[Christ]

Update on this hunk o' junk:

Got a fixit ticket on the way to pick up my van for work yesterday, because there is no inspection sticker in the windshield. Since February, when I put herbie on the road (legally). Lol.

So, in 5 days, I have to install a header, get a new windshield installed, install suspension on all four corners, and get an inspection done. No sweat!

Today, I got the exhaust manifold off. I had no trouble with 6 of the 8 studs... The two in the middle on the bottom have 12mm nuts, the rest have 13mm. The only way to reasonably gain access is to remove the down pipe. Good thing that junk has already been cut, and just hangs there. The idiot that invented those spring clips... Well, he deserves a hand shake, then a smack upside the head. They don't get stuck. This is a plus. But it's nearly impossible to remove/install them in a reasonable manner. I used a jack handle and a hammer.

Finally chiseled the hell out of the two studs that gave me trouble. One is good, one broke inside the head. I'm going to run it with 7. Snaked the manifold out... Reusable. Now, time to pull the intake... Damned header won't fit from the bottom. Le Sigh...

Might as well clean up the PCV tube while I'm in there, right? Gonna do that in the morning...

Walked down to an old Ford 302 and cut half the Y-pipe off, unbolted it from one manifold, and it fits perfectly against my Pace Setter header. It's a little small, I think, but it's at least 2". Anything flows better than the stock "toilet bowl" flange, wherein the manifold has a 2.25" exit, necked into a 1.625" pipewith a crappy weld. Sure, that'll be efficient... *facepalm*

The plan is a ~30" long glass pack in the midsection, into a side exit pipe on the drivers side, turned back toward the tire.

If that's too loud, I'll put a silencer cone in the side exit pipe. I can't imagine it being too loud, though. I've been running an open header for weeks now, leaving at 4am and holding 35mph in 3rd gear up the hill, and nobody's complained yet.