Project Talladega Chevrolet Laguna - Basso Profundo

Any serious muffler shop is going to have the right tools, like this Milwaukee pipe saw. This got used a lot, and Gledhill is good at eyeballing the right length. Here, he shortens the passenger-side header pipe where it slips into the X-pipe.

As the Flowmaster system comes together, Gledhill regularly checked it with a level, so it would look flat. You don't want to weld everything up only to find that it looks all twisted under the car. The pole jack proved invaluable holding the exhaust in place.

We decided to terminate the system with turndowns just in front of the rear axle, so Gledhill cut a fair amount of length out of the muffler pipes. Our Super 44 Flowmaster mufflers have offset inlets and outlets, so they look the same from either side. Since the power of the muffler is highly dependent on the exhaust going in on the inlet side, you'll want to heed the inlet decals that Flowmaster applies.

You can buy turndowns already made, or just make them out of mandrel tubing bends. Here, we marked a 90-degree bend into two turndowns, then cut them on the bandsaw.

Here, Gledhill is tack welding the turndown into place-without protective eyewear! Tsk, tsk. Actually, he closed his eyelids just as he triggered the welder. Sometimes regular welding goggles are too dark for short tack welds, which is why they make auto-darkening welding helmets. Note here how we're angling the turndown slightly to the tire. Our burnout smoke will swirl nicely around the tire this way.

After all the elements are trial fit and tack welded, Gledhill double-checks the position, angle, and level of everything-paying special attention to snug it up against the floor. Once everything looks good, it's time to weld everything permanently.

The final touches were a pair of exhaust hangers for the turndowns, and a coat of Dupli-Color high-temp silver paint. Note the custom double-hump crossmember (supporting the 700-R4 trans) that we had Lang Paciulli fabricate for us last year. Without one, a dual exhaust on our Laguna would not be feasible.

Flowmaster uses its new Delta Flow technology in its Super 44 muffler. For a street car, the Super 44 is pretty aggressive compared to most of Flowmaster's street mufflers, and borders on a race muffler design. Still, it's a lot more livable than our previous, side-exit open-header NASCAR-style exhaust. The noise-cancelling technology is just effective enough to pass muster on the street. This was perfect for our needs, and matched the vibe of the Laguna.