Hudson exhaust question....

Unknown

Just a quicky....



I took my exhaust off of my hudson today, to have new pipes bent....



they were in bad shape... more explanation of the exhaust leaks....



I took them to one of our local muffler shops that quoted me $110 to bend the exhaust in aluminized and $300+ for stainless.... (which isn't entirely that terrible)



I then decided to get a second opinion, and took it to another shop...



I was quoted $65 for aluminzed and $120-$140 for stainless...

and they will bend the front pipe until I like the fit to the manifold....



I think I did right by going with the stainless, right?



Is this comparable to what everyone else is seeing at the exhaust shops?

Club Coupe

I guess the price depends in what area you live. Two years ago all of my pipe was repalced with aluminized and a new muffler added at an independant shop for $95.00.

Unknown

hudsonkid wrote:

Just a quicky....

I took my exhaust off of my hudson today, to have new pipes bent....

they were in bad shape... more explanation of the exhaust leaks....

I took them to one of our local muffler shops that quoted me $110 to bend the exhaust in aluminized and $300+ for stainless.... (which isn't entirely that terrible)

I then decided to get a second opinion, and took it to another shop...

I was quoted $65 for aluminzed and $120-$140 for stainless...
and they will bend the front pipe until I like the fit to the manifold....

I think I did right by going with the stainless, right?

Is this comparable to what everyone else is seeing at the exhaust shops?

17 years ago I had the complete exhaust system replaced in my 1953 Wasp Sedan. There were several options for replacement including NOS parts. I elected to take the MIDAS route. The reason I chose Midas, they provided a life time guarantee on their parts and labor. Today that same exhaust is performing in my Wasp. I have never had a leak or any other type of failure. For the money I spent then I think Midas and I both got a deal. I use Midas exclusively for my special interest auto exhaust needs.

Aaron D. IL

hudsonkid wrote:

Just a quicky....



I took my exhaust off of my hudson today, to have new pipes bent....



they were in bad shape... more explanation of the exhaust leaks....



I took them to one of our local muffler shops that quoted me $110 to bend the exhaust in aluminized and $300+ for stainless.... (which isn't entirely that terrible)



I then decided to get a second opinion, and took it to another shop...



I was quoted $65 for aluminzed and $120-$140 for stainless...

and they will bend the front pipe until I like the fit to the manifold....



I think I did right by going with the stainless, right?



Is this comparable to what everyone else is seeing at the exhaust shops?

Maybe not entirely that terrible but one thing I realize restoring these cars is that $300 here $140 there........all those parts add up fast and don't necesarily put you back on the road by themselves.

rambos_ride

That’s quite a disparity in pricing for similar materials. I’d be inclined to ask some more questions about

• The warranty? – no explanation needed here!
  
• What type of tubing bender is used? – If the more expensive shop is using a mandrel bender – you’ll have a much nicer looking and performing exhaust then the more common pipe benders that strech the bends making them a smaller diameter than the rest of the tubing.
  
• What type of welder is used? MIG welding will leave splatter from the welds – where as TIG welding is cleaner.
  
• What is the thickness of the tubing? Thicker wall costs more…
  
• What is the quality of the stainless? 304, 308, other?
  
• Quality of workmanship? Did you see any examples of work done? Poorly done exhaust will just kill your performance and mileage!
  

300.00 clams doesn’t sound too bad considering I spent 450.00 just on my headers and I got a quote for stainless 3” dual-exhaust out-the-back with mufflers was something around $1500.00 installed.



I haven’t decided to pull the trigger on it or look for other prices yet as I still have more time. But, I’m thinking of just going with the aluminized exhaust to start – If I end up showing the car more – or get a sponsor – I would go with stainless.

[Deleted User]

sponsor?



explain how that happens and you still get to own the car?



just curious.



Mark

Unknown

The shop that is bending the pipes does nice work. They do a lot of the local street rods, and many of the antique and classic cars running around, not to mention a lot of custom work on sport compact cars, and I have never heard a negative word about their work.



they are mandrel bending the exhaust, they have a pretty high end set-up.



There is no welding on the exhaust. I am going to put back in what was on the car. Clamp it at the joints, and go.



The shop that quoted $300 is just more convenient of a location. The work there does not carry the same reputation, it is just real close, and easy to get to. (and they don't do mandrel bends....)



And as far as performance, come on, it's a flat head six, stock hudson motor, how much difference is mandrel bends versus ordinary pipe bends going to make anyway?





Here's my take on sponsorship, results may vary....

this is addressed to no specific forum person....[/I]



As far as sponsorship, It is hard to get... I never heard of anyone outside of either streetrods or the sport compact scene getting major sponsorship. (not to say that it does not happen). I would be surprised that with a hudson, of any year, being able to get someone to fund your restoration or custom project in any part large or small. You might be able to get a years supply of wax from meguires, or some oil, or maybe have some mom and pop shop that does some work on it, do something for free or cut rate, but I doubt anyone is going to just give you money for redoing your car. Ask yourself, what makes my project more special than anyone else's? I would not depend on having someone supplement the dollars that go into your car via sponsorship. If that is your idea, then, perhaps you should be working on another car that starts with an "h"



The reason it works with sport compacts and even street rods, is that a sponsor can have their name plastered on a honda, in tons of vinyl, and a company sponsoring a streetrod, can use it in advertising, etc... And the one thing to keep in mind is that many of the cars that get sponsorship are already done and completed projects....



