Stainless Chambered exhaust

[69Z28]

Any of you fellas follow the stainless chambered exhaust that was on ebay? I can't believe it but I put my bid in just for $hits and giggles and ended up winning. Go figure. I didn't think I would have won this by any means. Surprised the heck out of me. What do ya think, did I do good? or no.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-Camaro-Chambered-Exhaust-Stainless-Steel-302-Motor-Z-28-Stock-Ext-Manifold-/131106564635?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=%252FsT4d81BUNcBGvA3JUfxL3FLvgQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

[69Z28-RS]

The price is good, if that is what you wanted..   but I personally don't like the *sound* of any stainless steel exhaust system; being stainless, they go 'thinner' on all the metail, and I suspect that's why SS always sounds so 'tinny'....??   and John Z says chambered costs you 7 hp over the standard transverse muffler exhaust (I suspect that number is versus std w/o resonators??)..

[69Z28]

Well I have it now. I didn't think I would have won the auction but there ya go. I'll give it a shot. I'm not going to let 7 horses make me loose any sleep. I still have the transvers exhaust on it now if I get tired of it.

[BULLITT65]

I am in So cal and had the auction on my watch list just to see what it would go for. I think you bought it at a good price if thats what you wanted. Its to early a set up for my car, and I was also aware of the 7-10 hp loss. I have the transverse set up right now, (without resonators) and I like it. I just need to get my tail pipes at the right angle, they are to much of a angle and sit to low right now. I forgot what month was your car produced?

[ZLP955]

So if you 'lost' around 7hp with a chambered exhaust and stock exhaust manifolds, would you expect to regain those 7hp with chambered exhaust and long tube headers?
Also, would imagine that in reality, there could be at least a 7hp variance between 2 otherwise identical (drivetrain) cars off the factory assembly line.

[cook_dw]

So if you 'lost' around 7hp with a chambered exhaust and stock exhaust manifolds, would you expect to regain those 7hp with chambered exhaust and long tube headers?
Also, would imagine that in reality, there could be at least a 7hp variance between 2 otherwise identical (drivetrain) cars off the factory assembly line.

Ding ding ding!!

With my experience of putting countless late model LT & LS cars on a chassis dyno  some cars put down a few extra ponies than another.  Same setup put it boils down to tolerance stackup.  You have mins & maxs and it you have the incorrect balance then you will have the lower output rate.  Same can be said about the opposite.  The fact is you are not going to feel 7 or 10 or even 15hp by the ole "buttometer"..  Even the calibrated ones..   If you are not competitively racing then its all about sound.  If you like the sound of chambered then install it.  If not then sell it.

[69Z28]

So if you 'lost' around 7hp with a chambered exhaust and stock exhaust manifolds, would you expect to regain those 7hp with chambered exhaust and long tube headers?
Also, would imagine that in reality, there could be at least a 7hp variance between 2 otherwise identical (drivetrain) cars off the factory assembly line.

Ding ding ding!!

With my experience of putting countless late model LT & LS cars on a chassis dyno  some cars put down a few extra ponies than another.  Same setup put it boils down to tolerance stackup.  You have mins & maxs and it you have the incorrect balance then you will have the lower output rate.  Same can be said about the opposite.  The fact is you are not going to feel 7 or 10 or even 15hp by the ole "buttometer"..  Even the calibrated ones..   If you are not competitively racing then its all about sound.  If you like the sound of chambered then install it.  If not then sell it.

I have to agree with Darrell. If you can really feel that much of a horsepower difference then you ARE good, no question about it...I certainly can't. My car is an 06A so it shouldn't have chambered exhaust, but there isn't anything saying I can't use it. I've read a lot about others using the system and of course I am curious too, so I said why not. The price at 3 bills for a stainless system was a no brainer and if I got outbid, oh well, but in this case I didn't and I think I really got a good deal. Heck if it turns out I don't like it, I can sell it for 3 bills and not loose a thing. Actually I'll have to get the proper hangers to add to the price but that's all. In 74 there was a guy from Salisbury Maryland that was on base, Dover AFB, that had a RS Z Cortez Silver that still had chambers on his car. It was extremely loud and I was standing on the second floor of the barracks and the car was maybe 50 yards away. This was the only time I have heard that sound and I kind of liked it. Way different then the low rumble deep tone kind of sound that the transvers has. I guess I'll find out if I like it...this summer hopefully.

[x77-69z28]

I would say for $300, you did really well. It looks like a quality system with the two piece tailpipes. I have a stainless chambered system on my car from the 80's. It was one of the first chambered systems made by CC inc (I think?). The chambered mufflers do have a glass pak  sound to them. But it has been on the car for thirty years, I guess I am  used to it.
On the next go around with the car, I will be putting a Gardner  transverse system on it. Let us know how you like it.

[Steve Shauger]

I had a gardner chambered system on my black rs/z and to me it had an unpleasant tone so I installed a gardner transverse system and I'm very happy. However on my 69 SS L34 car I replaced the original chambered with a gardner chambered system and it seems the 396 has a better tone. That reminds me I need to sell my small block gardner chambered system which has been sitting in my basement for 9 yrs.

[69Z28]

All this info is good. It really depends on what someone likes in sound from what I am reading. We all have our own opinions of what something sounds like. What can it hurt to find out?

[BULLITT65]

exactly. You got a deal on it, find out what it sounds like, if you don't like you might even make money on it. Who knows.

As far as the horse power loss, I agree you could have 7 to 10 hp between identical cars, and like Darrell have seen this first hand with the LS Camaros which we referred to the higher hp cars as "factory freak" because of the bonus hp, in the same make and model car. BUT if you "know" your taking a hit on hp, by installing a optional set up I think a lot less buyers would have checked the box for chambered at the time. That said it was many years after I think before it was discovered.
I still run into guys who proudly state they have the chambered exhaust. Which leads m to believe that a lot of guys probably thought(think) it was hp booster over the transverse system.

[69Z28-RS]

exactly. You got a deal on it, find out what it sounds like, if you don't like you might even make money on it. Who knows.

As far as the horse power loss, I agree you could have 7 to 10 hp between identical cars, and like Darrell have seen this first hand with the LS Camaros which we referred to the higher hp cars as "factory freak" because of the bonus hp, in the same make and model car. BUT if you "know" your taking a hit on hp, by installing a optional set up I think a lot less buyers would have checked the box for chambered at the time. That said it was many years after I think before it was discovered.
I still run into guys who proudly state they have the chambered exhaust. Which leads m to believe that a lot of guys probably thought(think) it was hp booster over the transverse system.

If you recall, ALL of the early Z28 s had the chambered system, and only after a few months of production, was it changed to 'optional'.. which didn't last too long before they totally eliminated it as a possibility.  It would be interesting to know how many of the cars with original chambered got them during that period where they had to check it as a option (at possibly? more $$ - I'd have to check to see what the option price was...)?  you know the dealer ordered cars would NOT have the chambered system once it became an option..  only only 'selected' customer ordered cars would have gotten it, so I suspect it's a pretty rare *option* during that optional period.

[VINCE Z28]

I used Gambler Competition SS system on my built 350, and at idle love the sound of the cam rolling though the pipes. After about 20 k miles it did start to sound  like glasspacks. After 15 years there still on my car.

[69Z28]

Are stainless steel systems supposed to be magnetic? The seller is having his doubts...he says a magnet will stick to every part he puts it on, plus he says it is very very heavy. Your thoughts are needed guys. This system is in Van Nuys too and UPS whats over $300.00 to ship it.

[Steve Shauger]

I believe 400 series stainless is magnetic and 300 series is not, unless certain machining is perforned on it such as threads and such.