Mufflers

[Grbmaverickmo]

Ok so whats a good sounding muffler behind a fe? I was lookin at smittys 2.5 inch, length will depend on what I can fit under it. I have 2 inch with cherry bombs at the moment and it sounds cool. Please no flowmasters I really dont like how they sound inside or outside the car. What are you guys running? The car will have full exhaust out the back. As allways thanks for the help

[fe66comet]

Don't ask me I hate glass packs they sound like a weed Wacker LOL sorry just my take.

[turbohunter]

Interesting how folks perceive sound.
To me glass packs are the quintessential FE sound.
I don't like the way Flowmasters or all the tin can mufflers sound.
To each his own.
That's what makes it fun.
For me it's 26 inch glasspacks so they are quite at idle then roar when you stomp.
But it's all good.

[DEANs427]

Hooker max-flow = sweet music with a stout FE

[fe66comet]

I like magna flow rounds personally. They have a mellow tone at lower rpm but seriously open up at higher rpm. Borla is a good choice also. I am planning to drive my car and I like to be able to tone things down some at times. My plan is full exhaust to the rear with header dumps after my H pipe so I do not torture myself all the time.

[fastback 427]

I like the hooker Max flow. Sound good and flow better. Got a set of magnaflow on a 390 1/2 ton I picked up yesterday and they sound good to. I don't like glass packs on stock engines because they sound like "cowboy" pipes, but on my 12 to 1 fe engines the glass packs sound amazing. Everyone says my fairlane is the best sounding car they ever heard, has 18" glass packs.

[cjshaker]

I'll give a big thumbs up to the Borlas also. Specifically the Pro XS mufflers, or the slightly louder XR1s. I have Borla Ataks on my '09 GT and the Pro XS on my 427 Mach 1. I really like them both, but the Pros sound great with a healthy big block.

If you like the sound of glasspacks, you'll love those I think. They use a long woven stainless mesh instead of fiberglass packing, so they won't blow out over time. They flow better than almost any muffler out there, sound like a muffled open header design, don't drone (like Flowmasters are notorious for), sound mellow at idle, but open up under throttle without getting that annoying raspy sound typical single pass through glasspacks get when under wide open throttle. The Pros use a split flow pipe inside the muffler, much like the Edelbrock Split Flows I bought years ago for my truck (but are no longer made I believe). The XR1s are a single pass through so they are a little louder.

Magnaflows are very popular and sound nice, but the Borlas sound a little better in my opinion. I like an aggressive sound, but can't handle drone.....it drives me insane. Size of pipe, X or H pipe...or lack of, length of tailpipe etc all affect the sound, but the basic sound is still the same.

Here's a few clips of the Borla Pro XS mufflers.
First two are a big block Mopar (but with no long tailpipes, so a little louder than typical)....
http://youtu.be/WdAv3O_JUYs?t=15s
http://youtu.be/yCCYTEzRrpo?t=27s

This one is a small block Mustang, but you can hear what a mellower setup sounds like taking off....
http://youtu.be/bU19A60K_Zo?t=1m47s

3rd is a healthy stroker smallblock Mustang, again with no visible tailpipes so a little louder....
http://youtu.be/1zUocGD0-VI

Only drawback, they aren't the cheapest. But all stainless construction, lifetime warranty and USA made are big pluses.

There are tons of videos of Magnaflows. I like being the odd guy out

For the heck of it, here's a clip of the similar Edelbrock Split Flows on my truck. But headers and smaller 2 1/4" exhaust with about 6 months on the mufflers (so they have blown out quite a bit) make it a little on the raspy side. Still no drone though, and they've been on for almost 20 years now. Don't have a clip of  the Mach 1.

[Drew Pojedinec]

My weed whacker:
http://s68.photobucket.com/user/DeepRootsNursery/media/MVI_0183_zps0f0b06ea.mp4.html

[Bad Byrd]

Exhaust note is very subjective, Me.................I have NEVER hears a car with glasspacks that sounded good. Personally the FE engine has one of the worst exhaust notes of any of the Big Blocks IMHO! I will be doing my own rendition of an exhaust system that more then likely you have never heard.

