Kirk's new exhaust system

Just returned home from having Kirk's latest exhaust system installed....For those of you with heavy horses and special exhaust, this is probably not for you, but for the rest of us with tamer motors
this systems sounds like the motor wants to escape from the rear of the car.....seems like the best way to describe it...
Very good rumble, vibrates the ground without being obnoxious (sp)
gives the impression of many more horses.....
Don't know if it adds horses but sounds kick ass.......

Kirk didn't pay me to say any of this, but I do expect some sort
of payola sometime in the future.....

Vince
what's it look like/ how much ground clearance. I've got a 1776 and the old monza exhuast needs replacing.
ed

Ed,
Actually its a very simple design, one muffler sits
parallel to bumper, 2 pipes/chrome tips with baffles
coming out of muffler about same distance apart as normal
VW pipes are. Engine sits lower than the muffler on mine, so clearance shouldn't be an issue...very clean installation..
It solved my problem of steep driveway scraping on my old
system.....
Didn't ask if this is standard exhaust system currently
being installed on all his cars, but so far I really like it..

How much?

Vince you just had to get something new to show off at the wine run this weekend. For some reason to just had to steel my fire. But thats cool I'm glad your happy with the new pipes. Cuz the crack pipe you had was getting old.

MRDS.

Vince did not pay me to say this nor will he ever pay me for saying this.

Dan,
150.00 plus 25.00 to install...
installation looked easy, but I was already there, and it looked
like it would be more difficult to remove the old one.....
well worth the 1/2 hr install fee....
Don't really know if the new muff is worth the money, only
time will tell, seemed reasonable to me.....
David,
would never try to steal your thunder, (well maybe just a little of it) can't wait to see your car, suppose to be a nice sunny weekend we should have much fun..

Vince, sounds interesting. Why don't you post some pictures to see how it looks like?

Ricardo,
Will take pic's this weekend at the wine run for all to see......

Kirt had this muffler at Knotts. I also found the muffler for sale in HOT VW Mag. Kirt has the best price and the install of $25 you really cant go wrong.

Vince I called John at JPS to see if the car was done and he told me one of his guys damage the cover when they were fitting it and now it has to be repainted. I have to call again Thursday. I will give a full write up on the service, cost, communication, fit and finish. I hope I will be alot more happy when I get the car than I am right now. I'm really getting sick of all the put offs and delays.

Vince - Is the exhaust system your are talking about the same one that Pacific Customs offers in "Hot VW"; jet coated or unpainted. If so how does it fit on your speedster, any clearance problems? Also, how does it soound? Thanks - Mike

Mike,
Can't say enough about the way it sounds. It fits behind the engine
parallel to the rear bumper, and the bottom of the muffler is approx
3 inches or so lower than the rear bumper, or about the same height from the ground as the motor itself, so clearance shouldn't be a problem no matter how low the rear of your car is....
but the sound is incredible......look at the pics from the wine run
as they are posted maybe there will be one of my rear end
(the car of course), pipes are about as far apart from each other
as a standard VW...with a much larger diameter.
ask david D how it sounds, he heard it.....
My opinion is positive on it.....
Whether or not its the same as the one in Hot VW I don't know.....

Mike
if you look at the wine run pics there is one of the rear of my car showing the pipes...MR356.........check it out.....

You mean it will look & sound better than my 'stylish' monza tips?
Hmmmm.....might be worth a serious look......

Mike,
this is a shot of the tips location, they are also fatter than the
normal VW and also show some baffle inside, they hang no lower than
the engine itself....very clean, short and sweet

Here are 2 more pictures of one of these things - I don't have much to compare it to, but I love the sound. Rich, loud... very rumble-y.

Vince - just curious - is the black holding up, or is it coming off? Mine came in today and has some shipping scratches - wondering if I should shoot it with some good hi temp before installing...

Dale,
If you are seeing scratches, and they bother you, then I suggest squirting now, obviously easier now, than later....
You can't see the actual muffler unless you get under the
car, so I can't answer the question right now, but it is so hidden,
I guess I don't really care anyway.....I'm not real partial to those systems that show everything, all you see are tips......and thats fine with me..
What I know is that I love the way it sounds...

Vince - just installed it last nite, and yep - I it. Nice growl, and the pipes look good. Got any shirt recommendations?

