I found some Cherry Bomb glasspacks for about $25 a piece. I have heard plenty about them... but how about Thrush. What have you guys used on your rides and do you like/dislike them? Spaz
Cherry Bombs are made of thicker material than the cheap Thrush glasspacks that rusted out in no time.
I put cherry bombs on my current build -- 2" straight in, straight out -- but they ain't straight in/out ! They'll work for me but be forewarned.....
ive put cherry bombs on almost eveything ive had. thay sound perfect to me. the only job i didnt use em on was a 65 cuda, i used dynomax turbos, with the inlet and outlet on the same end, like the AAR cudas had. the only reason i used em is so i could route the pipe out in front of the rear wheel like the AAR style, with good ground clearance.
Smithys. About $30 each. Have used 3 sets. Well built and long lasting. 2 inch in and out. If you need bigger you are running to new of a motor anyway.
I am running Cherry Bombs on my 55 Ford now and sound great . I also ran the Thrush back in the 1970's that were the little round ones and they were the best sounding muffler I have ever owned . I wish there were still making those . I also have a ald pair of Smithys that are new . I will be using them on another project . All this said there are many great mufflers out there . The best thing to do is listen to other hot rods and if you like what you here ask the owner what they run . They will give you their honest answer . The sound will also change if you run the close to the engine or the rear and if you run a cross pipe or not . All these things will change the sound also including cats ! I still like Cherry Bombs , well made ! RetroJim
I prefer my Brockman steel packs on my flatty and only cost around $60 a pair. I have heard the newer Smithys have had a problem with the cases rusting out early in their life. Jim
Ive got Smithys on my Y-Block with headers and small Smithys that dump out the side. Nice an mellow at a light but make some noise when you get into it.
I wish I could get some of the old Thrush metal mufflers. They weren't glasspacks and the sound was clearly different than anything else. I miss em.
Check this out .. our own Tuck has vid clips of his porters on his ranch. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=397876&highlight=porter&showall=1
My Cherry Bomb mufflers have a picture of the Thrush woodpercker on em, pretty sure they are one in the same. Carrie
Running Cherry bomb 26" duals from a 9:1 327... 2" pipes. I don't really like the sound... too high pitched. I had to use the long ones, unless I weld extentions to short ones to fill the gap between the front pipe and tailpipe. So, smithy's have a deeper tone?
Look at any glasspack to see how it is made. Cherry bombs and most generic glasspacks are made from 14 ga exhaust pipe that is swedged down on the ends. These are blanks that are sold to muffler shops that make their own ends for whatever comes in the shop. The bullet shape is the give away. Smittys and Thrush are made of much thinner steel so that the steel can be folded in a machine to make the seam down the center. The folded seam and rolled end bulk heads allow condensation to get between 2 layers of thinner steel like a fender brace on a Studebaker lark or 56 Ford front fender....plenty rust! I never formed an opinion on the sounds. I've installed an ass load of glasspacks for customers. Many were supplied by the customer to get "that sound". They all sounded like glass packs to me. Size of the pipe makes a difference and of course the engine being muffled is a big factor. People have preconceived ideas on sounds and swear that there is a difference. I just tried to please the customer which is always right unless he is an asshole. Everyday drivers have fewer issues with rust. The condensation evaporates if driven long enough. Engine warms up in the winter garage kill most collector car exhaust systems before their time. Others may disagree.
Well, from what I've heard I think I like the sound of Smithy's. They sound a bit more performance-oriented to me. Dan, if you're impatient you can check out some videos on YouTube. Sound quality might not be the best on some videos, but it should give you an idea.
After running 1 1/2 inch straight pipes on my 261 i put on a set of smithys... I wanna cut em out, cant even hear em.
Are most of you guys running straights or anyone with lake pipes? I dont know that it makes a difference- just with the straight you could have it anywhere along the pip but with lakes you would have to have it closer to the headers. I was thinking about running straights with some electric cutouts around the rear of the front fenders- what do you guys think of the cutouts vs just straight exhaust with the packs?
Heres a video of my Comet with a pair of Cherry Bombs. The exhaust is as old as the hills and needs to be replaced soon but it still sounds great. The pipe is an inch and half true dual exhaust.
yes it does. my 58 has high compression, big cam, ect, and it really booms at idle. 2.5in cherry bombs. my 72 gmc with a worn out stock 307 sounds very mellow and real quiet. 2in cherry bombs. the motor really is the biggest factor. big compression and cams will spice up the noise
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