Guys...like a few opinions here. I'm working on my T and the muffler inserts need repacking. Pulled an extension off to see how tough it would be to pull out the insert and I was shocked to see how tiny the muffler diameter actually is! Looking at the Speedway site it seems they are all just 1.9" inside dia!!! I'm running a 454 and it goes completely against anything I've ever heard to run pipes that small on an engine so big! I'm wondering how badly these small mufflers are affecting the engine performance or if it has any effect at all in normal driving? By rights I need to buy new header extensions with mufflers due to some rust in the chrome and by the time shipping etc is factored in the cost will be in the area of $250.00+. I have a set of new 2.5" turbos "in stock" that I could run under the car and just make some pipes from mandrel bent sections to connect them up for a lot less than that...but I do like the look of the extensions. I also wonder how the sound would compare between the two...
Thanks! Interesting stuff in post 1 and when combined with the tests in link 2 seem to suggest the inserts I have are way too small as I expected. Not that the car will be raced etc but the inserts closest comparison is to a 2-1/4" gl***pack tip that flows 133 cfm. Thats well below a basic Turbo muffler at an average of 250 cfm. The 1.9" insets the sprints have are a good bit smaller! Thats like breathing thru a straw. Well...in this case farting I guess...but its still pretty restrictive! loL
Turbos are kind of yucky sounding Here's another good one I think and how I found out I didn't like turbos. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=747599&highlight=exhaust+scientists I did wind up using the purple horney and the turbos on my honey's 3.8 GP. That does sound pretty good for what it is.
That last thread was really interesting! Man...you aren't afraid to experiment are ya!?!? Awesome stuff! I ran basic 2" tube back to turbos in front of the axle with turndowns on a previous project. Decent small block...balance tube around the T pan area, all coming from a set of Rams horns. Had a lot of good comments on that...especially from a friend who lived near the road to my house. He could tell me exactly what time I p***ed his house each night and said it was one of the best sounding cars that ever p***ed by. Unfortunately...I have no idea why! LoL Sure like to duplicate it!
Anybody else have any hands on experience with these things...as in...took them off and the car ran better or just sounded better...or it made no difference at all? This video shows a similar Hot Rod using underbody exhaust and it sounds pretty good...but no idea what the exhaust specs are or the type mufflers etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyk-oVj-fzE
I have 3.5" collectors and extension side pipes on my roadster and I like the Spiral Turbo baffles from these folks, a little pricey, but IMO, you get what you pay for. http://www.spiralturbobaffles.com/testimonials.html I think there's still a video with sound from mine online, I'll see if I can find it and if so I'll post it. Found the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YB404ILJZY&feature=youtube_gdata
That sounds pretty good Dave! Very interesting way of making things somewhat quiet and you can cap the center tube if you want it even quieter. Very tempting to try to make something like that myself with a couple more baffles...looks do-able. Wouldn't be MORE work than fabbing an underbody setup! You're really putting ideas in my mind! LoL
Just did a quick search ...jegs sells an auger style inserts for around $20... don't know about you , but that's hardly worth getting out the tools... dave
Just searched them on the net and found that Speedway sells them for around $15.00! At either price well worth ordering 4 and giving them a try. Thanks for the heads up. One thing worries me in that the comments on the Speedway site suggest they are more for legality in race cl***es where mufflers are required and are actually a bit louder than gl***packs in normal use. Perhaps two per side will trim sound levels back a touch. Pretty sure I have room but could always cut them down to fit. One of the next interesting things will be coaxing the old insert out of the extension! LoL
Take a chunk of 2x12 , lay it on the floor , hold ext. vertical , inlet side down & smack that board , usually it takes a few shots to get 'em out. Thing to consider about the augers is how will you secure these in the extensions ?? I've also heard they're pretty loud / raspy !!!?? dave
I'll give that a try. Worst case will be to run a length of all thread thru the insert and use a plate and nut on either end. The one at the inlet bridging across the extension. Tighten that one and the insert should come out. I'd figure a couple of tabs/welded on nuts on the auger and a couple of small bolts up thru the bottom or inner side of the extension and they should be fine. No rattles either.
I ran the speedway augers, although they sound good at high rpm they were more restrictive than the gl*** insert inside a gl*** pack. I actually cut gl*** packs open on my Henry J and removed the chambered pipe and gl*** material and welded in the auger. With the auger in there all the paint burned off the casing which wasn't the case while running the gl*** pack stuff inside. When I removed the augers on my t-bucket I cut a 22 inch long gl*** pack in half and **** welded it to my 3 1/2 inch pipes. First video is of the augers and second is those gl*** packs. http://youtu.be/aL0xnTbLOtk http://youtu.be/vBX9TBKSCD8 .
STS has changed their web site and the view of the actual spiral baffle isn't easily seen in the pics. But it isn't a continuous spiral "auger" like the ones from Jeg & Speedway appear to be. the vanes are interupted and at different angles along the length. They are also patented in their design. The other type may be more restrictive than the ones from STS due to the differences in design. I don't think they are the same.
I'll check out "Car Chemistry" Thanks! Dug out two "Cherry Bombs" I had tucked away and the core is exactly the same size as the pipe...2" on one and 2 1/4" on the other. The louvers on the CB's are facing into the fibergl*** batt while the louvers on the inserts are facing into the exhaust...farther reducing flow! Unfortunately both the CB's are made from 3 1/2" tube so won't simply fit into the header extension. Could cut them I suppose... Pretty obvious that the backpressure will drop quite a bit but I'm not sure if they would be even louder than what I have now...what with the louvers facing into the batt. My "peace" is already being disturbed enough!! LoL
Louvers open and catching exhaust flow quiets and mellows the note. Louvers closed and exhaust flowing over them spirals the flow and increased rap and abrasiveness. To me it makes a "zipper" type sound that I don't like much.
Yup...thats what I'm afraid of. Cousin had a Chevy van with gl*** packs (no idea what brand) and it wasn't even close to a good sound...not to my ear anyway. My bucket didn't have a great sound but I blame that on the 'gl*** batting going away. I'd just repack if it wasn't for the tiny pipe size. All this stuff gets pretty complicated when you only have 26" of fully exposed exhaust to deal with! An underbody setup will be complicated by the battery location but I guess that can be moved if need be. Thankfully I have a bit of time to explore my options.
I had those headers on my T Bucket for a while. Actually went through 2 sets. IMO, it's not a very good exhaust system to begin with. It's a show thing. Therefore, I never really expected any real performance gains from them or the baffles. With my lake headers, which are even lower on the performance chart, I took the short version of Speedways baffle, cut an end off, removed the fibergl*** and inserted it into the cone. I like the look of the headers and the sound is good. But that's all they are is a show piece. For even good performance from an exhaust system, I think you'd need to go with a full exhaust system, but where's the fun in that.
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