84 K10 full exhaust replacement

[K10noob182]

Hi everyone, I recently bought an 84 K10, SM265 Manual transmission 4 of the floor, it is all stock except for the 350 crate motor in it. Stock 84 oem exhaust manifold going into a poorly-contructed Frankenstein exhaust that must go.

Goal: Torque off the bottom to mid-range. Mellow "turbo muffler" dual exhaust out the back. (I'm 55 years old)

It's not the kind of truck I would be revving to the moon and grabbing the next gear.

PLEASE give me your opinions on the best set up? Cost isn't a huge concern if the value is there. I don't care much how it looks under the hood, but I don't like chrome. (just my preference)


My original plan:
1. Summit Ceramic Coated Headers for 4WD Chevy/GMC K-Series Trucks Part Number SUM-G9109 that were recommended by Summit support.
2. Two Summit Turbo 2.5 Inch Mufflers SUM-641125-XL
3. Exhaust shop would do an X pipe running dual exhaust out the back all 2.5 inch.

The headers didn't even come close to fitting. It hit the motor mount on the driver's side AND the frame at the same time. I had an experienced squarebody mechanic verify this.

I'm really enjoying learning the truck, had a K5 in the 90s, but I'm pretty frustrated. Burnt both forearms on the exhaust. Wife thinks I'm nuts.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Ricko1966]

Read this thread

Installing a New Exhaust System Including Headers

I am installing a new dual exhaust system on my stock '77 K10 to replace the swiss cheese straight pipe. I am also installing long tube headers. I have the passenger side header bolted in and the collector flange is touching the driveshaft. Any tips on bending it to clear? I am reluctant to heat...

www.gmsquarebody.com

 

[Old Guy Bill]

I used Hooker manifolds and stock dual exhaust, with the Turbo mufflers that aren’t aggressive.

 

[brooksman9]

You are nuts... just like the rest of us. Curious to see what you wind up going with. Pics when done please. Always been a big fan of headers but those Hookers are just sexy!

 

[cadillac_al]

If money is no object then get some Heddman Elite headers. They are heavy duty and fit well. I used to have them on my truck for 15 years then they rusted out. New ones are out of my price range. I always buy dual exhaust kits from Summit. I think they are Dynomax, those fit well too. Then some kind of stainless turbo mufflers.

 

[CalSgt]

I have nothing against 2.5" tubes but 2.25" will support about any streetable SBC you could put in that truck, might save you a few bucks.

Other than that I'm not a big fan of headers even though I like how they sound, a used set of stock manifolds or some of the Hooker units already mentioned will serve you better in terms of maintenance free reliability.

The duals with an X or H pipe and turbo mufflers should sound fantastic though. I've been researching X and H pipes and it seems most people think the H pipe makes a deeper exhaust note than the X pipes.

Good luck with whatever you decide

 

[Finkaire]

Considering WALKER systems, anyone familiar with there systems?

 

[Ricko1966]

Considering WALKER systems, anyone familiar with there systems?

It gets confusing when people jump in in the middle with a different truck,different poster and different goals. I almost answered this with comments and opinion that were relevant to O.Ps original post. You should start your own thread to keep this one on point.

 

[projo198]

Good luck with the headers..... I tried several before I found a set that fit and even then I had to shave a bit off the driver's side frame rail as well as modify the clutch Z bar.