Re: Will Thorley\'s crack if you try to bend them??>>>
Hi burt...
Ive had thorleys on (2) gen two trucks and the pass side has always been the side with less clearance...usually the shackle bolt... especially with ord stuff installed
a couple of questions
1) Confirm they are the correct ones for your truck and not a 2x
2)are you trying to run duals...or singles... from your pic it looks similar to one of mine but my crossover for a single exhaust cleared the crossmember easily....
the second set I had to heat a single pipe for a clearance issue (different in your case) and it wasnt any problem massaging it...
3)as to bending them...
yes you could bend them, with difficulty, but I dont think any exhaust shop can bend the whole collector, as their dies wouldnt be large enough or be the proper size and would dimple the pipe...
4)You might consder having them modified by a good shop(if you dont fab) who could CUT them cleanly and reweld the collector, moving it in the direction you want...obviously this destroys the chrome finish but you could heat paint it or have the headers jet hot coated/ chromed again.( I might even use stainless wire then the joint wouldnt rust) I found the chome on mine wasnt pretty but it definately made them resistant to corrosion
5) You could try heating the whole collector with a rosebud tip but I am pretty sure from your pic once you began to bend the pipe you would end up with a nasty dimple... I wouldn't suggest this method(strictly from looking at the pic and without actually seeing it in the truck) Remember you have to clearance for the motor torquing in the the truck when you have such tight clearance issues)... My thorleys came much closer to the starter (and I felt it necessary to heat shield them)
If you were closer I would be happy to fab this for you... sorry...
I hope this helps you make a decision that works for you
cam