I will be running a set of Nascar boom tubes right in front of the rear tire with Dr Gas Built in muffler system, Will it sound good..................Yeah I have never heard an FE I liked so I am not banking on it! One thing is for sure though My system will have an X pipe! This has helped with exhaust note in every car I have ever owned or built in the last 15 yrs. Best thing I can suggest no matter what muffler you run!

This is one of the best sounding FE cars I have ever heard!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ2oGNGPrw0

[GJCAT427]

I made a set of mufflers and pipes all out of 304 stainless. My mufflers are 24" long and I went as far as to get sst wool pads to stuff them with. The inlet/outlet size is 2.5 as are the pipes. I made the internal pipe with dozens of 5/16 holes drilled in them, then cut the pipe in half and tigged a cap plate with a 1/2" bleeder hole in it. Tigged the pipe back together and inserted it into the case pipe stuffed with the sst wool and capped both ends. The mufflers are mounted under  the back of the cab on my 56 F100. When I fire it up(427 med riser) it purrs like a kitten. going down the road it has a very low rumble and isn`t objectional in the cab. People tell me it sounds awsume  and really sounds great when I get on it. I built this about 20 yrs ago and it still sounds and looks good todate.

[fe66comet]

Nothing sounds like open 2 1/2 primary headers I say, you come out throwing flames!!!!!

[machoneman]

Hey, what's with the anti-Flowmaster diatribe!   

Have had good luck with the standard and 40 series on both Mustangs. Frankly, almost any chosen muffler may drone on a particular vehicle. So many variables affect the sound level and unpleasantness to the ear that blanket statements about how 'good' one make is over another is foolish IMHO.

Try this trick: run any make of muffler hooked as close to the collectors or front pipes but do not add any pipe out the back or sides (think of it as the now ancient Thrush-Roadrunner header mufflers that bolted directly to the header collector).  Then drive it around. Then add the pipes out the side/back that you desire and try it again. Huge difference, eh?   

Lots of different Flowmasters as well, each with a different application and sound. But, put any make of a true race muffler on a street car, with or without pipes out the back, and you will get an earful!

http://www.dragzine.com/tech-stories/exhaust/sound-comparison-of-five-of-flowmaster%E2%80%99s-popular-series-of-performance-mufflers/

[cjshaker]

I made a set of mufflers and pipes all out of 304 stainless.

First time I've ever heard of somebody making their own muffler. That's cool.

Personally the FE engine has one of the worst exhaust notes of any of the Big Blocks IMHO!
..Yeah I have never heard an FE I liked so I am not banking on it...

We must be listening to different FEs then

[fe66comet]

Compression and cam has a lot to do with sound.

[bluef100fe]

3 inch x-pipe into hooker maxflows and then a set of dynomax race bullets all mandrel bent 3 inch straight out the back of my truck. Still plenty loud for the street with the rowdy 390 but so far the cops have left me alone. I installed cut outs after the x pipe if i wanna make noise at the track.  I like this setup the most so far and I've tried a half dozen different configurations over the years... Really like the sound of the x pipe.

[Bad Byrd]

 

Personally the FE engine has one of the worst exhaust notes of any of the Big Blocks IMHO!
..Yeah I have never heard an FE I liked so I am not banking on it...

We must be listening to different FEs then
[/quote]

Ohhhhh I am sure we are, but I have heard a lot of them, from full blown race to Street driven hopped up motors to the average Dog 390 in a truck with glass Packs. Like I said it s all subjective and whats music to my ears isnt music to someone elses.

I will say 99% of all old school car dont have that refined exhaust note I like, its just a sound that I prefer and the older generation car guy tends to like a more raw sound. When I built the wifes 32 I had 5 different Mufflers installed on that car till I found the right exhaust note.............Started with Flowmaster 40 series............sounded good OK wasnt what I was looking for, Next up was Magnaflows.............Hated them with a passion, Followed my Flowmaster hushpowers..........Awful, Hooker Aero chambers................CLOSE I mean CLOSE but something was off.

