Some Exhaust Modifications

Last year after the fall bug run, you may remember, I purchased and installed a new EMPI GT exhaust for the bus.  I really like that exhaust, the look, the sound, etc.  It is just a nice exhaust, however, it doesn’t work very well for a bus!  The problem lies with aerodynamics.  Apparently, there is a large swirl that forms in the back of the bus.

This swirl seems to keep the exhaust gasses and any other junk that gets caught up behind there, in a state of swirling suspension until it finds a nice new resting place, either on the bumper, rear glass, or the paint on the entire rear of the bus.  It is very messy.  

The solution?  Exit the exhaust way off to the side of the bus, just like the VW engineers figured out many years ago.  I guess that is what happens when you install a beetle exhaust on a bus.  Good thinking on my part! (sarcasm)

Well, at a recent VW show I purchased a couple pieces of exhaust pipe so I could re-work the GT exhaust to be a side exit.  I crawled under and started making a few measurements.  It looked pretty feasible so I started cutting!

I started by simply cutting off the passenger side twin chrome tip.  I measured and cut a piece of elbow pipe to turn the exhaust parallel to the muffler and headed toward the driver side of the bus.   After making sure things were going to line up, I cut off the remaining chrome tip and ran the right hand pipe past the left hand exit from the muffler.  Next I used another portion of curved pipe to “blend” the remaining pipes into one nice exit pipe.

After the main plumbing was completed, I used a portion of curved pipe to blend the exhaust into one of the chrome tips I had previously removed.

I tacked it all together to make sure it was straight and square.  I then welded all the seams solid, cleaned the pipes with solvent and scuffed them up a bit with fine Scotchbrite in prep for paint. 

I painted my new pipes with a high temp header paint and re-assembled the little bits I had to remove to complete the welding and painting (bumper and rear apron.)

I like the sound, it sounds the same as before, just a bit quieter.  I will have to report back on the performance and how clean the back of the bus stays.  I don’t have any “longish” trips planned to test this out any more this summer.

One additional modification I think I may do is to remove the double chrome tip and replace it with  curved piece so it looks very much like the stock exhaust, only with a much nicer tone.  I think It’s down to the appearance now.

A V-Dub show last weekend

Well, I took the bus to a V-Dub show last weekend.  It was held at the US131 Motor sports park in Martin, MI.  A local club called the GoodVolks puts this show on and it was called the 2010 Fall Bug Run.  It was a really nice show.  There were about 150 air cooled cars, of those, there were more than 20 buses.  Very fun.

  There were some absolutely beautiful cars there.  It is really cool to see how much care and time, (as well as money!) These people put into their cars.

The center stage of this event was the drag racing.  About 25 VW's were there just to race (even a couple of buses were racing.)   I have never heard VW engines that sound like that; amazing and very fast.

The problem with going to a show like this is that you cant help but developing a passion for the little things you still want to do to your car.  This "passion" found me in my garage last night with the rear end of my bus ripped off installing the new exhaust I "bought" at the show (I keep having this strange feeling that I owe someone money for this! I am sure I will remember who, eventually.)

It was fun to see all the cool ideas other folks have come up with, and then to figure out how I am going to work in the ones I like.  More projects.  Anyway, as I watched and listened to the many bugs and buses roll by, I really felt that my bus needed a more "serious" sound.  The quiet and airy sound of the stock muffler just isn't cutting it.  So, along comes the new exhaust.  Cant wait to fire it up.

A couple of other cool things happened at the show as well, I ran into the guy that I sold my Manx style buggy to there this Spring.  We had a brief chance to talk and it sounds like he is really enjoying the buggy.  Man that feels good.  A car like that, no matter how much you try to make it right, is still a kit car and you can't help but worry a bit about how it will all work out.  I am very glad to know it's working out good for him so far and he is having fun with it.
Later in the day I ran into the guy, his wife and family that I bought the bus from.  It was really good to see them there.  I hope he was pleased with the progress so far.  I remember when we were discussing my plans for the bus when I was purchasing it and I think I have stayed pretty close to the things I was originally thinking.  It wasn't that well thought out, believe me, it just worked out that way.  All that said, I really hope he liked the outcome. He seemed pleased, and that made me feel good.
I also got a chance to take the bus down the drag strip; I have never been on a real drag strip before, it was pretty cool.

It was a great V-Dub weekend.  We are coming to the end of the season, and I will be putting it away in a month or so, it sure has been a fun few weeks with the bus all painted and rolling.