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Stainless steel exhaust

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Thanks Alan. Based on your post I went and looked at the couplings. I suggest buying the one you photographed, as I did. There are two other models of the "1 1/2" inch couplings, I think part numbers 3001 and 3002 that cost more but I couldn't see any difference. At my HD store the 3000 model you photographed cost $4.97 each. The other models 3001 and 3002 were about $6 dollars and change. Oh, there was one other that is very inferior and shouldn't be used. It had a cheap thin corrugated metal surrounding that bent like aluminum foil, it ran about $3.
 
That's great to hear. The best thing about these couplings is you can still use the OEM clamp (put over the coupling) so everything will still mount up like original.
 
I just installed the Bell on my BJ8. However, I install the BJ7 style single muffler dual pipes rather than the BJ8 with the secondary mufflers under the trunk. Less complicated and less to get caught on the ground. The Bell single is plenty quiet; as quiet as the factory BJ8 in my opinion. It still has a good sound with a bit of throatiness to it. The BJ8 has all the mounting holes in the frame for the BJ7 exhaust. The Bell doesn't quite line up. The downpipes are good but the rest is off by an inch or so. The muffler shop made two bracket extensions. It wasn't too much of a problem but the extensions had to be welded. I used the Home Depot insert. Think of it as a metal sleeve. You can get the same effect by taking a rectangular piece of sheet metal and rolling it into a cylinder. The Depot clamp insert happens to be the right size and stainless. It has only been a week, but I really like the Bell.
 
Is the Bell BJ7 style muffler a straight through perforated tube type? I installed a new muffler purchased from Moss of that style (not Bell), and it is very loud. I would like to tone my car down some. It has a resonance point at 2300 rpm that is painfully loud. I put a higher performance cam in the engine that's really sweet but with the original style muffler the exhaust note is significantly louder.
 
Stretch -

I can't speak for the Bell's BJ7 silencer, but the Bell BN1 Silencer on my BN1 is very very solid, and built to last. Its solid construction, I believe, leaves the car with a pleasantly mellow note, but still enough grunt to let everyone know it's a sports car. It's not loud.. but sounds very very nice.
 
Seeing as there is some discussion about Falcon vs. Bell SS exhaust systems I figured I would vent my frustration with my SS exhaust. I have a Falcon system that was installed 2.5 years ago and I have developed hairline cracks on the rear end of the front mufflers. The crack is occuring where the rear flat peice curves out to the pipe. When it is cold you can barely see the line, but as it heats up it opens up and leaks exhaust like a son of a gun. It has happened on both of the front mufflers exactly the same way. The warranty on the system is 2 years, so they say I am out of luck. Just thought that I would share this happy experience and ask for any suggestions? I had a welder look at it and he said that he could probably weld it but that the metal is so thin it may crack again 1/2" away from the weld. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,
Drew
65 BJ8
 
Drew -

I can't really tell from your description, is the crack on the pipe, or the silencer?
 
Hi Drew, If both ends of the crack are accessible then you can repair the crack. Drill a small ~1/8" hole at each end of the crack. Then using a small tip and small SS Rod it can be welded and it will not spread.---Keoke
 
I haven't figured out how to upload pictures, but the crack is in the silencer. The rear flat plate of the silencer flares out into the round tube that gets welded to the back pipe. Right where it flares out there is a line that goes all the way around the tube. That line expands into a crack when it heats up and leaks. It appears to go all the way around and the soot from the exhaust goes all the way around the back side. I don't know if I've explained that very well.
 
OK Drew, If I have the picture correct now, that repair is no more difficult than a standard but weld on the pipe. I have found that Muffler shops shy away from doing SS work. 1] they do not have bending machines capabile of shaping if needed and most do not do SS welding,, it is a bit more costly and a little bit different. Look for a Hot Rod shop and inquire there for a source.---Keoke
 
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