZR-1 Net Registry mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=90383)

Thanks George45, It's a big difference from before.

[WARP TEN]

Gotta admit, they look great and sound very healthy. If headers make them any louder I'll stay where I'm at. I'd love to uncork 20-25 more hp with headers but my cabin noise is "stout" with this setup. I'm pretty sure this setup here is worth 10-15hp. Pulls a little harder and is smoother. I'm happy with it...for now =D>





Actually it's really the cats that mellow the sound a bit. The headers could be added without too much change in sound if you include cats as well. -Bob

[1971 Judge]

I ran straight pipes on my Z (with stock manifolds) for a short time, as well. My understanding is that cats do muffle the sound more than you'd think. As loud as mine was in that state, I would never have added headers without putting on some mufflers. Yours seems surprisingly mellow to me in the video clip; mine was borderline deafening and I was seriously afraid of getting a ticket.

I appreciate the feedback! In the cabin, it's loud. I can drive (cruise) at 2k rpm and it's not bad. On the highway, luckily at 70-75mph its good as well. At any rpm above 2k rpm its loud, but I LIKE IT. Any more loud and it may ruin the experience...hmmmm....something to think about, thank you.

[1971 Judge]

Actually it's really the cats that mellow the sound a bit. The headers could be added without too much change in sound if you include cats as well. -Bob

Awesome! Yeah...that makes sense. Thank you for the confirmation. That just may be the way to go. I did see a member running LS7 cats on his headers and I did like that idea.

[Ozruss90]

Hey Judge, If your happy with the look and the current sound/noise levels, leave it as is. For the small power gain, is it worth risking? There's usually some sort of trade off for extra power.

[1971 Judge]

Hey Judge, If your happy with the look and the current sound/noise levels, leave it as is. For the small power gain, is it worth risking? There's usually some sort of trade off for extra power.

Yeah, I agree. The more I'm driving it, the more I realize the sound is spot on for me. More power would be great, but it's not necessary. I didn't buy this car to go racing; I own it because of it's engineering miracle.

[WARP TEN]

Awesome! Yeah...that makes sense. Thank you for the confirmation. That just may be the way to go. I did see a member running LS7 cats on his headers and I did like that idea.


I should also add the obvious -- that the cats will clean up the exhaust. Without them it will smell like a car from the 60s or 70s. The good old days when we used to tune them by adjusting the carb to the smell and smoke of the exhaust. On my last iteration (the '95) I did not have cats (but did have a full exhaust system) and the smell was quite noticeable on start up. Overall I am a fan of cats even on a performance exhaust as they don't really reduce HP much.--Bob

[1971 Judge]

I should also add the obvious -- that the cats will clean up the exhaust. Without them it will smell like a car from the 60s or 70s. The good old days when we used to tune them by adjusting the carb to the smell and smoke of the exhaust. On my last iteration (the '95) I did not have cats (but did have a full exhaust system) and the smell was quite noticeable on start up. Overall I am a fan of cats even on a performance exhaust as they don't really reduce HP much.--Bob

Bob, ah yes, words of wisdom! I'm a fan of cats, too for modern muscle. As my avatar shows, I own an old school hot rod and know all too well about going "cat-less" and all the great gas odors!

Eventually, I will go down the road of headers and will keep the cats. For right now, I'm still enjoying what I have and letting it all sink in. I know down the road I will want headers and when that happens will look for LS7 cats. Thanks Bud, Wayne