I want to ditch my stock exhaust and run stacks. I dont want anything over 5" stacks so 4" or 5" stacks would be ideal. I want the angle cut stacks. On to the questions.

1 - What is a good length of stacks so that they arent sticking over the roof of the truck?
2 - Have any of yall had any problems with rust in the bottom of the stacks due to rain going down the stacks when the truck is off or the stacks filling up with enough water to possibly cause engine problems? I live in Alabama and when it rains here it poors and for the past few months it rains nearly everyday all day.
3 - How much am I looking to spend for a decent system?
4 - I have a single cab long bed truck and I havent found hardly any exhaust systems for my style of truck. What would I need to get?
5 - Will it do anything to the fuel mileage? I dont care if it helps but I dont want it to hurt it too bad.
6 - How easy are they to install? I have a good bit of fabrication experience and I did the muffler delete on my stock exhaust myself and have done exhaust work on a few cars but never on a diesel.
7 - Will I have to re-tune my truck after installing the stacks?
8 - What are some some good systems and systems I should be aware of?

Basically, I just want to be careful with this truck. It is my only mode of transportation to college and I know I will have to install these myself because the local exhaust shops said they wouldnt do it. Then they turned around and said "If we do it, its going to be expensive". I have a good bit of fab knowledge so I figure I will tackle it myself. The biggest concern is, I DO NOT want them sticking over the roof. I think that looks soo stupid if they are 2ft over the roof. 4 - 5" over the roof would be ok but not 1 - 2ft. Sorry for all of the questions but, like I said, I have to be careful. Hopefully once I can get this jet ski sold I will buy a system. Anyone want to trade an exhaust system for a jet ski that needs 2 pistons, rings, and 1 head? :D

Thanks,
Kody

1. Measure from the bottom of the bed tp top of cab that will give you a ball park figure.
2. No rust problems, water will get blown out when you start it, or if you are extremely worried put a flapper on it.
3.It's up to you, I've seen kits from 400.00 - 1000.00, however you said you know how to fab, so I would make your own system. thats what I did. Just buy the top stack.
4.Make it yourself
5.I didnt notice much fo mileage gains but I was already running straight pipe.
6. same as a gasser except bigger
7. It's up to you, You might notice a little loss at the bottom end, but I don't think it's enough to worry about.
8.There's plenty of good systems out there but, I would definatly think about doing it yourself.

If you have any skills with a welder then you can make everything yourself. I found a bunch of 5" inch pipe and made the T pipe and under the bed and everything. Just buy top stacks. most brands sell 36" i believe and that will bring them right up about level with the cab. I spent like $400 total for 7" top stacks, all the clamps and elbows

go with 36" not 48" chrome or stainless doesn't matter. i went with grand rock instead of mbrp because of prices. if you already have an exhaust system, great! since it is a singe cab, i'm not sure if you would even have the "extension pipe" after the front pipe. anyways, the flex pipe just bolts down there onto the 90 degree bend which then connects to the t-pipe. make a template of the oblong shaped 5" hole to accurately cut the hole in the bed. miter (slash cut) looks great IMO. rain is kinda annoying because it causes the soot to clog up and won't come out until under throttle. therefore, if you are towing something whatever it may be, prepare to wash it. there is no way too much rain could affect the truck starting. it would drain out of the slip joints and flex pipe before it even attempted to go towards the downpipe. if you really wanted to, drill a little hole in the 90 bend to drain out water. i didn't because i was afraid it would make a spewing exhaust leak sound. as far as installation is concerned, if you buy a kit, you will more than likely need to trim the driver side piece of the t-pipe to fit in the bed. do not clamp anything down until you are SURE that it fits correctly. im kinda ocd so they have to be perfectly level. most stack kits get rid of the muffler but you can find an internal muffler if you really wanted. depending on the year, get rid of the cat if you can for less restriction. i saw better mileage and a higher top end because of less back pressure. unlike gas trucks, the less back pressure the better for us diesels. the turbo creates plenty as is.

hope this helps,
jonathan

I do have pretty good welding skills. Ill probably take my truck to the highschool I graduated from last year and take it in the autobody shop and use the plasma cutter to cut the holes in the bed. My autobody teacher really liked me so he lets me bring stuff in and do whatever I need to whenever I want and being that all my tools have either been lost or stolen, it helps out. I need to try to find some pictures of how the exhaust is ran. Its hard for me to read something and know how to do it. Im a "monkey see, monkey do" kinda guy. Will MIG welding be sufficient on the exhaust? I might have access to a TIG welder but I always tend to burn through because the pedal on the TIG's are small and I have a size 13 foot and I tend to let the weight of my foot push the pedal down farther. Im hoping to spend no more than $500 on the entire system. I thought about buying a system off of Jegs or some other website and then modifying that if I need to. Im not worried about a muffler. I cut mine off and went to a local muffler shop and they happen to have a 23" piece of 4" exhaust that they used on a bulldozer and I needed exactly 23". The stock muffler is in my backyard against the fence where my dogs tried to dig out. Anyone got any pics under the truck and in the bed so I can get an idea of how to do this?

Why go to all of the trouble to weld? Just clamp it in case you change your mind to change back to a straight pipe. Most systems will run around 400-600 t-pipe kit. You need to get a 4" front pipe as well.

