Saving Weight With Titanium Exhaust Parts

Ounces equals pounds, and when you’re building something that needs to go fast the more weight you can keep off the car the better. Greg Marietti wants his 1983 Trans Am to rip off six-second passes at the track while still being a legit street car. To help make that happen, Marietti opted to build some titanium exhaust parts for the car. In this video, we cover the basics of what Marietti will be using to fabricate these parts.

So, why would you want to build exhaust parts out of titanium? Titanium is a magical material that’s both light and strong. This combination of attributes makes it perfect for exhaust parts, especially for a vehicle that’s going to be driven a lot. You want to be able to save weight where you can on a max-effort project like Marietti’s Pontiac.

There’s a good chance that Marietti’s Firebird might get caught in some wet conditions during a drag-and-drive event. Since the bullhorns are going to be exposed to the elements the most, titanium made the most sense to use since it doesn’t corrode or rust. Marietti won’t have to worry about the titanium parts of his exhaust now if they get wet.

Marietti wanted his Pontiac to have a clean look, so that meant routing the exhaust out of the fenders. Normally that’s a great way to ruin paint and body panels, but since titanium doesn’t retain heat as much as stainless steel, there will be a reduced risk of damage. The reduced amount of heat will also help during those long drives between tracks during drag-and-drive events.

The materials Marietti decided to use for the exhaust came from TiCON Industries and Machined Concepts. Marietti is using turbos big turbos, so he went to Machined Concepts to have custom flanges created for the exhaust. In the video, you actually get to see the exhaust flanges made and learn about what goes into machining titanium parts.

Make sure you subscribe to the Street Muscle Magazine YouTube channel. The next video is going to cover the fabrication of the titanium bull horns and other exhaust parts. We’re going to have more content about Marietti’s build as we help get it ready to hit the streets and track.