So having not gone the muffler route before, what's the muffler of choice for a street rod? Wanting something that's got some attitude but not the aggressive thunder of the '33 with baffled lake styles. What have you liked?
Printable View
So having not gone the muffler route before, what's the muffler of choice for a street rod? Wanting something that's got some attitude but not the aggressive thunder of the '33 with baffled lake styles. What have you liked?
what routing are you using????down dumps before axle are noisy----out before rear wheel area not as bad but out the rear is best----
I use components for 2000-2004 mustang clear coil overs and lay below rear frame rails beside fuel tank
Also look at the side pipe set up on the 32 in my gallery
Choice of components for me is Magna flow stainless---you can get about whatever pipe diameter you want
however will those lower rear end bars toward the middle be a problem?????
Ditto on the Flowmaster's, they have a nice smooth sound. Mine run out the back, make plenty of noise without being irritating inside.
http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/s...ayproducts.asp
these are some of what I have used---the tail pipes work up over the normal type coil over suspension and then along under the frame rails beside the fuel tank--choices have oval or round mufflers, a set up under the rearend like for the mustang cobra with the irs, and a set up with turn downs before rear axle---my preference is #15673 with round mufflers altho ovals might be touch quieter
need to shorten the pipe where tip fits over to fit length of car--------simply slide it on further----
I used these in lieu of mufflers.. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hs...2400/overview/
pipes go all the way out the back so there isn't any droning - car sounds good!
When I had the '62 done my Muffla man told me about a Flowmaster Clone and I am very pleased with them.
Sounds about like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyHcMt5ezng
Em
Mufflers???? Seriously, I used Thrush Turbos on my roadster. They sound good behind a pretty stock 290 HP 350 SBC.
36Sedan, which model Flowmasters did you use? Series 40?
Mike, those HushpowerII resonators say that they are intended to run in conjunction with HushpowerII mufflers. You're running the resonators alone and it's not too loud?
Jerry, I appreciate the link to the Mustang system, but I plan to get a box of mandrel bends and straight pieces and put together something custom for the routing I want. I have not yet made any firm decision on any of the questions you pose regarding exit point, but at this point I'm leaning to straight out the back, but NOT SS tomato can accessory tips.
Oldschool66, thanks for the Thrush Turbo info. Those look like they might be a good, economical choice.
You asked so in my opinion Flowmasters sound tinny and cheap. They are the choice of Daddy's Boy Mustangs. Borla's sound much better. And some long tube types sound good, longer tube the deeper the sound. And since you asked, I really dislike Flowmasters, almost as much as the tiny cans on the rice burners. Hey you asked and I likely now have a smaller group of friends.
What makes this question tough is the subjective nature of the outcome. Kinda like "what's the best color.......?".
I've told my sound quality story many times and I've come to the conclusion that nobody believes it, or it's more thinking than they're willing to invest. But here goes again, short version. I picked up a '40 Ford coupe a number of years ago. Had a mild built flathead, no interior, crappy paint, yada yada. The old bullet shaped glass packs sounded like crap even with full length pipes. Exhaust rehab was at the bottom of a lonnnngggg list of things to be done. In the process of doing the interior I did a full insulation install, roof, trunk, and all. When I fired the car off to pull out of the shop at the completion of the upholstery install I was amazed. I expected the inside sound to change, but when I got out to close the shop door the outside had changed too. Had the bride drive the car up and down the street to confirm. The insulation had dampened the resonance and completely changed the character of the sound from the car. Never did change those tired ol' glass packs.
Similarly, a Flowmaster 40 tale. I put pair on the '64 Plymouth with 440. I didn't care all that much for that Flowmaster echo that I think some mean when they say tinny. Again, after floor insulation and an H pipe added to the full length system that car ended up with the absolute best sound I've ever heard from any V8 car. My '05 Mustang with Magna Flows came close, but not quite as good (cat converters change that game though).
A roadster is going to have a whole different dynamic, sound wise, from a closed body car. I'm convinced it's more than just the muffler and pipes that affect sound.
Personally, I think Flowmaster's and the like is just another case of paying way too much to get the name!!! I use plain old turbo mufflers my pal Roger sells at his exhaust/repair shop. Other then that, I'd just suggest reading Uncle Bob's post again..... Resonance is the big deal, just like in a stereo speaker enclosure... Other thing I do as a matter of personal preference is put the mufflers as far back in the exhaust system as possible.
Uncle Bob, some interesting observations about the insulation and sound deadening on body panels affecting the overall sound output outside the car! That points to the exhaust note being a product of the vehicle system, not simply the mufflers, or mufflers & resonators, and the fact that the body panels may tend to amplify certain frequency ranges that may be less desirable (lots of "may" in that last statement....)