Have you ever driven or rode for any distance in a straight pipe stacked truck? I bought an 03 single cab from Nick one of the guy who started this web site. It got a 5" single stack that comes to cab height and is behind the passanger. I drove it from Sacramento to Boise and I was about deaf by the time I got there. Might was to consider some sort of a muffler or a good set of ear plugs.:D

i throw some buckets over my stacks if i think rain is coming.

Have you ever driven or rode for any distance in a straight pipe stacked truck? I bought an 03 single cab from Nick one of the guy who started this web site. It got a 5" single stack that comes to cab height and is behind the passanger. I drove it from Sacramento to Boise and I was about deaf by the time I got there. Might was to consider some sort of a muffler or a good set of ear plugs.:D

x2 on the noise level. It is pretty damn loud in the cab but at your age, you may like it (I do I'm 19). The sound is very unique, unlike any other exhaust.

I towed my 68 chevelle to Chattanooga, TN from here in Oxford, Al with a Cummins with 6" stacks and no mufflers. It didn't bother me. My chevelle was a big block 461 with dumps at the rear axel, 64 malibu SS with a sbc400 with open headers, and my 1999 Trans Am was straight piped with a cut out at the rear axle. Being loud doesn't bother me. When I cut the muffler off of my d'max, I didnt have time to weld the rest of the exhaust back on affter I ran the test pipe where the muffler was so I ran around for a month or 2 with the exhaust stopping right behind the cab of my truck. It made everything in the truck rattle and it was extremely loud but I loved it. It wasnt a crappy loud sound. It still had a good tone but just loud. I'm used to riding with my dad in 18 wheelers (im 19 and have been riding with him since I was 3) and most of the ones he drives are extremely loud. I wish you could put a jake brake on our trucks. I know you can put an exhaust brake but it doesnt give it that beautiful loud bubbling sound that the jake brake does on an 18 wheeler.

Im still looking for pix. Is it possible to run the Y pipe under the truck instead of in the bed? All I found is 1 DIY vid and they has the Y pipe in the bed and I dont see why it couldn't be under the truck and have just the stacks in the bed unless the frame is in the way.

What will the flex pipe connect to and how? If I remember correctly, When I did the exhaust on my truck, it unbolts right under the cab. If I unbolt that, then how will the flex pipe bolt to that? I have decided on a 5inch stack with a 4inch inlet. I just dont see how you can clamp 2 4inch tubes together unless 1 is flared and I doubt that the flex pipe is flare and the face that the big square flange is in the way just confuses me more.

the fuel tank is in the way. re-mount the tank and you could. i wouldn't.

the fuel tank is in the way. re-mount the tank and you could. i wouldn't.

Well then forget that. Ill just run the Y in the bed like everyone else. Still need help figureing out this flange problem.

I have a crew cab so I dont know where your front pipe ends at but I just cut about 5 inches forwards of the muffler all off and put a 90 degree elbow going up into a 4" pipe I welded into a 5" crosspipe, so thats my T-pipe in the bed, then I got 2 more 5" elbows on the ends of the T going up into 7" top stacks. I dont have any pictures of in the bed. And my noise level in the cab isnt bad unless the back windows are down, but the LBZ does seem quiet to me compared to the LB7s so yours will prolly be real loud being your stacks will literally be right behind your head.

I have a crew cab so I dont know where your front pipe ends at but I just cut about 5 inches forwards of the muffler all off and put a 90 degree elbow going up into a 4" pipe I welded into a 5" crosspipe, so thats my T-pipe in the bed, then I got 2 more 5" elbows on the ends of the T going up into 7" top stacks. I dont have any pictures of in the bed. And my noise level in the cab isnt bad unless the back windows are down, but the LBZ does seem quiet to me compared to the LB7s so yours will prolly be real loud being your stacks will literally be right behind your head.

How much did it cost to make minus the stacks? Im trying to figure out if it will be cheaper to buy a stack kit from Grand Rock and then buy the stacks or to make the kit myself and then buy the stacks. They didnt have a stack kit that came with 5" mitre cut stacks so I will have to buy those by themselves either way. The kit was $323.41 and $86.49 each for the stacks. If I can make the kit cheaper than $300 then I will just go with that.

go check out a truck fleet store and see what they will charge you for pipe. I got all my 5" stuff free from a truck being scrapped but I dont think itd be much. altogether I got less than $400 in mine and the stacks were $350.

check out huckstorf's website in the vendors section

Alright. So far, Im kinda leaning towards just building it myself minus the stacks. Thanks guys!

My stack set me back about $110-120, considering I already had a 5 inch turbo back MBRP exhaust on the truck. One saturday I decided I was going to straight pipe it so I began taking the system off. The front of the muffler was located almost directly under the split of the bed and the cab, so the idea of a stack came to mind. I drove the truck around for a week with half of the exhaust on, and it was pretty loud. I went to a local big rig shop just to get some prices and ended up buying everything I needed. Few band clamps, a single 36 inch stack, and a 5 inch 90. I also used the extra piece from the MBRP kit ( for long bed trucks) to get the stack to the height i wanted..... took about an hour and a half to do. I also hade to get a 8" long piece of 5 inch OD pipe from napa so I would miss the crossmember underneath.