Reluctantly,today I replaced the original factory exhaust system on my 44,000 mile 1970 Z28 Camaro with a Gardner system. I spent way more than I wanted to, but Gardner is the only company that I could find that replicates the chrome exhaust tips with the hanger welded on exactly....so I bit the bullet and spent the money but after all is said and done, I think it was worth it! Here are some pics to document the process....
Original system was old and rusty and just plain looked like crap...
Old muffler had a pretty good hole in it...
old pipes after they were cut off...
new pipes laying on the ground...
factory wrinkle bends...old and new....
old factory weld where the head pipe meets the tail pipe
new joint on the Gardner pipes yet to be welded...
new Gardner chrome tip installed in the hanger...
new Gardner muffler installed...
welding the head pipes to the tail pipes just like the factory did...
the finished welds...
and the finished system...
The bottom line...the new Gardner system looks great, sounds even better, and fit like a glove! Gardner systems are a bit pricey but if you want the looks and the sound just like it came from GM back in the day, Gardner's the way to go!