And Finally figured it out, been running them for yrs on the Lightning, The 03 Cobra but never even considered them on the Roadster and the hands down winner was Bassani.

A Bassani muffler with an X pipe is the best sounding muffler for me hands down! They just sound Pissed off! There is no room in the Bad Byrd project for this type of Muffler, so I am hoping the DR Gas Boom tube will suffice!

[fastback 427]

Sounds to me like you and the fe have something in common....... crappy exhaust note. jmho

[Bad Byrd]

Could be!

[fe66comet]

I don't think I have the room in my Comet. I thought of going with a X pipe for better scavenging but the car is short. If I did go with the X pipe driveshaft clearance is another issue along with clearing the X braces I need to install to hold things together, just no room for all that.

[Bad Byrd]

I don't think I have the room in my Comet. I thought of going with a X pipe for better scavenging but the car is short. If I did go with the X pipe driveshaft clearance is another issue along with clearing the X braces I need to install to hold things together, just no room for all that.

That is always the problem with any cross over pipe Pipe situation, i assure you a really good exhaust guy could figure it out!

[Wreckless Warren]

Here is two exhaust sounds of my 445 with a comp 294s solid flat tappet cam, .605 lift with 248* duration intake & exhaust.

Here is open headers before installation in the car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9ii1I0Q-A8

This is the same engine in the car with FPA Shorty headers into a 3" H-pipe with 3" two chamber FlowMasters. They feed into 2 1/2" pipes over the axle and out the back with 3" Meg's tips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aj4g12Lc1M

It's loud, just the way I like it.  The bigger the cam in an appropriately dressed FE the better it sounds.

ww

[fe66comet]

I thought of running an a pipe through my frame cross braces and making flanges to go around. Thing is the pipe is the same size as the rail in front of the rear tires forward. If it hangs below that it will be a good bump stop LOL. If I had my way I would have the D627 Doug's going into a 3" X pipe with electric dumps in front of the rear tires. In the rear two borla long case mufflers out the rear. I could make it happen but I am not even close yet. Still doing the engine and trans and gathering chassis parts.

[Heo]

Sometimes when i built exhaust on low
cars. I have used four smaler pipes and
four muffler for added ground clerance.
And with 16/33-15 tires the rearaxle is
so high up from the ground so you can
ran the pipes under it

[Heo]

This Chevelle had full lenght exhaust system
four 2 1/4 pipes four appleracing muflers
full tube chassie lowest part of the car was
rockerpanels

[Heo]

In this pic you can se how low it realy was
I built the chassie for the White dart in front
also

[Grbmaverickmo]

So no body running the smithys ? I have run x pipes on my small blocks with a dynamax ulta flow sounded real good. And I allways liked super turbos on my 351w f100. Just never had a FE and I`m trying to keep a 60/70`s era sounding muffler on the 54. It will have the FPA shorties and 2.5 all the way out the back. Not gona X pipe it though maybe a H-pipe. Keep the input coming though it helps alot

[Heo]

60-70s sound??Then its the hush trush with the
Woodpecker on  
On my Galaxie i run two  -70s Mercedes Diesel
end mufflers quiet inside the car and nice bark
when you step on the gas

[cjshaker]

Here is two exhaust sounds of my 445 with a comp 294s solid flat tappet cam, .605 lift with 248* duration intake & exhaust.
ww

I like the open headers best

This Chevelle had full lenght exhaust system
four 2 1/4 pipes four appleracing muflers
full tube chassie lowest part of the car was
rockerpanels

I really liked the Apple Racing mufflers, but it was very difficult for me here in the US to get ahold of them. When I finally did, they had sold the company so I was right back to square one. I gave up at that point.

[fe66comet]

I suppose if you went to a Ford show and swap meet you more then likely could get a sampling of every kind of exhaust behind a FE imaginable. And a real good deal on some goodies too.

