Muffler info?

[kb426]

What are you guys using for mufflers on a 32 where space is a consideration? I like the sound of Flowmasters but the size is a small problem when you use the 50 series. I think the 40's maybe louder than I want.

[Dave]

What are you guys using for mufflers on a 32 where space is a consideration? I like the sound of Flowmasters but the size is a small problem when you use the 50 series. I think the 40's maybe louder than I want.

I bought some round stainless ones with stainless baffles at louisville a few years ago for my coupe. They guy had em for 120.00 I bought some cheap round glass packs for the roadster although i do have stainless pipes i cheaped out on the rest with the mufflers I really cant tell you where i got em but it was in the main building. If your not going maybe someone could pick up a set for you.
Dave

[EMSjunkie]

I have a set of Smithys on one of my pick-ups. not a Flowmaster sound,   but still a nice tone


Vance

[C9]

Home built headers with 1 7/8" primaries and 3 1/2" collectors on a 32 roadster with 462" Buick engine.

Built a 2 1/4" system with a pair of Walkers long, straight Turbo-Mufflers.
The ones that look like a glasspack, but are full of dents for noise attenuation.

Then had to alter part of the exhaust pipes behind the collectors due to I forgot the 32 roadster floor pan hung down and didn't spot it until the painted body went on for the last time.
(I had the pipes tucked up under the car real nice too.)

The long Walker Turbo-Muffs were way loud, like a straight pipe.
Took em off before I drove the car on the street.

Next up, a pair of the longest glasspack's I could find - the type you get at the muffler shop that have no ends and you weld em on.
Body length was 28".
They had a great sound for about two weeks then they got a little louder like glasspacks always do.
Still sounded great.

After a few months I pulled the 2 1/4" system, built a 2 1/2" system and installed a pair of Walker glasspack Turbo Mufflers (TM's).
They were great, sounded good, not too loud . . . unless you really nailed it.
(Running a big cam, dual quads and other stuff at the tme.)

Five or six years down the road I pulled the Walker glasspack Turbo Muffs and installed a pair of two-chamber Flowmasters.
They were pretty much the same size as the TM's, fit great, but were louder than I like.
Used to set off lots of car alarms in the parking garage and on the street when I idled by.
Also lit the down the street a few houses neighbors security light when I rolled by at 25 mph in our quiet neighborhood.

2-3 years of that and I installed an H-Pipe so as to attenuate some of the low frequency rumble.
It helped a lot, not so many car alarms went off and the car had a nicer tone, but it still sounded like a Flowmaster - which is ok, but I ain't wild about it.

Woulda used Hemi-Muffs if they would have fit.
My first preference actually, I like a quiet hot rod that performs well.

Last thing I did was to install a pair of megaphones on the short, ends just past the rear axle tailpipes in place of the straight chrome extensions.
Sounds nicer, but even noisier.

The cops don't bother me with the car cuz I'm a real good boy in town.
Lots of places to nail the big Buick without creating problems . . . noise or otherwise.


So that's the history of the roadster's exhaust.
I figure if I ever get busted for noise I'll pop a pair of SuperTrapp's mufflers on the tail end with minimum discs in place.
Or . . . make a pair of home-made mufflers inside a short piece of stainless and use em as a resonater at the back of the tailpipe.


Going forward a couple of years I got a new (2002) F150 SuperCrew pickup with 5.4 liter engine.
Great truck, tows well etc. no troubles so far.

Anyway, after about a year I stuck a true dual system on it and installed a pair of FlowMaster's three chamber mufflers.
Mileage improved to the tune of one mpg on the highway.
I kept pretty good track of the mleage and still do.

The sound from the three chambers is just great, reminiscent of mufflers - both steelpack and glasspack - from back in the day.
Nice tone, not loud and they don't drone inside the cab like my pal's Dodge 4-door pickup with Hemi and big single exhaust running a single short Flowmaster.
The Dodge's droning on the highway gets old after a while.

If I could fit a pair of three chambers under the 32 I would.

It's not about the noise, it's about the music....

[Mikej]

Flowmaster makes a Hushpower II, I think that was their name, its not quite round but close.

[Mikej]

Flowmaster makes a Hushpower II, I think that was their name, its not quite round but close.

