The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Vertical Stacks on Small Diesel Trucks

I'm seeing a trend around here with the kids driving around in 3/4 and 1 ton diesels with vertical stacks coming out through the bed behind the cab. I've also seen some of them coming out beside the back corner of the cab and going up from there. They look like the semi truck ehausts that you see.

So I figure the main purpose of this is looks. They want it to look cool, and this is the current cool. Some of them have put different injectors in and there trucks emit a LOT of smoke. They also have a different sound to them, not like the diesels of the past that I've been around.

Does anybody know the legality of this? Do they have mufflers somewhere before these stacks or does running the exhaust straight up eliminate enough of the sound pollution? Is there any concern that a passer by (in a parking lot for instance) might brush up against this hot exhaust pipe and burn themselves?

I'm not complaining, and I'm not for or against, just curious. Thanks.

I know in some states, a turbo is considered a muffler, so they can legally remove the stock exhaust. As far as burning others and/or noise pollution, I don't know.

Here is my two bits worth. On a big rig the muffler is underneath the frame of the power unit. The pipes come up along the side of the cab, with a perforated shroud where the driver might touch it. I work for a school district in Colorado, and haven't seen any of the kids driving diesels with stacks. I think in the 80s one of the big three put out the "lil Red Express" pickup with stacks. I don't recall seeing a shroud. Perhaps they had double wall exaust like a wood stove chiminy?

Dodge Little Red Express http://www.geocities.com/redexpressclub/lrehistory.html

Heeheehee.....like this?
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/kweetech/smokin.jpg[/img]
Sorry about the big pic dial-uppers!

VTApache - Uh... NO... not like that (although that's very... how shall I say... interesting). More like this. http://www.blackclouddiesel.com/Stacks/stackpics.htm

Longbox - Yes the little red express. Thanks for the link. I see it had it's stack's going up through the step of the stepside bed. It does have a shroud.

Looks like the ones in the back of the truck beds would make the bed somewhat useless, or at least less usefull.

Some of them around here are not all that loud (not like a V8 with dual glass packs loud). I still wonder if they have a muffler in the stack or if the turbo muffles the noise sufficiently, or what.

The black smoke only occurs when they are making max power(go to a tractor pull sometimes) If they don't smoke on a pull,you need bigger injectors

But back to the original thread, I think they look phoney on small trucks.

I don't like the look either, but I understand what they are trying to do...the same thing we are usually trying to do...increase performance. A diesel is not really that much different than a gas engine. The better they can breath the more power they make.

I think it is all for looks. Occasionally you will see a practical one. Like a service truck to get the exhaust away from you while you work with the truck running for the crane or other accessories.

My guess is that they don't have mufflers. However, you can get mufflers to fit inside the stacks.

I don't much like the whole look / idea much myself. It makes the bed less usefully.

I bought a 73 Chevy 1 ton with a 4-53T Detroit a few years ago, drove it home from Colorado. As soon as I got home, within 10 minutes, I had the two vertical stacks that were outside the bed removed and in the junk pile. From the junk pile I retrieved a bend of 4" pipe to use so the exhaust pointed out behind the cab. Much less tacky looking.

Nearly everyone that drives a deisel these days that is interested in better fuel mileage and more power are doing two things first...replacing the stock intake with a cold air intake and removing the stock exhaust and replacing it with larger pipes. In states where it is legal they are usually running straight pipes from the turbo back, eliminating the catalytic converter and muffler. Once they have adequate "breath" for the engine the modifications available are nearly unlimited...larger injectors, intercoolers, electronic tunig package, propane injection, etc.

The next time you are beside a deisel truck and can distinctly hear that whistling whine of the turbo you can bet he's not running a stock exhaust system, and if black smoke appears from the exhaust when he accelerates hard he's also running aftermarket injectors.

I don't like the vertical stacks, but I am working on some of the other stuff as we speak for my '96 F-350.