I just had the new exhaust system installed last week at Kirk's and drove it back to Northern California. What a great sound, and the oil temperature is much cooler.

I can't say enough about Kirk's service. A customer comes first.

A great buy and sound and cooler oil, probably a few more horsepower too.

RWBecker

Dale,
Less is more, I think this is the simplest system, I've ever seen..
Never figured out why some people had to have all those pipes
hanging out....
Oh, by the way, Here is the shirt you need.....

Installed one on my car saturday. Sounds great. The sound cruising at around 3200 rpm is mighty nice. It also does not scrape when leaving my driveway.
TM

I've been toying with getting a monza type exhaust, cutting the pipes off about an 2 inches away from the muffler and having two pipes from there curve around to the middle into a flat oval collector and exit the body like the carrera exhaust. I like the look.
ed

Vince, don't go crawlin' around under your car in my shirt!
Pissin' & Moanin' from the runner-up bidder

Yep - when I grow up I wanna be just like Vince - where did you get that shirt?

Raymond - No Calif? Where?

Story on the shirt is that Vince had to chase the owner about 10 blocks with a switchblade before he "convinced" him to surrender it.

Kidding aside, pretty cool. Got a feeling we'll see it at Knotts in 05!

Bruce

I won't lie, it was the most expensive shirt I have ever purchased,
got it on ebay, Cost almost what Kirk wants for his exhaust system,
brought it on the wine run last month, and forgot I even had it in the trunk, so never got to show it off......
If i'm out of work for any extended period of time, you may see it on ebay again.........along with MR 356.........(hope i'm only kidding)

In another post, one of the guys said he had to cut two holes in the back of his car to accommodate this system. I always thought it's just a bolt-on. What's up with that?

Rich, the system that I bought didn't just fall below the apron. It was about 3 inches high. I'll try to e-mail photos to someone who knows how to post, and they can post them for me. I had to use a 21/2" hole saw to make holes through which the pipes could stick out.


Gclarke

I have no idea what you guys are talking about, it took no more
than 20 minutes to install Kirks exhaust, no cutting or torching...
tucks right into the open space between the engine and rear bumper..

Just a thought....Are the speedsters that have problems with fitting the exhaust system CMC/Fiberfab bodies?
There have been problems in the past with these bodies sagging in the rear over time. The body would drop lower in the rear not allowing for enough room for the exhaust clearance. I have seen this exhaust fit problem with the Monza four tip style exhaust.

Alan, I don't have a saggy butt....nor does the car....I bought this system ( that looks identical to Kirks in every dimension) from a vendor in Hot VW magazine. All that I can deduce is that the one I bought has shorter pipes and is fabricated to be used in a VW instead of the appropriate dimensions for a speedster. So I'm guessing that although it looks identical to Kirks,,,,,it ain't. They're probably both made by tr-mil, but apparently not the identical configuration...lesson, always buy from Kirk, because he has tested, tested, and retested before he markets anything.


Gclarke

I spoke with Kirk when I ordered my exhaust and I think his is unique. He said he had been trying for years to get an old guy to make them for him in quantity but the fellow did not want to. Well he recently died and Kirk spoke to the guys son and he agreed to make them for Kirk. Sooooooo I do not think any bought elsewhere are made by the same place.
TM

Pic of Kirk's exhaust on VS.

Here is the story from Kirk....
his new exhaust system comes 2 ways....Painted black with high temp paint (1500 degrees)for 150.00 or Jet coated a dull chrome finish which will never rust for 185.00.....any other system you find that looks similar has the possibility of not fitting your car..........

Yo:

If you are trying to understand why I am posting photos of my clothing on this "string" look at my post on "Anything Goes" forum and look at Vince Manto's shirt (above).

O.k, I am sold, and a newby, so how do I get one (phone number, Company?) so that I can lose the Monza exhaust on the '79 IM car and lose the scrapping on the driveway all at the same time. Not sure what brand, source, model number you guys are talking about? Thanks!

James,
It appears the company actually making the exhaust is the same for both Kirks application and for a standard VW, which they sell themselves... but it is altered for a speedster application...so if you buy it from the manufacture it won't fit....You will need to contact Kirk at Vintage speedsters to get his....
the system is 150 painted, 185 jet coated, and shipping is about 30
bucks....it is an awesome system for the money in my opinion...