anyone else use the Gardner Chambered Exhaust on a Z?

[aaronz28]

I have the system on my Z and i've been told that by adding a crossover tube, it elimintaes alot of the brutally loud pop and crackle under part throttle accelleration.

i don't mind the noise whent he pedal is kissing the floorboard, but just cruising from 1800-2200rpm it crackles so bad that it soudns like a fleet of harley davidisons with strait pipes driving under a viaduct LOL...if you can imagine.

i know this is why the system was discontinued, and I know that all of the other Chambered systems on the market use a packing material that deadens the sound to a greater degreee but the Gardner is concours and what I want to keep on my car.

anyone have any input on this?

Thanks

Aaron

[firstgenaddict]

If you are going to add a cross over then why even have an original exhaust system?
Do you have an operational smog system on the car?
I have heard that they cause an awful popping and post ignition of unburnt fuel in the xhaust pipes.

[aaronz28]

i have a smog system, but its non functional... i pluged the tubes and gutted the pump..
incidentally, I added a crossover over the weekend.

and it was 100% the correct decision I made... it eliminated the untolerable crackle or raspiness that the system had.... it is still loud, but the best sounding system i've ever heard.... when you get on it, it crackles like it should, but under part throttle and routine driving, it isn't uncontrollable like it was prior to the crossover tube.

Aaron

[aaronz28]

by the way,  most people add crossovers for a performance gain..

i can honestly say that I can't tell if it made any positive or negative difference on the performance of the car, but it certainly took care of the unpleasant popping noise that was going on.

[red69]

I have an original NOS chambered system on my car. With Hooker super competition headers. It is fairly loud on acceleration but no cackling when cruising. Maybe the headers tone it down or the Gardiner is not exactly the same. It is the best sounding car I've ever driven
     Pat

[nuch_ss396]

i have a smog system, but its non functional... i pluged the tubes and gutted the pump..
incidentally, I added a crossover over the weekend.

and it was 100% the correct decision I made... it eliminated the untolerable crackle or raspiness that the system had.... it is still loud, but the best sounding system i've ever heard.... when you get on it, it crackles like it should, but under part throttle and routine driving, it isn't uncontrollable like it was prior to the crossover tube.

Aaron

Aaron,

Can you post some pictures of the modified exhaust system with the inclusion of the crodd-over pipe?
I'd like to see exactly what you did on your sustem. 

Steve

[aaronz28]

i don't think i can get a photo of it...

all I had done was a balance tube (crossover tube)

they drilled a 2" hole right into the inside of the pipes, just before it goes into the 1st chambered section.
then welded in a tube to connect the pipes.

it was a fairly simple procedure and made a world of difference...

i'd bet that you don't get as much of a crackle with headers as headers balance the exhaust into the rest of the system whereas Manifolds are not nearly as effecient.

eitherway,  it was the best move I could have made with my system, and if you suffer from uncontrollable crackle, then I'd highly suggest it.

Aaron

[nuch_ss396]

Aaron,

Let me get this straight.  You have a Gardner chambered system on your Camaro and you let someone drill a pair of 2" holes
to weld in a cross-over pipe?  That's a gutsy call on your part.  The systems aren't cheep!  I'm wondering what Eric Gardner
would say about the addition of this cross-over, in terms of functionality.  He's a real stickler for originality, so he may not be
open to discuss it.  However, I would very much like to know what he has to say about the effectiveness of this approach.

Lastly, how is the cross-over positioned in relation to ground clearance or clearance to the drivetrain?

Steve

[RamAirDave]

The way I see it:

He bought/paid for the gardner system and is happy with the modification he made.

just sayin,
dave

[nuch_ss396]

Dave,

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying that this is wrong.  How can I?  It's Aaron's car & his money.  So it's his say.

I'm just saying that the Gardner chambered systems are the most expensive ( next to NOS ).  I'd be tempted to
sell my Gardner system and install a cheeper system, then add the cross-over pipe if so inclined.

Steve