[Heo]

Yes Dough  they was said to flow more than
a straight pice of tube. I almost had forgot about
them.
I used a lot of them back in the 90s
I see  Appleracing is  still around

[drdano]

I've got 2.5" Porter steel-packs on my wagon and I do like the sound.  With the x-pipe I'm running, it does sound a tad more modern than I'd like, but they sound decent. 

[fe66comet]

Never used apple but about everything else. Even stainless eventually fails after so long behind a set of headers and a high compression engine. A lot of heat ends up trapped in the case and they just cook.

[Bad Byrd]

This is what true race mufflers are for, Shoenfield, Burns stainless etc. What one perceives as high compression either does not know what high compression is or the car that has it isnt driven all the time and heat isnt as big of an issue as one might think!

I realize there are times when a muffler is bolted directly to a header, but on a street car this is bad exhaust engineering...............and one should actually inquire someone smarter then them to build a proper exhaust system to stop them from making that mistake to begin with. JMHO!

[fe66comet]

WOW I am glad I have you to call me stupid LOL I have been building street, dirt and drag cars since the mid 70s with my fathers sprint car. Funny thing I seem to get real numbers that others do not think possible. I guess this is a case of mistaken identity you mistook me as some one who cares for your opinion.

[Bad Byrd]

LOL

Sorry you took that as me calling you stupid, I dont have your yrs of experience that part i wont argue...........I only go back 25 yrs. here is what I do know.............there are all kinds of bad engineered race cars out there, and there are many high dollar, high end race cars with millions of dollars backing them. If you really want the low down on how to build something I would start there.

I learn things all the time, no matter what experience level I have, and I try never to spend my money on R&D when that trial and error has already been done!

So please dont take offense to my words via key board they are not meant for disrespect but more for enlightening ones eyes. I dont claim to know all, but what I do know is I dont want you or anyone here to have to hear about how I have been building cars and bikes for 25 yrs and I get more out of my stuff then anyone could imagine...................probably isnt real relevant.

Example is I have seen a guy get 225 HP out of a Yugo.................I dont about you but that didnt impress me all that much i mean it was a Yugo!

[mlcraven]

Ah, muffler threads...always end up with people's choices being called into question, harsh words and hurt feelings.  T'was ever thus.   

I guess this isn't the place to say that, as a someone early-on raised on the old Thrush glasspaks, for the last 20 years I've been a happy Flowmaster customer. 

But then again, as others have said previously, it's an extremely subjective topic.

I do LOVE the sound of the FE.

[cjshaker]

What one perceives as high compression either does not know what high compression is or the car that has it isnt driven all the time....

...............and one should actually inquire someone smarter then them to build a proper exhaust system to stop them from making that mistake to begin with. JMHO!

Hey now....play nice
I've been around cars since I was born, helping my Dad work on them since I could walk. 47 years in all. But no matter my "level" of experience, there is always something to be gained or appreciated from other peoples experiences. And there are a lot of guys here who have been doing this for longer than I've been alive. I try to appreciate everyones opinion, and they're all different. That's whats so cool about cars, you build them the way YOU want, not what somebody else says it should be. I'm usually outside the norm. It's just my nature.

Ah, muffler threads...always end up with people's choices being called into question, harsh words and hurt feelings.  T'was ever thus.   

I guess this isn't the place to say that, as a someone early-on raised on the old Thrush glasspaks, for the last 20 years I've been a happy Flowmaster customer. 

But then again, as others have said previously, it's an extremely subjective topic.

I do LOVE the sound of the FE.

Exhaust choice is definitely subjective. But I have never heard an FE I didn't like
That's why I like the YouTube videos. Great for listening to different combinations and deciding what you like for yourself. They are an excellent helpmate in deciding for yourself.

I also like the old glasspack sound, as well as Flowmaster (and they're about as different as you can get). My Flowmaster 40s that I've had for the last 10 years sounded good to me, but in my case they droned pretty badly. Some systems don't. My pipes stop at the rear axle though and that made it much worse.

