Vannin' Home Forums Dodge How To (Dodge) side pipe installation

anybody else ever run into problems installing mounting hardware on their Dodge?...i finally got the sidepipes for my '84 B250 and my muffler guy wouldn't install them because there really wasn't a place for the hardware unless you drill into the rocker panel (which he didn't want to do). i left him to brainstorm over it, but thought i'd hit up anyone on here who has run into that issue. feel free to send me pics of your solution, too! thanks!...

-h

I used to own a 74 B150 shorty and I had a shop install side pipes. They had to drill into the rockers.

that's what i was expecting, but my installer said that he would try to figure something else out to avoid that. heck, there are holes drilled in for the windshield visor, window visors, and flares so why not for the pipes, right? it is really all my van needs to make it a champion. ha thanks!

you can weld the brackets to the underside, instead of screwing them. I tried sefl tappers on mine and it was not very secure, so I tacked the brackets in place. I was thinking of welding a Nut under there to run the bolts in directly.

I don't have side pipes, just a side exit exhaust and I have a hanger mounted on a spare hole where the leaf spring mounts to the frame. I wouldn't worry to much about drilling into the rockers but just make sure to put some type of rust coating on it so it doesn't get rusty. I would use nutserts before welding some type of mount to it.

The rockers are a structural part of the van. His reluctance is probably due to not wanting to open himself to any liability. You could hang the pipes yourself and have him run the rest of the exhaust and hook them up. Not sure how you can hang them without going in to the rockers unless an elaborate bracket is designed.

I had the same issues; Patriots 80" side pipes. I wasn't about to use their ghastly huge lag bolts to secure something that heavy, hot, and prone to vibration to my exterior rockers. I agree with your mechanic.

What I came up with was actually pretty complicated. I still haven't completed it due to more pressing parts of the project , but it avoids penetrations into the external rockers.

For each side, I got several feet of 1.25" wide 1/8" thick stainless bar, and made a 90 degree bend on two pieces of it, making two 90 degree brackets.

One bracket rests against the inner rocker panel, and is held with body panel adhesive and several screws, which are sealed forever by the body panel adhesive. The other end of that bracket extends towards the frame.

The 2nd brackets rest against the frame rails, using existing bolt holes to secure them. Welding could work too. Those brackets have a long tongue which reaches under the rocker panel bracket, out past the exterior rocker panel.

The inner rocker brackets bolt onto the top of the frame rail bracket tongues, as a mid-span support. That makes the bracketry rock solid.

At the end of these tongues are another 90 degree bracket, which is slotted for adjustability. Few things look worse than long side pipes which aren't parallel to the body!

The original Patriot exhaust pipe shroud brackets are supported by the slotted brackets.

A lot of work, but it's not abusive of the rocker panel sheet metal, and shouldn't accelerate corrosion.

I have no problem using hillbilly bracket and blue rubber grommet patriot supplies I have installed 10 sets of the side pipes. I do add a flex pipe because the placement of the bracket make it pretty rigid. I installed on my 85 b150

That’s a cool install, I like the idea of the flex pipe in there, pretty slick