Hooker side exhaust

First this site is great, Thanks for the great job people

I'm thinking about adding hooker sidepipe's to my ride, any opinion's ( good or bad ).

I've been leaning towards a ZZ4 short block adding the fast burn heads and the hot cam to replace my tired N.O.M.

[Black Thunder]

Lets see a warmed up ZZ4 & Hooker sidepipes. That would change the whole personality of the car. Sounds like a terrible idea to me. Why would you want crisp performance & a great sounding V8 rapping away

Yeah I see what you mean,

Too much fun for a simple guy like me!!

Checked out your site, I bet "Thunder" really moves.

Ralleyred,
I installed Chevrolet's 385 Fastburn crate eng in my '72 this past summer and I couldn't be happier.
Together w/Hooker, coated Super Comp.s you wouldn't believe how cool (temperature) it runs (even here in Phoenix).
The only thing I'm going to change is to add a good fuel-inj. unit during the next year.
The main reason I opted against the sidepipes was the noise, but that's me.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Mark

[1979toy]

I've got Hooker sidepipes and would not buy them again. My problem stems from The mufflers being too restrictive. My mufflers are the reverse flow type and they have a 1 1/2 inch inlet and outlet! The fiberglass packed mufflers have a slightly larger inlet and outlet but it's still under 2 inches in diameter.
I do love the way they look though and will miss them when I remove them for something that breathes better. Prior to removing them I am going to try to make a set of mufflers that will flow and still be quiet.

Mark, aka black72,
The combo I described is supposed to be the same set-up as the limited run ZZ430/430. I'm still pricing stuff, so far the shortblock is $1850, the heads are $1150, and the cam is about $180. There will be some assembly but the cost should be close to the fastburn 385.
I'll let you know what I decide.

1979toy,
I'm really surprised that the inlet-outlet is only 1 1/2". I'm running 2 1/2" out the back right now. If the Hooker's are that small I'll leave well enough alone.
Thanks for the heads up.

Thanks for the info. guy's.

Rick

[1979toy]

That is the size of the muffler inlet and outlet on the reverse flow mufflers. The glasspack mufflers are slightly larger, but still under 2 inches. Maybe we should just leave the mufflers out and run open sidepipes!

[69vettester]

RalleyRed,
Hooker side mounts arent considered a performance boost over any other type of performance exhaust system, in fact they are less than some because of the diameter of the header primaries, and there are limitations regarding the type of mufflers available.

IMHO They would "not" be a deficit on your ZZ4 by any means. what they certainly do is change the profile and personality of the car .

I loved my 69 SB "before" I installed Hooker side Mounts. After, It was like a different car. Much more powerful looking and sounding, I was very favorably impressed with the install (in reality I didnt gain alot of power if any with them?). My car turned heads before the Hookers. It REALLY turns heads now. That isnt hugest on my list of considerations, but it was definitly a byproduct of the install.

Lots of folks run Side exhausts , Dont know of anyone who does and doesn't like them I mean that wouldnt be a very good thing Its a major effort resulting in a dynamic car change.
Research..if the light comes on to have them, go for it, you wont be sorry..Corvette designed sidepipe option for a reason Hookers have sold jillions over many years, Why..

Just read some other posts in this thread, so..
PS..People run hooker sidemounts on 500hp+ dragvettes, They use baffles in the side pipe..the reverse flows are just not the right way to muffle, a higher HP motor with these exhaust systems. My 2centavos.

JCL is a member of this forum he makes baffles for side mount systems..
His site has lots of info regarding them and performance, accoustics, ect..
http://www.spiralturbobaffles.com/customers.php

Heres some pics of my install..
http://www.weavermill.com/exhaust/hookers.htm

Heres some finished pics
http://www.weavermill.com/finish/finish.htm

TC

Thanks for the info, Tom. I'm really glad you added JCL's site.

He sent me an e-email about the mufflers, but somehow I lost it.

My exhaust is only about a year old and probably has only about 500 miles on it, so I probably won't be doing anything to soon.

I think I'll hit some shows this summer and check some sidepiped cars out in person.

By the way your car looks great!!

The imput is what makes this site so good, Thanks again

[JCL]

Tom. Thanks for the blurb about the baffles. More and more people are taking a closer look at them now. It's something you can replace and be done with the restriction and sound problem thats plagued this set up for a long time. There are people out there also that don't feel that the 1 5/8" center tube is a problem at all. The way i look at this is, i spent alot of money on the L-383, and i'm not losing a single HP because of a restricted muffler !!! JCL

[JohnZ]

Factory sidepipes are restrictive too - Sales wanted them, not Engineering. These (below) are definitely NOT restrictive, but they DO bring a whole new meaning to the word LOUD :

[Black Thunder]

JohnZ,
Was that an original Gran Sport or built from an existing midyear?
Have seen a few replicas that were well done. I can't even imagine the value of the originals now!
I realize how impractical that car would have been, but it had to be a kick to drive!
John

[JCL]

Black Thunder. I've got a friend who's got one that LOOKS like John Z's. He drives it on the street, races it at the drags and course tracks (Mid- Ohio and others) and does the low speed races also. It runs a STOUT "434" SBC. Pictures on my business web site under Mike Miller. Would really like to build one, soon........... D & D Corvette, (replica Grand Sports) are about 30 minutes away. JCL

D&D builds a nice Grand sport, I think I made a mistake when I finished my 68 instead of letting them build one for me.

I was told by some friends that they wouldn't be worth as much, I found out later that you can't touch one for under $30,000.

Dante was going to use my frame and drive train, build me a Grand Sport for $18,000. I know now that I should've done it

[JCL]

RalleyRed. Thats that hind sight thing isn't it !! Theres always the present, but sure to be more costly. JCL