Just thought I would add their web site:http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/mufflers.html

[kb426]

C9, I'd like to use the Flowmaster 50 series which is 3 chamber. I'm still measuring and thinking hoping to find a way to put them in. Flowmaster mufflers are very sensitive to tailpipe size in relation to sound volume. I'm tempted to try the 40 series delta flow  with a 2.5: inlet and put 2" tailpipes to quiet it down. I'm like you in the statement you made about the end result. Good sound, little volume. Has anyone tried the reduced tailpipe deal? Dave, what did the stainless mufflers you had sound like?

[C9]

I didn't have stainless mufflers.
Regular mild steel with paint or zinc plating.

You may have a little more room at the front of the muffler where the crossmembers are than I did.

My frame is a Deuce Factory with 1 1/2" x .120 wall round tubing crossmembers and they've been moved 3" back over where they would be set for an SBC.
(I had Carl Fjastad set his jig for SBC 1" to the rear - after some measuring and figuring on the 455 Buick and T-400.
The engine/trans fit fine, good firewall clearance etc. then I decided to run a mechanical fan so I cut out the Deuce factory crossmembers, built an identical setup and moved it 2" to the rear.  Lotta work, but it's really been worth it considering the roadster gets driven in very hot weather.  109 degrees F being a personal best although I did back it out of the garage once when it was 111 degrees . . . and then drive it right back in....)

Anyway, that little trick made it difficult to fit most mufflers, the round glasspacks being an exception.
Nice part about glasspacks is that they come in a lot of lengths so you ought to be able to find one that sounds good and is fairly quiet.
They were the internal combustion music-maker of the day.
Along with steelpacks.

If you do go the glasspack route, make sure the inner tube really is as large as your system.
Not much use to build a 2 1/2" system and stick 1 3/4" mufflers on it.

I've gone so far as to think about making my own mufflers, but right now would rather buy some.
I'm making a lot of stuff for my 31 on 32 rails roadster and it's taking a while - which is ok, it's a hobby and I have the 32 to drive, which is a lotta fun.

A friend of mine made a coffin shaped muffler at his muffler shop and when I moved from Sunny California to Arizona he had a semi-production line going.
Nice muffs they wee, heavy duty etc., but way too loud.
Even so, a few changes, some added length etc. would get you where you want to go.

[enjenjo]

I've used these  http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=FLO%2D12518400&N=700+4294923429+4294922711+400238+4294922710+115&autoview=sku

I like the sound, and they are compact.

[donsrods]

I have a set of stainless mufflers on my '27 that I put on about 17 years ago,and when I rebuild the car I will probably reuse them.  They still look pretty much like the day I put them on.  I got them from these guys:


www.stainless-specialties.com/products2a.htm


The had several sound qualities to choose from, and I went in the middle.  I liked it , but people kept telling me it was too quiet for a hot rod.

[Dave]

As I said earlier mine are or were  stainless with stainless baffles and they were 120 bucks and that was for 2. I think you can still get em for that but you have to go to the nats and look.. Looking at other mufflers thats a hell of a deal for 2
Dave

[Crosley.In.AZ]

from what I read here the 20 dollar turbo muffler is not used much in todays world?

[C9]

from what I read here the 20 dollar turbo muffler is not used much in todays world?

True from what I see.

Look for the Turbo Muff that's glass-packed.
Nice muffler, good sound, reasonable in price.

I got mine at Summit, but a quick perusal of their site didn't show them.
The catalog probably does.
Walker made them and you may be able to get them at NAPA if Summit or Jeg's doesn't carry them.

A lot of folks don't realize there is a glass packed, compact - about the same size as the two chamber FlowMassters - Turbo Muff out there.

Maybe they didn't sell well.
A lot of the younger generation seems to prefer noise over music....

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I am not a fan of noise.

Some of these cars today just plain and simple sound like crap..   and I am not just talking about the fart can equipped  imports.

When I was much younger , my cars were too noisy too. police stopped me a few times for noise on bikes and cars

I am sure the fact that my hearing is damaged does affect my opinion too.  At times I struggle to have a conversation with people and the back ground noise comes in loud and clear

[enjenjo]

I have the $20 turbos on my car, they have lasted 17 years so far. I like the sound of them too. I am not a big fan of glass pacs, I don't like the crackle.