- Home »
- Catalog »
- Headers and Exhaust Systems »
- Exhaust Systems »
- 1964-72 A-Body, GTO, LeMans, Tempest
1964-72 A-Body, GTO, LeMans, Tempest
Pontiac V8 1964-72 A-Body, GTO, LeMans, Tempest
Every Combination You Need — 1964-72 A-Body, GTO, LeMans, Tempest for Pontiac V8s
The 1964-72 A-body is the most complete exhaust shelf Butler has. A GTO, LeMans or Tempest can be finished in 2.5" or 3.0" mandrel-bent stainless, with or without a crossover, and with the exact tailpipe routing your year and rear valance require. The 1970-71 GTO is its own animal and gets its own systems.
Everything here is Pypes Performance Exhaust: 16 gauge mandrel-bent 409 stainless or 304 polished stainless, X-pipe, H-bomb H-pipe or X-Change crossovers, and a choice of Street Pro, Race Pro or Violator mufflers.
Browse 1964-72 A-Body, GTO, LeMans, Tempest Products
- Prev
- Page 2 of 2
- Prev
- Page 2 of 2
Popular Brands:
More About 1964-72 A-Body, GTO, LeMans, Tempest
1. Crossmember-back, and what that means on an A-body
These systems start behind the crossmember and finish at the bumper or the valance. They are designed to be installed at home without special tools, and Pypes notes that some cutting may be required.
| Mandrel-bent 16 gauge tube | the pipe is the same diameter through the bends as it is on the straight, which is the whole point of buying a system instead of having one bent at a muffler shop. |
| Hangers and clamps | cad plated or stainless clamps and stainless hangers are included in most systems, and the tailpipes are OEM style. |
| Tips are separate | polished stainless tips are available and included on some systems. Check the listing before assuming. |
| Limited lifetime warranty | Pypes warranties these systems for the life of the car, which is worth weighing against a shop-bent aluminized system that will be rusting in five years. |
2. 2.5" or 3.0", 409 or 304
| 2.5" | the right size for a stock 326 or 350, a rebuilt 400, or a strong street 455. Keeps ground clearance under a lowered A-body and does not drone. |
| 3.0" | for a stroker or a serious 455. Available on the A-body in X-pipe, X-Change and muffler-delete forms. |
| 409 stainless | the standard construction. Pypes states the stainless construction resists corrosion and extends system life, and all systems carry a limited lifetime warranty. |
| 304 polished stainless | the completely polished option, available in 2.5" and 3.0" with an X-pipe. This is the one for a car that gets looked at from underneath. |
3. Crossover: X-pipe, H-bomb, X-Change, or none
The crossover is the single biggest influence on how the car sounds, and A-body systems are built all four ways.
| X-pipe | the smoother, higher-pitched note. The bulk of the A-body catalog is built around it. |
| H-bomb H-pipe | the deeper, more traditional muscle car sound. Pypes builds the A-body H-pipe systems in 2.5" and 3.0". |
| X-Change | the same system as the standard X-pipe version but with an X-Change X-pipe kit that lets you run open exhaust after the crossover. If you take the car to the track, buy this version and skip the cutouts. |
| No crossover | straight dual systems are offered for owners who want the old-school split note or are keeping the car period-correct. |
4. The 1970-71 GTO exception
Do not order a generic 64-72 system for a 1970-71 GTO. Pypes builds separate part numbers for it, and the listings say so directly.
| Valance exit | the 1970-71 GTO valance exit system is designed for cars whose tailpipes exit through the rear valance rather than under the bumper. It is built in 2.5" with an H-bomb H-pipe and with an X-pipe. |
| X-Change and no-crossover versions | the 70-71 GTO also gets its own X-Change system and its own straight dual system, each available in all three muffler choices or muffler-delete. |
| Read the cross-references | Pypes puts the substitution right in the product copy. If a general A-body listing says to use the 70-71 GTO part number instead, that is not a suggestion. |
5. Headers, manifolds and what feeds the system
A crossmember-back system starts behind the crossmember, so what happens ahead of that point is a separate decision and it changes what you need.
| Running full-length headers | your collector size decides the downpipe connection. A 1 3/4" D-port header on an A-body finishes in a 3" collector, a 1 7/8" round port set in a 3 1/2" collector. Know which you have before you order the system. |
| Running Ram Air manifolds | a stock-appearance car with cast manifolds needs downpipes to reach the system. Manifolds with an oversized 2.5" outlet pair naturally with a 2.5" crossmember-back system. |
| Sizing the whole path | there is no point hanging 3.0" pipe behind a set of factory manifolds with restrictive outlets. Size the exhaust to the smallest thing it has to breathe through, then upgrade both ends together. |
6. Muffler selection
Every crossover style is offered with the same three mufflers plus a muffler-delete version, so you can pick the pipe first and the volume second.
| Street Pro | the civilized one. Pick it if the car does highway miles or if you value conversation at 70 mph. |
| Violator | the aggressive street choice, and the most common pick on a GTO. |
| Race Pro | the loudest, and also offered in an 18" body version on several A-body systems for owners who need the shorter case. |
| Muffler-delete | systems sold with no mufflers, for people who already have a set they like or are running an electric cutout kit. |
7. Ordering without a mistake
| Confirm the exit | under-bumper, quarter panel or valance. This is the single most common ordering error on an A-body. |
| Confirm headers or manifolds | the system picks up behind the crossmember either way, but what you have up front changes the downpipe you need. |
| Confirm the rear | a lowered car, a big tire or an aftermarket rear suspension can change what routing works. |
| Decide on the crossover before the muffler | the X-pipe or H-pipe sets the character of the note and the muffler sets the volume. People who pick the muffler first usually end up unhappy with the tone and blame the muffler. |
| Decide about open exhaust now | if there is any chance the car sees a track, the X-Change version costs less than buying the standard system and adding cutouts later. |
Pypes backs these systems with a limited lifetime warranty and they bolt together at home. Give the shop your year, your exit style and your muffler preference and we will pull the right part number rather than the closest one.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Email our tech team at tech@butlerperformance.com. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.