Also, to some degree a lot of sponsor "owns" you. They dictate where the car will be on certain show dates, what competitor's products you can or can't use, etc... I have heard stories from friends that had to change tons of parts on cars to comply with a sponsor's wishes, just because they wanted the full bang for their dollar, and wanted the owner to display their full array of products, even though a lot of their stuff was crap.



some sponsors will also make you maintain the car to specified levels, meaning, if something happens to it, you better stay on top of it. they want their product to be displayed with something that represents it well.



I don't know where your project may fit in, but if you can figure out how to get sponsorship, good luck. there is nothing "free' in life, just remember that. I would stay away from sponsorship.



I prefer to decide the fate of my vehicle, that's why my name is on the title, and even with my neon, even though there was a lot done with it, no sponsor ever got their name on the car.



I want my car to be a relfection of my hard work, my hard earned money, and my skill, not a bunch of donated or cut rate priced parts, or some shop's work, or someone elses money or skill.

Geoff

Aluminized piping is probably the best way to go as it outlasts mild steel systems exponentially. Now that there is no lead in the fuel, exhausts last a lot longer than they used to. Stainless does "work harden" and become brittle, and it has a different sound than steel, strangely enough. A stainless system has more of a "ring" to it than steel or alumized. Aluminized pipe is also more malleable and bends easier than stainless, and can be bent to a sharper curve without puckering. Only problem with aluminized is it is difficult to gas weld, but hey, who does that any more. However it does arc weld nicely with a light electrode and low current.

Geoff.

rambos_ride

As far as mandrel vs. common type bending - I like the look of mandrel bent pipe better and the plain fact is that no matter what the application if the bends are smoother you'll get better exhaust flow and maybe not a large or noticeable improvement in performance - but improvement none-the-less.

TwinH

Ok, nuetral corners fellas... Geez I'm not going to even mention my tractor pull type

headers that exit vertically through the hood. No pipes needed,just 2 flapper type

weathercaps to keep the rain out and to "jingle" at the stop lights.



All right,just kidding... Seriously though my 49C8 has I think Clifford twin outlet

header, the fit is sweet , and it is dead quiet. I mean you can hear the wrist pins

before the exhaust. That being said the "pipes" leave something to be desired...

Lets face it there's not a lot of extra room down there without hanging below the

scrub line. They have the one pipe "T ed" back into the other with a much reduced

diameter, like 1.5". Not acceptable for me, but works well enough for now. I'll try and

post some pics in a couple weeks. Headed for jr. dragster nats in Bristol next week

and now hurricane is headed in my general direction.

[Deleted User]

Hey, I really wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers either with the question about sponsorship. I was genuinely curious as to how that would work out and if anyone was interested in sponsoring a Hudson. I'd really like to see a Hudson spattered around in some rod n' custom ads.



Best of Luck to you Rambos_ride, I hope you do get in a magazine with your ride.



And by the way - I do have some of those pull tractor type vertical pipes on a flathead six! But I left the flappets off - too dang distracting! LOL



Mark

Unknown

Sorry guys.. I just read my post after getting a couple of hours of sleep, and getting up for third shift. Didn't mean to get grumpy.



Anyway, I think that we will see what happens when we put all of this together. I think mainly, I am looking for longevity on the exhaust, no leaks, and in general, just that it fits.



Remember in other discussions where I was hunting the exhaust leaks down? well, the front pipe had sections missing, so the darned thing should run a bit quiter.



Oh well, hope I didn't upset anyone. Didn't mean to have the post take the tone it did, Rambos_ride.... (I'll try to edit it, and calm it down)



Also, anyone out there, please read the bit on sponsorship, there is a lot of negative that goes with it. It sounds like a great deal, but when you put the whole package together, it really comes up short. Just be careful!

rambos_ride

Hey no problem - I was probably a bit quick on the draw on my response as well - I've been crawling around a CJ5 for 12 hours a day for the last few days trying to get it ready to sell and right now I feel older than my Hudson.



A lot of people mentioned something about my sponsorship quote - sponsors can be demanding and there are a lot of warnings too - because as many mentioned nothing is for free.



For myself - I have self funded a start-up business the last couple of years and am still trying to make a buck so money is tight - but I gotta get the Hudson done!



Since I mostly do most of my own work and have full access to a paint and body shop for free on nights and weekends I can pretty much do paint and body work any time I need to - so that being said I wasn't looking for a sponsor - they found me, or rather I contacted them to ask about their products for purchase (see my HUD display post) and in their initial response they like my ideas for the 49 and asked me if I would be interested in a full or partial sponsorship.



They offered a partial sponsorship with my only stipulations being attending 2 car shows a year and for 1 year - I have to display a 2" x 15" logo on the side of my car at shows and media events.



I don't think I would ever give up control of the car and am only looking to offset costs in the near term since it's easy for me to re-paint the car or parts or the car after 1 year



Since my business is new there will probably be something discreet for that as well as a logo for my friends body shop where I do the work - I figured he could get some mileage out of the car for a year as well.



See I know I am going to keep this car for a long time - my ultimate goal is to have the outside look stock - I figure it will take me over 1 year to find and afford just the stainless steel trim pieces I need for the 4 door behemoth! (I mean that in a loving way)



Anyway - its a personal decision to get any sponsorship and its all about negotiation and tolerance for what they want in return.

Unknown

My take on the sponsorship.......Go For It ! If someone is willing to donate $$$, time, or products to help you complete your project, THAT"S GREAT! Just make sure you claim whatever they donate as "income", unless you like dealing with the "IRS". At least with the Hudson, you don't have to worry about getting it all tore-up at Saturday night's race, then having to hurry up and get it back together, "LIKE NEW", to be on display for your sponsors!(ha) After all, all sponsorship is, is advertising for the person making the donation. It can be a win-win situation.