Hello everyone. I have a 1997 dodge ram single cab short bed 360 and i was considering putting a set of exhaust stack on it, like the old lil red express. I wanna here some thoughts on this topic. Also i want to dress up the engine a bit. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I don't think they would look good because the LRT had then on a step side behind the cab. You could mount them through the bed but it wouldn't look right. As for dressing up the engine there is a bunch of add ons. Best place to look is Ebay for "engine dress up kits".

Mr. Norms builds new Lil Red trucks and has kits for the stacks, but like The Stumpmaster said, they are in the bed.

Do a Google search on Mr. Norms Lil Red

Only reasonable answer is make it a real step side and get some stacks

I saw a Phord pickup on the road yesterday that had a pair of exhaust stacks mounted in the bed smack in the middle but tight against the rear window. Looked silly.

I saw a newer dodge truck running around here that has stacks on the outside of the bed. Looks ridiculous.

Yeah, I used to see a 2000ish Ram in the Detroit area with a set of stacks on the outside of a regular bed. Looked pretty Goober, not to mention it was probably a lot of fun to try to back up using the mirrors.

I drove a Little Red Express about 100 miles each way to a car show and cruise for a friend years ago and wasn't very happy listening to the stacks - having an exhaust pipe exit 18" from your ears isn't my idea of fun. And sitting in traffic for the cruise it seemed like the cab was constantly full of fumes if the wind was coming from the wrong direction.

At least stacks keep the knuckle dragging rolling coal crowd from sooting up people in cars at intersections and stuff.

Highway cruise "drone" wise I would be careful about the length of tailpipe from muffler outlet to top of stack outlet as it looks like it will result in something less than 54 inches, which will create a drone noise in the 1700 to 2100 rpm range.

Aero-wise there is a horizontal tornado that forms behind the pickup rear window, and it would be at least possible that the right placement of the stacks would help to "retain" this tornado permanently in place, intead of having it form and then be released repeatedly, which causes extra drag. The odd slanting corner pieces of GM Avalanche and Honda Ridgeline pickups are there to "retain" the horizontal tornado.

I see city buses with rear exhaust stacks with backward outlet triangular diffusers now, and i wonder if they create a slight vacuum to lower exhaust backpressure at higher vehicle speeds?

Whether you like/dislike the original Lil Red Express exhaust stack look,
It is possible that a correct design would both
lower exhaust drone,
and decrease aerodynamic drag.

The "traditional" pickup truck rear outlet exhaust
with the outlet pipe tip direction to the right
to avoid filling a trailer interior with deadly exhaust fumes
probably satisfies liability lawyers
but it is not the best solution for
either noise or optimum truck fuel economy.

It is a small effect
But the "push" of the gas jet from the right facing exhaust outlet
And the aero drag created by this exhaust jet into the right side airstream
Also makes the pickup constantly slightly steer off the road toward the right
Instead of steering left to neutralize the effect of the center crown of most highways.