After running the model it was clear that 1 3/4" pipe was no different than 2 1/4" pipe from the Dutra Duals to the "Y" and with that knowledge an idea popped into my head. I bought 1 3/4" plates for the Dutras and various mandrel bent pipes for making headers from Summit. They were 3", 4", 6" and 8" diameter and a 5' piece of pipe. A little thinking and more thinking then a run into town before the welding shop closed to get some shielding gas I made the first cut. All I need to do it the easy part out past the transmission and the "Y" is now on order so we should have this done next weekend.
Yes the starter can be removed, yes the steering gear can be removed, yes I will be making shields for the starter, cooler lines and steering gear in the future.
Mocked up.... the wind is whipping today and tomorrow so not sure I can get it welded up this weekend. It may be a good thing since I REALLY should put this under the car and make sure it all works good before I get the pipes coated..... I am not sure I can work on the transmission from the bottom but since it is a /6 a lot can be accessed from the top anyway... I matched the angle for the stock pipe exiting the rear of the transmission cross brace so it should be easy to tap into the factory type 2.25" system I have coming from Accurate Exhaust.
Next is O2 sensor fittings so I can adjust the AFR for each carb and then think about heat shield mounting locations in a few key places.
I would think that a proper element might be tough to come by, something probably cross-references into it, maybe. Kinda cool, but maybe more of a pain than it's worth?
@crashtech, @old soul : The elements are common elements for many applications (like tractors) and are available from Wix @texasking : That is a great idea..... or I modify it so it slips over the Wix filter!
I can see the finish line.... Just need to weld in the O2 sensor bungs and I will be sand blasting the pipes tomorrow... Built a lot of shields and mocked in the 2.25 Accurate Exhaust head pipe to see what sort of clearance it had... I am in good shape. I will put some header wrap between the starter and the shield where you can't see it. Don't forget to remove the washers from the plugs if you have the old ones with the removable head cups....
An early A-Body buddy in Maricopa Az sent me a distributor shield that needed just a little repair. Time to blast and paint it and its ready to install... I can't believe I miss counted how many Aeromotive PTFE fuel line ends I needed.... another Jegs order going out tomorrow.....