Dave, I agree about paying for the name, especially when a big name company has come up with an approach that's been shared in the glossy ads for years and others have copied for ten cents on the dollar. Just looking at Summit, their house brand turbo is about the same as the Thrush turbo, and the Flowmaster of comparable size and description is three to five times more.
In my past I bought a '68 Dodge Monaco, 383 auto back in about '70 and that car had the sweetest, most mellow exhaust note of anything I've ever owned. People used to stop me and ask what I'd done to get the exhaust to sound so sweet, and I had to say "I have no idea!" It had a pair of no name round galvanized mufflers that were about 6" OD and 32" long with traditional construction, no "cherry bomb" or "walker continental" bullet shape, just good sound that was likely a coincidental bonus when the original owner needed/wanted mufflers.
I like the stainless stuff because it doesn't rust-------------
I like the magna flow ss stuff for the 2000-04 mustang because the mustang rear end and frame/exhaust width is pretty damn close to the size/spacing of 32-34 fords----the 2 1/2 tail pipes (3" are tight) fit pretty well and I just need to shorten the end so they don't stick out past the frame extensions-------the kit comes with hanger pieces, clamps, etc and pretty well clears everything. Rogers car has those Nascar/earky 50s chev truck bars on it and might be an interference factor but for any system--------
I have built dozens of systems from bends and straights and the cost is probably double to 3 times as much as one of these kits----argon and ss welding rod are $$$$$$$$$$$
On a high boy type I'd still probably build headers and Cobra type side pipe system like on the 32 in my galley--------
As an aside, I wonder how many folks remember or learned the origins of the "Turbo Muffler".
Hint, 1962.
The Turbo Corvair?????
Actually the Allis Chalmer WD45 muffler was earlier and the diesel one was 2"-------------
and then there was a farm boy making mufflers outta 4 in tractor sleeves and with grease gun tube for the ends---coat hangers wautted up with steel wool packing---------
I run Dynamax Ultraflows in my deuce. They are a bit loud for some people, but nothing screams horsepower like they do. And they are one of the best flowing mufflers out there. My second choice would be ss Magnaflows. I dislike the tinny sound of Flowmasters, myself.
I like stainless because it don't rust but on a Hotrod I use a stainless system with Smithy mufflers, gives a nice hotrod sound but not aggressively loud like a Cherry Bomb, Also about 11 years ago I put a pair of Jones mufflers on Sue's car and they gave a lovely sound and are still perfect to this day and they were only $17 each !!!
.
Roger i looked long and hard for the right muffler and went with hush power after i saw one cut open at a display at the drags... it has heat wrap inside and made to go real close to the floor or what every with out heat damage... also i needs something long and skinny to fit in the car.. they sound good too... that is the one thing that bugged me you pay all that money for mufflers and then if you don't like them you have two paper weights..
I chose Borla Pro XS 304 stainless steel, oval shaped mufflers, 2-1/2". I got the model with offset inlet and outlet. The exhaust can flow either direction with these mufflers. That was good for my car. I needed a center inlet on one side and the offset inlet on the other side, to get clear the booster diaphragm and get the pipes to exit out the back in the same location, on both sides.
The sound is plenty aggressive, but not too loud, IMO. They are louder than any production car muffler would be.
My exhaust manifolds had 3" collectors, so I used 3" pipe for the first elbow and added a 3" flex coupling, before reducing to 2-1/2" pipe for the rest of the system. Stainless pipe expands more than regular steel, so the flex coupling is good to have.
Thanks Wayne. I really like the layout of your system and the Hushpower's look like a very good choice. I'm impressed with that H-pipe layout, and I had not previously noticed your drop down below the axle exit in the back. I went back to your build thread for a shot of the rear, and with the quick change and your tail lights that low exit looks great. Gotta get my diff painted so I can get the chassis on wheels & tires, engine & tranny in place and start figuring out details. My wrench buddy who's putting my new gears in the third member admitted yesterday that his special dial indicator setup had "disappeared" from his tool box, and he's been waiting for the new one to arrive.... I'll have my gears later today, paint the diff tomorrow, and on to some assembly Monday/Tuesday.
FWIW Hushpower is owned by Flowmaster or vice versa, I can't remember. I have used some flowmaster diesel mufflers on some diesels, as well as some hushpower, and the hush power to me sounded better. I like the Flowmaster on a gas engine, but I agree without a H pipe they sound tinny and get annoying. I have some friends that just installed some of the Summit flowmaster knock offs, and they don't resonate like a flowmaster and do sound pretty good.
