got a 99 vortec 4.3 in my new buggy. Backed by a t-350/300. its getting a little tight between the frame rails. My question. How important is a crossover tube in the exhaust? How close does it need to be to the manifolds? It would be MUCH easier if I could just run 2 all the way back, but don't want to loose any power/efficiency.

thanks. dave

I've got a couple buddies that run the same set-up and they did away with the cross-over. Doesn't seem to affect power. 1 is a competition buggy, it has manifolds turned around and the exhaust piped to the front with small Supertrapp mufflers attached. It still does fine with only 12"-14" of pipe on each manifold. U might have to play with the # of diffuser discs to get torque right.Hope this helps?

Maybe try a dual in dual out muffler? Then you would not need the crossover pipe.

The crossover will help with low end torque and throttle response. Dual straight back will help with top end HP. The torque you loose by going straight back would be minimal and might be worth the ease of packaging.