Exhaust And Headers Installation - Waiting to Exhale... More Power!

It's amazing what a little fine-tuning and quality parts will do. We've been subjecting this '72 Chevy C-10, which is by no means above average, to anything you could find across the country in local classifieds. One of the worst things about the truck's mechanical state was the exhaust system, or what was left of it. At one time someone put in full-length headers, glasspacks, and an H-pipe to make up what might have been a decent way to flow the exhaust out of the engine, but--it's always the but--the original parts used were pretty cheap. This translates into a few years and miles down the road and the thin-wall rusty tubes are looking more like Swiss cheese than headers, not to mention attaining the neighborhood nuisance badge for the ruckus the truck made.

Enough was enough. Who do you go to for a set of headers that actually work and are made to last? How 'bout a company that's been proven since 1959 and copied and imitated due to their outstanding reputation--Doug's Headers. The original Doug's Headers is still huge in the performance headers business. It's the only company that still has the same Doug from 47 years ago on the payroll for design and consulting, not to mention all his previous production designs. They happened to have a set of Tri-Y full-length headers (PN#D372Y) that would slide right between the afflicted Bow Tie's fenderwells. These new breathing tubes are substantial; it was almost a shame to hide 'em under a hood! They have 3/8-inch flanges and consist of properly routed 16-gauge tubes coated in silver Metallic Ceramic Thermal Barrier Coating, which as far as Doug's is concerned is the best header finish on the market. The MCTBC protects and extends the headers' life significantly and looks fantastic.

With the confusion of finding a set of headers out of the way, we needed something to pick up where Doug's left off. Most would probably cart the truck down to the local muffler shop to get some lengths of galvanized tube bent up and consider it good. Well, that's what happened with this truck before, and we can all see how well that lasted. Doesn't everyone have a million bucks to get a complete custom stainless system made and a week of downtime to get it done? Fear not! MagnaFlow just introduced a "crossmember-back" stainless steel dual-exhaust kit complete with 2 1/2-inch mandrel-bent tubing, a MagnaFlow Tru-X crossover scavenger pipe, and polished dual stainless steel mufflers, hangers, and heavy-duty clamps. Crossmember-back means it'll match up to most existing/new headers or exhaust manifolds and completes the system from the tranny crossmember-back. This kit was engineered and designed from a '67-72 Chevy longbed, but is easily abbreviated for a short-wide by shortening the inlet tubes that reach the headers.

I took the C-10 test mule down to MagnaFlow in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, to have the pros who whipped up this kit show us how easy it really is to install, and even though this is the second shortbed to receive it, it's definitely ready to ship and not a prototype. MagnaFlow advises customers to take their truck to one of their recommended muffler shops/distributors for an even quicker and painless job that should only take a couple of hours. Even though only a few cuts are needed, all it takes is one too many or the old "I cut it twice and it's still too short" scenario to botch the job.

After a quick stint on MagnaFlow's lift, this Doug's Headers/MagnaFlow system gained 17 hp and 46 lb-ft of torque over the old ratty custom setup in the truck--that's a power gain you can feel on the street. Now, the old grey mare chirps second! One hundred thirteen horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque might sound pathetic, but this is the real world, and at least the numbers are going up.