Vannin' Home Forums Dodge Performance (Dodge) Best way to connect side pipes, to achieve best flow for high performance engines.

I also like the way Pat said to do it. That's the way I'll do it whenever I get some side pipes

Hey 383 I am glad they work for you.

Phoenix thanks for the comments. I never thought of my van being a popsicle.
Dude, your bad ass looking van was one of the top vans of my like list. The creativeness of the paint job I thought was so cool!!!

I am not installing the cross over. It runs great!!

I had a '74 Challenger that I installed a 340 out of a 73 Duster. After I was done it was running 30 over 11:1 with fully ported heads. I mean more money went into the motor then the car. Well I was running full headers into 2 1/2 pipes through hemi mufflers w/o a cross over and after 6 months of everyone telling me I need the crossover. I did it and guess what, I didn't feel a difference, but the sound was different. A little throatier.

As for the other set up everyone else is talking about, it sounds cool, but with a motor under 300 horses I really don't need full headers and larger then 2" pipes. I mean a van to me is to cruise or tow not drag race. So with the pipes the way I have them the exhaust cools so discoloring is not happening and no one has burned themselves on them. Cover really works!! The guy who did the exhaust didn't have a hard time installing them the way I wanted from the mag. It was the first time he had done it that way, but he saw the positives and simplicity of installing. It also frees up room for a water tank, dual batteries or what ever I want between the body and frame rail. There's no pipes and mufflers in my way.
The cool thing about having a van, there is no right or wrong way, just personal preference!!

But he has a Chevy 383 stroker in it, and he was asking the best way to install for max performance. I would say 2" tubing with 2 or 3 90-degree bends is hardly the best for performance.

I was talking about my set up. I did not feel that I needed to go over board with larger mandrel bent pipes!

As for the 383 stoker it's a revving motor like the 340 which produces power in the mid to high RPM. So I went with 2 1/2 pipe. All bends were mandrel and hemi mufflers.


I am sure when he does his set up he will use mandrel bent 2 1/2 pipe which can be used in the same set up I did and get great performance. Smoother bends and larger pipe will be a hell of a lot better then the "U" set up they try to sell.

Gotcha. I agree that headers and large tubing are unnecessary on stock, low-hp engines and the traditional method of hooking up side pipes will work just fine in that application, but when you are talking 300+ hp I'd be looking for better flow than what the Patriot brand pipes provide (small 2-2.25" inlet).

I think this seems like the best set up for what I'm doing! Thank you guys for all the input. I like all the different idea's of how to make these side pipes flow the best!

........excellent advice....

Some good info here. If you are running a mopar small block 318, 340, or 360 and it has some mods making 300 hp, I suggest a few things: Get a set of ram horn shorty headers if you can fit them. If not, the log 340s (good luck finding them for cheap $$), finally a stock set of magnum 5.2/5.9 manifolds. These flow really good and keep lowend power. Everybody loves true duals, but unless that motor is a real monster above 400 hp, full length headers may kill your bottom end power. I've seen a similar u-pipe for side pipes for cars that don't have the clearance for the van crossover- just to keep some lowend backpressure balance. Now to keep that top end power, I recommend an exhaust cutout to a dump pipe. Open it around 45 mph. Remember fun stuff happens at zero to 60- keep that bottom end power!

Love your van! Can you tell me what brand/length your sidepipes are?