But I still say, without a doubt, that the best sounding systems are open headers

[fe66comet]

I am out not worth it got better things to do like work on my car TTYL.

[jayb]

Exhaust choice is definitely subjective. But I have never heard an FE I didn't like

Gotta agree.  As someone who currently owns a strong MOD motor (5.4L, 600+ HP in my Ford GT), and a plethora of bigger, more powerful FEs, there is no comparison.  The FEs just sound a whole lot better.  I guess it just depends on what you like...

[Heo]

I remember there was some muflers you replaced the
collectors with in the early 90s
a friend had a couple home with him from USA
They were some prototypes but they where
sceduled for production  soon after
But i havent Heard of them after that

[plovett]

I wish you guys could hear my 428 at 7000 rpm with 2" Crites headers, 3-1/2" collectors, 3-1/2" x-pipe, 3-1/2" Dynomax Bullets, and 3-1/2" turndowns.    Sounds like a crack is opening up in the Earth and the world is ending.  Makes me smile every time.   

paulie

[67 Fastback]

Love the sound of a strong Fe listening to the exhaust pulses and walking past feeling the pulses . Custom headers 3inch stainless with X pipe 4 custom stainless mufflers straight through with stainless wool packing . Best sounding car I have heard lately is the gold 427 67 mustang with Holman Moody signage on it .

[Bad Byrd]

Exhaust choice is definitely subjective. But I have never heard an FE I didn't like

Gotta agree.  As someone who currently owns a strong MOD motor (5.4L, 600+ HP in my Ford GT), and a plethora of bigger, more powerful FEs, there is no comparison.  The FEs just sound a whole lot better.  I guess it just depends on what you like...

This was my reason for the "Subjective statement" I would take a finely tuned Cammed Mod motor exhaust note all day long over any FE motor. That refined high pitch sound of the exhaust mixed with a blower whine or a Turbo just screams overall performance!

Now I do appreciate that old school Rump on a old school car as well, but just like that old school car comes old school overall performance. I guess I am just more of a technology guy then a old school carbed big inch high compression strait line thumper type of guy. But the good thing is I do like them all, I just like that 1000 HP street car that I can drive to work every day if I choose too, that will go around a corner well, brake well as well as accelerate well!

When I was deciding the direction of the Bad Byrd I was so torn between keeping the car old school with a FE or slamming my Stroked DOHC blower motor in there.........................I still wonder if I made the right decision! I have 800 HP just sitting there, and 450 to 500 with the FE..........makes you wonder.

[Drew Pojedinec]

This was my reason for the "Subjective statement" I would take a finely tuned Cammed Mod motor exhaust note all day long over any FE motor.

When I was deciding the direction of the Bad Byrd I was so torn between keeping the car old school with a FE or slamming my Stroked DOHC blower motor in there.........................I still wonder if I made the right decision! I have 800 HP just sitting there, and 450 to 500 with the FE..........makes you wonder.

Only makes me wonder why you are here.

[Grbmaverickmo]

Wow I really didn`t think this would open a can off worms I am sorry. But a good friendly agree to disagree and opinions are ok as long as not forced onto others. I was hoping for some names of different mufflers people tried or are running. As for the old motor to new motor sounds thats apples to oranges in my opinion. I`m just looking for FE related choices that have been used on older builds. Heres one my decently built 347 in one of my Mavs I used dynateck split flows 2.5,h-pipe and dumped at the rear sounded awesome to me but others didnt like it. So back to point any body use diff companies mufflers? Thanks Chris

[fastback 427]

I have a set of the walker 24090 glass packs on my fairlane. They are mounted on the end of the pipe before the rear end. I love how the car sounds. I think they are 30 bucks each.

[bn69stang]

I have a set of terminator s , 2.5 inch all the way out back from the fpa s with an h-pipe , i think they sound healthy at idle and have a bark when you hit the go pedal .. Bud  I  have flowmasters on my 07 shelby   BUT.... i never compare the two , two different engines and era s  ......