Good day today. I tried to start up the 225 in my -62 Valiant (my first restauration project) for the first time today and I got it running!

It is kind of makeshift setup and it sounded awful, but it is alive! One reason why it sounded so awful is undoubtedly the fact that there was no exhaust pipe, just the manifold. I have never run any engine like this, so I'm seeking advice.

I realise it needs a valve adjustment etc too, but first I'd like to get this exhaust part resolved. The sound is bad and the exhaust fumes are not very healthy. For now I just need to get the car going enough so that I could move it under its own power in the yard (I'm pretty badly crippled, so it would help hugely).

Consequently, my (probably dumb) question is, how long an exhaust do I need, so that it doesn't blow out all the power through the exhaust manifold? I'll of course eventually be buying a new exhaust from front to rear, but I'd prefer not doing it yet as I'm not quite sure whether this 225 will stay there or whether I'll rebuild the original 170 and put that in. (Neither do I want to have a new exhaust in the way of all the stuff that still needs to be done under the car). I have an old maybe 2-feet long bit from an old front pipe (170) that I can probably make fit. But how much do I need to lengthen it, or is the pipe of no use if there is no silencer? This is all unfamiliar territory for me...

Also, does anybody know, is the -62 Valiant and -65 Valiant front exhaust (or all of it) the same? Probably not, if it was, it would make things easier (and nothing usually is easy...).

Thank you kindly for any educational information on the misteries of exhaust pipes.
Maurice

The parts books cite the same parts number for front pipe for both -62 and -65 (one common number for 170 and another for 225). Muffler and tail pipe are fifferent numbers, but they are less important.

Anything is better than running it with an open manifold... Even if its just the short length of pipe you have already....

225 and 170 wont make much difference on size, the exhaust pipes were quite undersized from the factory anyway...

If your only concern is making it better while you work on it and move it around I would use the short pipe you have and get a cheap universal muffler to clamp to it temporarily (usually $20-$30)... This will bring the back pressure up a little wich helps the scavenging of exhaust gasses from the engine as well as get it quieter (Im sure you and your neighbors both would appreciate that)...

_________________
"if it aint broke, fix it till it is"
78 Plymouth Volare Super Six wagon
89 Volkswagen Golf GTI 16v
92 Chevrolet K1500 5.7
98 Ford Escort ZX2 zetech

Thanks for your thoughts oldskoolracer. You are definately right about the neighbours (and me) appreciating a quieter sound. It was pretty horrible, but I was happy I got it running at all. I had no idea what shape the engine was (the guy who had started working on the car died, so couldn't ask him).

I have to check out what they have at the local parts stores here. Tomorrow I'll also be calling the company that makes the exhausts for slants here in Finland. If the first part is the same for -62 and -65, I might consider buying the whole system (225). I can use the front part in my -65 later on if I end up putting the smaller engine in this -62.

I'd like to hear opinions about the exhaust size too, but I'll start a new thread with a more appropriate name for that.