I have nothing to go by but my personal experience with straight through glaspaks compared to open pipes. The ones with a louvered inner core (like lovers on a hood) will lower the sound but will not change the tone. It will keep the high sounds which give it a tinny effect. The ones with a preforated inner core (small round holes) will not only lower the sound but also lower the tone giving it a more mellow lower sound. Have tried it on both small block chevys and fords and the results are the same. Just my two cents worth. Don't know why this happens. My 28 has a hot 302 in it with 7" preforated cores in a 20" sidepipe. With no insulation in the cab, the exhaust drone is pure heaven. Very deep and powerful. Heh, what did you say? Speak up, I can't hear you....
Milner
Attachment 60960
As Bob mentioned exhaust sound is sooooo subjective when it comes to personal tastes.
When I was first getting into to this stuff in the mid 60's there were only about 3 choices for other than stock mufflers that were common, at least in the area I was at; Glasspacks ( the old blue walker continentals sold thru NAPA), The Corvair Turbo mufflers and the MOPAR HEMI mufflers (which were actually used on all the high performance 383/440 back then to include the cop cars).
The glass packs were the cheapest, loudest and most popular and therefore the sound I grew up associating with high performance cars. Over the years I've used all kinds of different mufflers on the various builds but on my cars it was usually the Turbos or glass packs.
The 57 Plymouth is now on it's 3rd pair (and probably last) pair of mufflers. I initially started off with a pair of Dynomax. I hated the sound from the first time I turned the key and they only stayed on as long as it took to get a pair of reproduction HEMI mufflers ordered and delivered. I really enjoyed the sound.....it took me back to the days of the new Road Runners, GTXs and State Patrol cars coming into the dealership I started out in. I ran them for about 6 years bu after a while every time I ran thru the gears I wished they were a bit louder. Last year I finally bit the bullet and thru a set of glass packs on it. As far as I'm concerned the cars now sounds exactly like it should.
.
I played around with building some a few years back for a few of our rock crawlers. I was really surprised at how simply most of the high dollar mufflers are built. I have a good friend here in town that does a lot of muffler work and has a lot of flow testing equipment for them. After doing some research I found that they are very easy to build and in some cases I could achieve a good sounding muffler with the same or better flow characteristics than the brand named mufflers In some really small boxes. A few of my creations.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g2...stuff029-2.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g2...r/stuff024.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g2.../zephyr097.jpg
Thanks Jerry glad you liked it.. I'm lucky for having a muffler shop that lets me work with them on how i want something done and they do it unless i'm way off base.... also i used muffler clamps for a company call Deeds Engineering no gaskets.. they have a male and female side and are held together with a SS band, easy to take apart or put together. Oh and the hush power muffs have a nice sound.
I'm a Corsa fan, but since they discontinued their black box and red box mufflers you can only get them used. It took me 3 years to find 3 mufflers and I got lucky and met the man who runs their production line. He had them behind his desk new in the boxes. :)
Other than that is comes down to dimensions and the material you wish to use. There are far more choices if you are willing to use Mild steel.
The 50 series Flowmaster is what I went with as the 40 series is just too loud. I didn't install an h-pipe, but would if I had the exhaust to do again.
Attachment 62803I ran these Supertraps and sound good, I wanted flows but had no room under car, and scored these new ones of EBay cheap
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v...20232877061644
Roger, I posted earlier but found more data on mine to share. When I had my Fairlane duals put on I was going to go with Flowmaster but my Muffler Man said that the VX series muffler made by AP Exhaust Products was better and cheaper. So I went with his suggestions and have not been disappointed at all. Total job was $450 and that's from the header pipe to the rear bumper. There is lots of info and comparisons to google but here's a couple of testimonies from a Vette Site. VX Mufflers vs. Flowmasters - LS1TECH
Of course you know that after you make the change a posted audio is REQUIRED???:toocool:
Good Luck,
Em
Pro53, that sounds awesome, and you have a bad ass model a!
HotRods need side pipes and loud, biased not a humble opinion.
Some are too loud, top fuel comes to mind, dawn mickey mouse ears, will knock that down a notch. The pummeling of the body the sound waves administer will make that up.
Attachment 62811
Yeah, got one of those, but not the pipes that carry the sound near the back of the door. Ya' don't know loud until you run open lakes pipe megaphones that end at the leading edge of the door - near physical pain at WOT nearing red line :HMMM::LOL::LOL:
The one I'm doing now will have a more subdued sound, with pipes going out the back and an auto trans, so Mama can enjoy it if she chooses, but thanks anyway....
I put super 40's on my chevelle, flowmasters, with 3 in out the back. Sounds awesome around town, drives me crazy on the rd at 60 mph. I think if the floors had some better insulation it would help.