To Stack or not to stack?

[t-roymoose]

I actually have just that now, a 3ft whip with a mag base, and it actually clears the carport beams - spring bends just enough, couldn't do it with my old jacked-up 4x4 but this truck sits lower so I'm okay in that department. The problem is the 3ft ain't really strong in signal, I get pretty crappy reception with it - those 5.5ft whips in Radioshack, are they steel? Cause two of those with spring mounts on the mirrors sound like they may work good.

If you have those 5.5' loaded whips on your mirrors you don't have to run a spring. I believe they are stainless steel. They hold up to a lot of punishment. the whip part of the antanna will flex enough so you shouldn't rip them off your truck. The other nice thing about the whips is that they don't try to lay down as much when you are driving. I am assuming that all radio shacks carry them, mine do. They were about $25 or so. I have had mine on my other 4X4 rig for 6 years and havent broke one yet. I know they got abused because they were mounted near the top of my roll bar. (The scratches on my roof is evidence).



I got the site to help you out.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...052.2032075.2032078.2032098&parentPage=family

 

[4x4TruckinGirl]

Yes, to keeping the existing 90* elbows, shortening the stacks and rewelding them together. Nothing can ever be easy......next question....

I dunno is it too much flex pipe? I haven't done this before...... I mean I can get regular pipe and an elbow to match up to the y pipe, the flex pipe is by far cheaper than that though..... regardless the dowpipe will be flex pipe but what happens between the downpipe under the cab up to the Y pipe is where I can either use more flexpipe or just regular piping and an elbow.




Another place to shop for antennas is a local pilot or flying hook truck stop, they carry all sorts of stuff like that if you don't have a CB shop near you......

 

[69dieselfreak]

theres your one piper for you guys

 

[t-roymoose]

Yes, to keeping the existing 90* elbows, shortening the stacks and rewelding them together. Nothing can ever be easy......next question....

I dunno is it too much flex pipe? I haven't done this before...... I mean I can get regular pipe and an elbow to match up to the y pipe, the flex pipe is by far cheaper than that though..... regardless the dowpipe will be flex pipe but what happens between the downpipe under the cab up to the Y pipe is where I can either use more flexpipe or just regular piping and an elbow.

I would use regular pipe and an elbow. It may cost more but I think you will save yourself a lot of heartache down the road. I can just see you having problems with that much flexpipe. Just think about how much your truck rattles and shakes, that will kill the flex pipe (plus it has more spots for water to sit and rust).
I think I will check out the heavy wrecking yards and see if I can find something. If I can't I will just get one of the Grand Rock kits. I will probably have to buy the mufflers also (California, enough said ).

 

[93turbo_animal]

check ebay. A buddy of mine got 5" stacks with the T all the pipe and clamps for $300 and it wasn't a speacial it was the everyday price from the ebay store. It went together nice with out any trouble. And most kits come with flex pipe to make the conection between the bed and the rest for the flex movement

 

[tractorman86]

i would run the DP from the turbo down and make the 90 in the bottom of the flex then run a solid piece from there to the y

 

[4x4TruckinGirl]

Okay, fair enough. Flex for the downpipe then solid back to the Y. Other than that I have everything I need. Pricing wise its about the same for me to get the parts here as opposed to online and then ship it. Also, i'm trying to get it together so we can put them on this weekend, since works killin' me!

 

[Pipeliner_86]

Stack the truck! Be creative in fabbinf up a system to go from stock pipes up to the bed, think outside the box. I bet if you went to a local welding shop and had them fab up a cross pipe out of square or rectangular tubing, you could save $ that way. I am fortunate enough that my line of work has lots of steel pipe involved. I picked thru the scrap piles and found a piece of 6" heavy wall pipe for my cross tube, and welded 4" stub's for my 5" stacks to bolt to. Under the truck coming from the factory y pipe, is 3" straight pipe, to a piece of 3" flex up to my cross tube.

As you can see from my pics, my trucks set up was a little easier to do because of my flat bed arrangement. My stacks are just a hair taller then my head-ache rack and crane.

 

[zigzkidz]

the way i have my exhaust go up is the 2.5 inch exhast then a short piece of flew pipe then another little piece of 2.5inch going into aabout a 10 inch piece of 5inch at 90degrees with a plate on the bottom( it looks like l- ) that goes into the y, the very bottom of the L gives the water a place to go and you can just drill a 1/4" hole for the water to drain out

 

[4x4TruckinGirl]

So Stack install is started...... it's been a lot of hacking and welding...... the downpipe turned into a custom job of which I have no pics of yet, but it's dayum kewl! I bought a few pieces of pipe, y pipe, and some extensions, everything is pretty much custom fabbed up.... under the truck the downpipe is 2.5" into 3" flexpipe and opens right up to 4" straight pipe up to the bed and into 5" stacks! woot, stacks aren't in yet but 1st thing in the morning they will be, yay!

 

[sle2115]

I HATE flex pipe! The stuff leaks and never holds up, so I built mine flex pipe free. I used a stainless flex joint for vibration, 3 inch y-pipe, into a free flowing welded muffler, flex joint, mandrel 90 up into the stack cross box, then 3" stacks, which I like, I think the 4 and 5's are overkill, but look good on some trucks. I used header outlets welded to the cross box, so far so good. Sounds really good and functions well.

 

[4x4TruckinGirl]

Stacks Installed.......

Okay... pics as promised of my beast..... It took the better part of a day to do all this, well 1/2 yesterday and a few hours this morning. My friend did a GREAT job, seeings how there was a LOT of hacking and welding to be done..... I'm super excited and boy does this thing sound mean now! I'll have to get a video clip, my batteries were too dead though.......

 

[Mike]

Looks really nice.

 

[towcat]

Sam-
you don't waste much time prettying up the ride do ya? But it looks really good
Looking at the underside of the truck shows the oil leak was found. the motor wanted to rust-proof the entire running gear.

 

[4x4TruckinGirl]

hehe Thanks, i was so excited when we fired it up!!!!!!!! There is still a little bit of an oil leak i'm on the hunt for, it's not coming from the turbo either since we had to swap the downpipe and all..... I'm not sure, i'm gunna clean it off down there and keep a watchful eye for now.....