Previously, I started off with the exhaust on the Elco by getting and extended section of pipe started from the exhaust manifold, with the pipe terminating at a point that makes it easy to connect the extended section of exhaust that will go to the mufflers. This involved connecting a 45 degree elbow with a flared coupling on the other end of the elbow so both ends of the elbow have flared ends. From there I welded one of the flared ends to the short piece of flange pipe on the exhaust manifold, with the whole manifold being a sort of "poor man's header". I still had to do the same thing on the passenger side. Only problem with the passenger side is the idea that the flange pipe was welded to the manifold since the flange bracket had broken bolts and could not be tightened or loosened as needed. This meant that I would have to test fit the elbow and mark it so I can get the piece welded on in the right position, so when the exhaust manifold is installed, the pipe would be straight. After marking the pipes, and even trying to get the angle I wanted that would require me trimming some of the end of the elbow, I welded the piece to the flange pipe. I installed the "header" back in the car, checking to see how the output lined up with the crossmember. Unfortunately, my crude fitting had the output at about a 10 degree downward angle, putting it right on the crossmember. I had to pull the unit off again, and cut a notch out of the end with the flared coupling, bending the coupling "up" and rewelding the piece, so when I installed the manifold again, the output would have the extended pipe passing over the top of the crossmember. This of course was confirmed by fitting the piece of straight pipe to the flared end, confirming that the pipe will pass over the top of the crossmember with some room to spare so hopefully there won't be metal contact that will result in noise due to vibration. This too will depend on the placement of the muffler and how solidly its hung. On another note, the muffler valleys are in front of the rear axle, so this means the probability that our exhaust system will terminate at the output on the mufflers is more likely. There is a slim possibility that an elbow could angle out and possibly exit in front of the rear tires, but I'm not gonna hold my breath on that one. With these two extended sections of exhaust installed, I can now focus on the mufflers. I'll be hanging the mufflers first, after trimming off any sections of pipe that can't be used on the system for the car. I'll end up using those sections of pipe to connect the muffler input to the outputs on our "headers", making for a rather quick and dirty exhaust system. Even with the piece of straight pipe that I got with the elbows, we should be able to get this exhaust system done at this point, allowing us to move forward, with the next thing being to set TDC on the engine so I can place the plug wires on the engine, taking care of that. I'll also be looking at installing the carburetor, as well as ordering a bracket piece to attach the TV cable from the transmission and ordering a radiator that fits the Monte Carlo, which happens to be a fit for the Elco. One thing I have to hand it to GM, making things pretty universal across the board for many years so interchangeability is high.
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