@Warren Nethercote
@ JAMADOR
@ MV8
@Driven5
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. There's a lot to answer, so I'll put it here in one response.
@MV8, Driven5
I'd
love to use 2" exhaust. However, all the aftermarket mufflers seem to be a minimum of 2.5". I need a very short muffler like the Black Widow "Angry Housewife" model (below). That has to do with the amount of space available before I need the exhaust to turn under the car after leaving the engine compartment. I don't want it to run past the point where you step into the car. Black Widow is somewhat local to me. I could ask them if they'd do a 2" inlet and outlet.
It is small, but very effective. I've talked with them personally and heard sound clips of those mufflers on a Toyota Tacoma V6. It's pretty mellow. The Tacoma had cats, so I may need to add baffles or a short resonator at the exhaust tip.
Attachment:
Angry Housewife.jpg
@JAMADOR
Thanks. It's worth a trip to Home Depot to try it out.
@Warren Nethercote & MV8 & Driven5
The Panhard rod on my car is adjustable on both ends. To get the rear roll center below 6" (the bottom of the lower chassis rail) both ends must be lowered. It can drop 2" to give a 4" roll center. I don't know what I'll need yet. TBD on the finished car. The bar and adjusters take up the whole space in between the two outside chassis rails.
Attachment:
Panhard Rod Setup.jpg
However, your questions did force me to go back and look at my build photos. I had convinced myself somewhere along the way there wasn't enough room. From the Panhard rod photo, you can see running the exhaust inside the chassis rails could potentially block the adjustment of the Panhard rod downward.
However, going back and looking at some build photos I may have to change my mind. If I run the exhaust right beneath the lower chassis rail, and slightly outside it, that could work. The red arrows show the clearance between the inside if the chassis rails and the control arm bracket bolt head on the axle. It's right at 1-3/8 inches.
Attachment:
Outside Clearance.jpg
The axle is at ride height in the photo. The green arrow shows how much the axle can drop before the control arm bracket is level with the bottom of the lower chassis rail. The coilovers will drop a maximum of 3" by design. So, I don't think there's a realworld chance the brackets could drop BELOW the bottom of the chassis rails unless the coilovers themselves fail.
Thus, if I put run the exhaust just under the chassis rails and slightly outside them (purple circle) it should work.
Anyone see it differently? If not, I think the problem has been solved.
Thanks very much,