Went with the exhaust system from rd enterprises. The 47 exhaust system is very cool but I'm not at that point yet. They said it is good for 150hp then had it ceramic coated once it arrived. I removed the old cast and exhaust in pieces then replaced all the manifold studs along with new gaskets. Bolted everything up with new manifold nuts and it seems like the exhaust elbow pipe will not fully seat into the headers. Well it goes in 11/2 inches but is about one exhaust width from lining up with the muffler when bolted up against the transmission. I'm assuming it seats further then lines up reasonably with the muffler I just can't get it to go any further and am contemplating in cutting a little length off the elbow pipe so it can line up with the muffler. 1 1/2 inches is not much contact area but with the better style clamps it is probably sufficient? Any input would be welcomed as I'm trying to put it back on the road sensibly
The cross pipe is supplied a bit long, I had to cut mine down a bit to get things to line up and slip together nicely. While the band clamps Ray sells are a step up from u-bolts, I used lap joint clamps (from the UK, but they came in less than a week...
https://www.profusionexhausts.com/1-75-inch-45mm-stainless-steel-lap-joint-clamp-heavy-duty-exhaust-band-lp175ss/ ... no financial intereest, yadda yadda yadda) which really are the hot ticket. Even though it wasn't really needed, I put a little exhaust pipe compound around the smaller pipe when I slid it in before clamping down. Really makes a good joint, doesn't deform the pipe the same way a u-bolt would and has a lot more clamping power over a larger surface area than the single band clamp does. All in all...a great solution (IMHO).
Check the clearance between the forward shift tube and the header. Mine needed a bit of "percussive maintenance" to provide the requisite clearance that I was comfortable with and didn't interfere with the shift mechanism. I also ended up with adjusting the center pivot to 2 7/8" center to center versus the book 2 3/4" just to give me a bit more...and all gears are there, and shift works fine.
And check to see if your rear clutch cable sheath ends on a frame-mounted bracket. You may want to consider installing the engine-mounted clutch cable (oh heck, just ask Ray!) bracket after chopping off the frame bracket for the cable. Smoother clutch action, eliminates juddering (so far, for me anyway), and feels like it lowers the stiction/friction in the cable (since there are gentler bends in the cover to get the cable to where it needs to be). Every little bit helps.