Most of you know that I am not a mechanical kind of person, so bear with me while I explain the problem.  I took the car out for a quick drive last night and heard a nasty noise under the hood.  Upon closer examination, I felt it was an exhaust leak and took it to my local shop this morning to validate.

Chrome headers and side pipes would look so narley on your car. I think the experts here will tell you that you can block off the tubes and dis- connect the air pump. I think Rich has his set up so they look like they are funtioning but fake. You can squeeze them off untill engine rebuild time.

And I bet they will be a mother to get out! did they say anything ez outs and retaping the threads?

mine were cut  off and rolled up when I bought my car....I agree with Ebo, headers and side pipes would make that vette vert even better looking.

Hi Marshall,

Pardon me.  Can we back up a bit.  Can you see where the leak is?  I would be more suspect of the donut where the header joins the exhaust pipes. I'm not sure how loud it could get if one of the tubes were open.  You should be able to see it. I think. If so, pinching it off sounds possible.  I'm not a pro so, mostly thinking out keyboard.

Keith 

This same shop re-did the exhaust from the manifolds back just a year or two ago and everything still looks shiny and good.  The doughnut area is the first place I looked, but everything looks good and it's not quite loud enough for that.

The air injection tubes can indeed rust/corrode thru where they go into the manifold, or anywhere else. They are right about getting the tubes off without damaging them....it's dang near impossible, especially if the dang things are already corroded thru. I have one of the tubes on mine that the very end had corroded off, and it would not seat properly. While I had the engine out in '99, I massaged the tube to where it would fit down in there a little farther, and so far, it has held up quite nicely.
IF you decide to eliminate the tubes, you will also have to eliminate the rest of the AIR system plumbing, or the smog pump will eventually lock up.
I believe there is at least one place that sells replacement AIR tubes. Depending on how bad yours are, you may need to also replace the manifolds, or you may not. Those tubes actually go down into the manifold, into the exhaust stream, so they get kinda funked up, and can be a real pita to get out...

[QUOTE=Adams' Apple]I believe there is at least one place that sells replacement AIR tubes. [/QUOTE] Do you happen to remember that place's name?

Try Bairs Marshall, they had lots of manifolds there awaiting a new owner......

About a year ago I had a pesky exhaust leak that I couldn't figure out.

Turned out the studs that hold the donut between the pipes and the manifolds needed replacing. (They had been worked with in the past due to installing the true duals.)

Just food for thought as you (or they) begin to dig in to it.