GTS exhaust tips for 1974, which way do they Point?

Hey Mark.
How are you? Sounds like a good score with that Stroker kit. Where do you keep it? Perhaps under the bed so that you sleep REALLY well at night. Does the wife know it's there? Personally I would do the same, but I don't think I would tell my girl.
The new GTS exhaust, the tips hit the bottom of the bumper. the bend after the header collector hits the wheel housing "pipe" and the the actual muffler "Can", that would be the part that does the muffling, hits the diagonal channal that you see to the rear of the inner wheel well when you look into the passenger side wheel well, it's behind to the rear of the wheel. It's the channel that runs lower right to upper left, at the top of the upper left it joins the horizontal structural channel that most people use to sit the wiring loom on top of when they move the loom for the rear tail lights from inside the engine compartment to the wheel well. The other "odd" thing is that the muff to collector flanges just about mate up correctly, but not quite flush to one another, but the muff and pipe hit in the fore mentioned places. It leaves me with the impression that these pipes fit a pre-L split bumper type car.
And hey I do know to expect a bit of "Fitting" with any new exhaust system, but this is way more than I could expect. In fact I was thinking about taking it to a pretty good go fast shop to have them fit it for me, but I stopped that thought when I remembered how much I paid for this sucker, and how long I had to wait for it.
As for the Mind train system, when I compare it to the GTS system, that also leaves me with questions. but thats another topic.
Hey are you going to make it to MoJo's EPA BBQ?

What do you think.......Doug.H

http://www.panteraplace.com/page143.htm


Doug H.,

The above link shows some photos of a U.S. spec 1974 GTS Pantera. Looks to me like the exhaust tips point up just a little more than the 'L' Pantera but not as much as the Pre-L.

Perhaps you can also move the rear bumper in toward the body about 2" but given what you paid and, well, what you're gonna have to do to get them fitted .... BOB BENSON just sold his new Hall Pantera Pre-L GTS for $500 +/- to the Pantera Guy in Canada, well, not any easy choice.

I was interested in BOB BENSON's GTS system until I found out they were for a Pre-L.

Don't feel like the lone wolf out there. I just purchased a polished Edelbrock Performer Intake Manifld and THEN discovered I already had an Edelbrock Performer Intake Manifold!

Regards,
Ron

P.S. I already adjusted my exhaust system up as high as it would go, tips about 1" from the rear bumper and I plan to move the bumper in as close to the body as I can, about 2+" cause I think it doesn't look good hanging out 2+" past the body and covering the exhaust tips.

Hey Ron, thanks for the input and the link to the 74 pic. It does look like the stock unit does point up towards the bumper. I was of the opinion that the exhaust was exactly the same for both the L model and the GTS models here in the USA. As a side note, You should know that the current replacement GTS pipes are one in the same units for both the L and pre-L models. The vendor simply takes a torch to the where the tips are attached to the muffler and he bends the tips to the correct Zero angle for the L-models. It looks like my solution may be to have a good torch guy with me and let him heat it up some where before the muff and then I will hang on the tips to get the correct clearances.

Thanks again..........Doug.H

At one of the famous Nor-Cal Tech sessions, we simply put a large wooden block under the muffler, slide a piece of 1-1/4" steel bar into each muffler tip, and get big Roger Sharp to 'lean' on the bar until the tips are EXACTLY where the owner wants them. A welding torch does the same with less drama. Note that positioning the tips too high can MELT your tail light lenses at very high speeds. I published a photo in the POCA News last year of a car running high-tip mufflers, with both lenses severely melted after a Silver State open road event. And don't worry about your Pantera looking non-stock: theres no such thing any more!

Jack,

Thank for the feed back. but while your idea has occured to me. It would NOT be enough. Because when you bolt the pipe and header flanges together, this actually pins muffler to the under body as well as the tips to the underside of the bumper. If I were to put that much downward force on the both tips (which have welded bracing) I am pretty sure that the header tube that runs into collector would bend way before the muffler pipes or tips would. If that happens then the pipe would not clear the A-arms when the car is placed back on the ground. And presto chango.....Junk....

http://www.panteraclub.com/store/cal2003_4_ad.html

Doug H.,
The yellow Pantera in the above photo is an 'L' running Pre-L upward pointing exhaust tips. - Ron