TTI Exhaust Ground Clearance

[Drivun]

Has anyone sucessfully addressed the loss of ground clearance when a tremec tko 5 spd kit is used with a TTI exhaust system on a small block? The aggressive angle of the 5 speed to clear the transmission tunnel causes the TTI headers to angle more downward, resulting in the TTI reducers and x-pipe being very low. The bottom of my 2 1/2 xpipe is 3 inches below the subframe. Looking at a 6 degree angled TTI reducer or possibly a Sanderson short/angled reducer to get things moving upwards. I have Hotchkis suspension so I am further in the weeds than stock. Anyone done this?
Thx Steve

 

[Adam]

I have a Tremec 5 spd With TTI exhaust and it does not have clearance issues at all; what model are you using?

Could your motor mounts be too high?

 

[Drivun]

Its a Keisler/SST TKO600. Stock mounts in stock position with a 1 inch spacer to lift tailshaft.

Spoke with TTI today and they have seen this with these kits. Motor mounts are in stock position but Keisler/SST kit lowers tail shaft to get under the crossover brace that forms the torsion bar support. Its the tailshaft being angled down that causes the reducers to point downwards and takes the x brace down too. Best solution would be to raise entire tunnel and rebuild crossmember but...

Not sure if your tunnel is higher. Mine modified per Keisler/SST instructions with their panels.

 

[Adam]

Odd. My TKO 600 was from Kisler, my trans tunnel, floor, and t-bar cross member are stock.

 

[Drivun]

TTI sent me photos showing same problem. Followed instructions to the letter. My TKO is within 1/2 inch of top of tunnel usinfg the spacer. Are you running TTI headers or just exhaust?

Wonder if there is a difference in floor pans..saw a post that e bodies made in California were tighter in bell housing area. Mine was originally a 904 auto.

 

[Adam]

Just TTI exhaust with Hedman headers. My car was built in Hamtrammack; original 4 spd car.

 

[Drivun]

Assuming you have full length headers. looking at photos the Hedmans dont go back as far behind the rearmost cylinders as the TTIs and it looks like the supplied reducers are also much shorter. If our engines were at the same angle, your header to center pipe would likely connect higher than mine. Maybe I need a header swap. .

 

[AUSTA]

What i did was cut the flange off the end of the header then used a 3 inch to 2 1/2 reducer cut at an angle to tilt the pipe back up toward the x mount & tigged the reducer onto the headers then put a flange onto the 2 1/2 pipe
Still working on my conversion they ask to remove a lot of strength out of the torsion bar so i have used a 1/2 inch bar across the top for strength also cut an inch off the bottom of their x member then welded a 3/8 plate inside other wise the whole thing just hangs to low
Also moved the mount to the middle & slotted 2 holes up from the bottom in the mill for adjustment
Definitely help with the floor out but it looks like you

have that option

 

[Drivun]

Austa you are definitely going to get to a different end point than I by cutting out the top of the torsion bar crossmember, which I kept vs SSTs directions. I am trying to be roadworthy in 2 1/2 weeks for the Hot Rod Power Tour and dont have the skills to whip out a crossmember rebuild like yours. Cutting the reducer should be a good start as its 9 inches long, so turning it up sooner should have a positive impact.

Right now my header flange is 4 inches above ground and the low point on the Xpipe is only 3 inches. I'll head over to the exhaust shop this week to see if we can keep 4 inches as the minimum. Thats all I have in my sidepiped 66 Vette and it longhauled the Tour 9 times without clearance issues.

FYI been to Perth a few times when I ran the RayBan sunglass business in Australia- lovely place. Really appreciated the when the Doctor came in ! Good luck on your build.

 

[AUSTA]

4 inches seems to be the sweet spot here with all the speed humps .
I won a couple of pairs of ray bans in the Redback beer competition they run locally
Good luck with the cruise pity the shifter section of the box couldn't be modified to drop the sectionunder the crossmember down.

 

[Drivun]

Always hate threads where the OP doesnt conclude with an outcome. So...

Similar to Austa's suggestion, for $180 I had Magic Muffler in Norcross GA pie cut the headers just in front of the flange to angle the header outlet upward. The reducers and Xpipe went up with the new angle. Things got complicated when I added Hotchkis subframe connectors, losing the ground clearance I had gained with the header mods.

Since Power Tour starts next Friday, I cranked up the torsion bars ending up with 4 inches at the header flange and 4 1/2 inches at the lowest point of the subframe connectors. Cleared the speed bump outside my garage without issue.
Longer term I will probably go to TTI shorties as I find the front ride height ( 25 1/2 inches at wheel well center) a bit too high relative to the lowered Hotchkis rear.

 

[Drivun]

Update to above clearance problem. For 2019 power tour I successfully ran TTI shorties with front wheel well height at 24 1/2 inches. No issues with speed bumps etc.