Best header back exhaust package for a 1985 K10 short bed

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Broken85

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2024
Posts
19
Reaction score
20
Location
Cumberland, NJ
First Name
A
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
Evening fellas! I am lining up my winter project and planning to swap the Jasper motor out of my shortbed for a Blue Print 340hp TBI turnkey. I am looking for recommendations on a header-back exhaust system with side vent pipes. Plenty of stuff out there for long beds, just not seeing what I want for a short beds (I assume it is the same as a K5???). Looking for a mild exhaust maybe a three chamber flow master-ish sound. I would really prefer to not Frankenstein this from a bunch of vendors, but looking for anyone who has purchased a full kit that worked well and didn’t have you pulling your hair out since I am going to have to obviously turn this truck into a dual exhaust system with new hangers and such
You must be registered for see images attach
 

75gmck25

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Posts
2,263
Reaction score
2,204
Location
Northern Virginia
First Name
Bruce
Truck Year
1975
Truck Model
K25 Camper Special TH350 NP203
Engine Size
5.7
Most universal kits (priced under about $125-$150, without mufflers) have instructions for both short and long bed trucks. You just leave out or shorten one of the intermediate pipes.

The hangers they provide are usually inexpensive universal hangars. They work, but are nothing like OEM.

I think the exhaust kit I bought was from Flotech, and it looked the same as everything else in that price range. I used the Magnaflow straight through mufflers and an H-pipe and they have a nice mellow tone at idle, but sound really good when revved up.
 

CalSgt

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2021
Posts
1,699
Reaction score
3,761
Location
CA
First Name
Casey
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
Chevy K-10 Custom Deluxe
Engine Size
350
IIRC the difference between a LB or SB kit is the length of the first straight section as it leaves the mufflers. Many kits just require cutting that pipe to length.
 

84c10Tony

Howdy!
Joined
Apr 14, 2017
Posts
156
Reaction score
135
Location
In, but not from So Cal
First Name
Tony
Truck Year
Was 84
Truck Model
01 Sienna
Engine Size
3.0
I would get nasty with it, matter of fact, Nasty LSX has what you really need, he knows stuff.
 

TotalyHucked

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2020
Posts
3,671
Reaction score
11,854
Location
Auburn, Georgia
First Name
Zach
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Sierra 1500
Engine Size
5.3
Just curious, do you not have an exhaust shop close by? The few people that I personally know that have tried exhaust "kits" for these trucks were less than impressed. I've always just gone to a muffler shop and had it done
 

Broken85

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2024
Posts
19
Reaction score
20
Location
Cumberland, NJ
First Name
A
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
Just curious, do you not have an exhaust shop close by? The few people that I personally know that have tried exhaust "kits" for these trucks were less than impressed. I've always just gone to a muffler shop and had it done
Yeah, I hear ya. Definetly would be the easy button. I figure, if I am doing all the work of swapping a TBI motor into it by myself, I might as well keep the whole job DIY for bragging rights. That truck hasn’t been to a mechanic in over 25 years. Except for the paint, there is only one guy who has ever worked on that truck since I bought it. But I have to admit, dropping it off for some mandrel bent welded stainless steal pipes is pretty tempting.
 

bucket

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Posts
30,438
Reaction score
28,342
Location
Usually not in Ohio
First Name
Andy
Truck Year
'77, '78, '79, '84, '88
Truck Model
K5 thru K30
Engine Size
350-454
Just curious, do you not have an exhaust shop close by? The few people that I personally know that have tried exhaust "kits" for these trucks were less than impressed. I've always just gone to a muffler shop and had it done

I've run the Hooker and Dynomax kits for these trucks, many years ago. For the cost at the time, fit was great. I much preferred the look of the Hooker exhaust because of the quality mandrel bends. Dynomax was crush bent.
 

CalSgt

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2021
Posts
1,699
Reaction score
3,761
Location
CA
First Name
Casey
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
Chevy K-10 Custom Deluxe
Engine Size
350
I've run the Hooker and Dynomax kits for these trucks, many years ago. For the cost at the time, fit was great. I much preferred the look of the Hooker exhaust because of the quality mandrel bends. Dynomax was crush bent.
My first set of duals was a Hooker 2.25” kit from the PAW catalog, IIRC the pipe kit was around $200 and two $29 super turbo Hooker mufflers. That kit and a little cam and I had one of the better sounding trucks in town
 

TotalyHucked

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2020
Posts
3,671
Reaction score
11,854
Location
Auburn, Georgia
First Name
Zach
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Sierra 1500
Engine Size
5.3
I've run the Hooker and Dynomax kits for these trucks, many years ago. For the cost at the time, fit was great. I much preferred the look of the Hooker exhaust because of the quality mandrel bends. Dynomax was crush bent.
I did know there's a couple decent kits online from talking to you and a couple other guys, but I've never known anyone "in real life" that's had good luck with any of them. But none of them were the Hooker
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
44,157
Posts
950,597
Members
36,272
Latest member
armchair
Top