Will exhaust pipes heat up enough to damage fiberglass body panels if the pipes touch the body panels? I have a couple contact points between my new exhaust and the fiberglass panels. Looking for info to identify if this is going to be a problem. Thanks in advance.

Yes, it'll do some damage and rattle too. Do whatever you need to do to get enough clearance between your exahaust and any body parts.

I don't have expierence with this issue yet, but will within the next few months as I plan to do a few mods in this area...

But notice the metal plates above where the exaust tips are on the rear fascia... I'd imagine something of this nature would be a good idea...

~Tim

The further downstream you are in the exhaust the cooler the pipes run but that doesn't mean you can forget about it once you get close to the tips. A good rule of thumb is at least 1/2 the exhaust diameter around anything that can melt, but that is JUST a rule of thumb. You need to check how hot the area is getting. If the area is getting good airflow around it that will help a lot. If it's stagnant there it will heat up greatly and very quickly. We have very little clearance between the tips and the glass in the Finale exit and it doesn't get hot at all partly because of the tip design and partly because there is very good airflow there. Each case is unique. You just have build it so it looks right then CHECK IT to make sure it's not getting the glass too hot.

John Stricker

A-R-R-G-H... What a PITA !! I kind of knew this already, but was hoping someone would tell me different by experience. Parts were custom made. Rattles I can deal with, damage is unacceptable. Guess I get to pull this back apart and try again. Two steps forward, one step back.

[edit]... P.S. Apparently I was writing this reply while John was replying as well. More questions following.

[This message has been edited by RTNmsds (edited 02-07-2005).]

most resins are safe to around 240 degrees - some are good to around 400, above that they start softening

[This message has been edited by Kohburn (edited 02-08-2005).]

quote Originally posted by Kohburn: most resins are safe to around 240 degrees - some are good to around 400, above that they start softening

F or C ??? (I hope C)

[This message has been edited by RTNmsds (edited 02-08-2005).]

I think F

and remember, the rear bumper ain't F/G as it is soft so lower heat tolerent
and is most likely what your closest to

header wrap may help some

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are you kind?

yeah thats F

the key is airflow -
header wrap will actually make it worse unless you are warppng the area near the fiberglass..
it will keep the heat inside the pipe till its farther from the engine and can increase the temp of the exhaust tips.

if you use an "intercooled" exhaust tip from borla or another similar double walled design you should be ok

Id say it should be ok AS LONG AS ITS NOT TOUCHING the panels. The end of my pipes on all my cars, including the vette and Magnum are all within prob 1/2" of touching the urathane bumpers with no problems, and their more susceptible to heat than is fiberglass. If theres a particular spot that is hard to get away from the panel, you can take it off and 'ding' it in slightly for clearance. Thats what they do in headers to miss things like steering boxes, etc.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 02-09-2005).]

Thanks to all for the comments. Getting ready to finish the piping, then I guess it's dremel tool to the rescue. This is a 308 rebody with a 350 motor, so the piping was a real pain. Need to do final hookups, firm up the runs with hangers, then start trimming away. Loads of fun...

Bob

You would have a lot more room if you did them the way I did my 308 kit. Instead of coming out the holes in the middle of the back panel, I ran them out to the side, then back placing them under the rear bumper at the ends where the rear panel turns up already. Lots of room and I think they look like they were supposed to go there. Sorta evens out the back end.
kind of dark but you can see tips just to the outside of the panel

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[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 02-10-2005).]

Good looking replica Roger. The original exhaust was run similar to yours, but was thrown together with standard autostore components and had some really gawdy (and heavy) twin chrome tips. If I had seen your setup, I might have reproduced the same design. Mine were hung under the carraige with "chewing gum and bailing wire". One side was a turbo muffler, the other a cherry bomb (which really wasn't even hooked up). Since I had to redo the whole exhaust system anyway and my Mera looked so much better than the eyesore exhaust I had on this machine, I used the Mera exhaust look as a model. In addition, my bottom panel is painted red which really makes the exhaust holes stand out and makes note of the lack of exhaust.

Different from my Mera, I stayed with true dual exhaust on this project. It took a bit of searching, but I found a pair of 12" Hush Thrush in the back of a parts store which gave me the room I needed for installation. (They had been there almost 8 years, so I got the pair of them for around $60 total.) The new exhaust is a little bit louder than I would install if it was a daily driver, but since this is more of a hot rod it will be just fine. Sounds almost scary, mean.

I like the black color scheme in this area of the 308. I was already considering painting mine flat black back, but after seeing your car there is no longer any question in my mind. I am definately painting that area black on this car. Your's is flat black, isn't it ??

Thanks, and yes its Krylon BBQ black. I did paint the black bumpers red to match for just a little more updated look. Sort of a cross between 308 and 328.