Looking for an estimate on a race exhaust for a stock engine

[Earendil]

Think SpecE30 or Pro3 Exhaust. Not a turbo exhaust, not an exhaust that sounds like a linked youtube video, just a clean, okay sounding, no cat exhaust.

Since headers become a question, and I hear mandrel bent is all the rage, I'm okay with getting a low and high figure for the "okay" components vs the "perfect" components. In fact, as much as people are willing to break down the component list, please do! Being R3V and a peruser of the internet in general I stumble across "deals" every so often, and don't know enough about this aspect of my car to know whether said deal fits into my master plan. Where as if a pair of treehouse CABs pop up I know exactly what to do :)

For example, I really don't know whether the cost of a "new" exhaust is wrapped up in the metal, or the welding.

Thanks for any and all tips on this!

[DetailAddict]

if you are looking for custom work, both material and labor could be up there. i would stick with 304 and if you have the $, 321, or way up, with Ti. But once you get into Ti, labor and material would jump significantly. Then labor... if you are just looking for muffler shop mig welder, they are often pretty cheap. Now, it's not to say mig weld is crappy, i've seen GOOD mig welds out there. You want to stick with those that can Tig and back purge. Then it comes down to the design of the system. If you are doing a custom header, that would be bank. And if the shop doesn't already have the flange or the source to get them, it's pretty pricy to custom make ONE set of flange. If you have other components like muffler and resonators, custom tips, they can also drive up the price. Lastly, if no legal cats in the system, most of the muffler shop won't touch it.

Leo

Think SpecE30 or Pro3 Exhaust. Not a turbo exhaust, not an exhaust that sounds like a linked youtube video, just a clean, okay sounding, no cat exhaust.

Since headers become a question, and I hear mandrel bent is all the rage, I'm okay with getting a low and high figure for the "okay" components vs the "perfect" components. In fact, as much as people are willing to break down the component list, please do! Being R3V and a peruser of the internet in general I stumble across "deals" every so often, and don't know enough about this aspect of my car to know whether said deal fits into my master plan. Where as if a pair of treehouse CABs pop up I know exactly what to do :)

For example, I really don't know whether the cost of a "new" exhaust is wrapped up in the metal, or the welding.

Thanks for any and all tips on this!

[Earendil]

Thanks for the reply! It would seem that you really know your stuff, at least know it well enough to throw terms at me that I don't understand yet :)
I tried to figure out what some of this is on my own, and came up with the following on wikipedia:

Type 304 - The most common grade; the classic 18/8 stainless steel. Outside of the US it is commonly known as "A2 stainless steel", in accordance with ISO 3506 (not to be confused with A2 tool steel).

Type 321 - Similar to 304 but lower risk of weld decay due to addition of titanium.

"Ti" I am less sure about. It doesn't appear to be an SAE grade like the rest, and the closest I can come to figuring that one out is recognizing it as a potential abbreviation for an element on the Periodic table. Sure enough, Titanium. Do people really make pure titanium exhaust pipes, or are we talking about some other material mixed with titanium?

Could you (or someone else) give any further breakdown in the differences between 304, 321, and Ti in their application as exhaust pipes? Is it purely corrosion resistance? Is Weight, strength, or durability a significant factor between them?

At some point I thought I learned that stainless steal had to be tig welded, is that not true, or is that the reason you suggest tig in this instance? Also, will an exhaust shop know what I mean if I ask for 304? Is this a good test to know whether I should use them or not for my work? :)

Let's say I have a set of headers and exhaust in hand, and want a shop to supply the pipe, and weld it together. Ballpark what are we talking here? I'm seriously unsure if this is a $300 or $2000 dollar job. Perhaps you now understand what I mean when I ask for a "ballpark". I'm clueless.

Last question for the time being: Can just about any material be hacked and welded to a new material with reasonable success? Let's assume by material I mean anything a reasonable person would have as part of their exhaust system. I'm thinking that I see "entire" exhaust systems for sale $500. Let's say I don't like their headers. Can I cut a system down and halve headers welded/bolted on without much fuss and an hour of a welders time? Or do questions of material need to be asked first to make sure it can be done?

Thanks so much for your help. You're really helping me build a base of knowledge to build any further research on. Filtering through the immense amount of information out there is difficult when coming at the subject as a complete noob, so I really appreciate it.

[DetailAddict]

without much details... this is what you need to know when it comes to materials. keep in mind that they come in different grades within.

weight
304>321>titanium

$
304<321<titanium

durability
(304~321)<titanium

[DetailAddict]

if the shop doesn't know 304 is, walk away... LOL!

a 304 header back with no cats and a resonator (magnaflow round muffler) and another muffler with tips, vband, etc. you are looking at $700-$800 easy on material, cheaper if you can get them at cost. and of course labor on top.

[DetailAddict]

when you are dealing with steel in general, it'll weld up okay, but i like to keep my system clean. You can always consider flanges at mating pts for easy change out later. but steel will not hold up to titanium for long. best bet is to flange them.