Thread: Exhaust...stainless or ceramic coated?

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One more thing to consider. IMO, using V-Band clamps are "the only way to go". They are only about $45 each (in stainless) and I was able to do the system using only two V-Band clamps and also keep it under my five foot per piece limit. I have the shorty headers flanged with copper gaskets to a single piece welded X-pipe, and then two tail pipes with the mufflers welded to the tailpipes. I have also used V-Band clamps on my sons race car and they come apart easily and go back together without leaks without any gaskets or sealer. Always easy for me to spend your money, LOL.

Here's pics of both a stainless band clamp used where the header pipe is split roughly half way between the block hugger collector and the muffler, and then a ball and socket arrangement (standard exhaust components) that's used on both ends of the muffler. The tail pipe is one piece with the socket at the muffler end. The ball and socket allows some flexibility in alignment yet seals very well.

This system was coated by Russ Meeks in Portland.

I have stainless on both of my cars and it has been worry free. A friend of the family who has his own shop did both of my cars for about $200 each. Only week point is the mufflers, didn't use stainless mufflers. Used Smithy's. They will probably have to be replaced every 10 years or so, even when garaged kept.