I know this may strike some as odd, but I want the 351W to give off the same low rumble that the stock 239 Y-block would have. Right now there are no after market upgrades to the engine but I did put Headman headers on to clear the steering box. I have Flowmaster mufflers that were on the car but I cut them and all the exhaust pipes out. I plan on putting upgraded cams, lifters, valve springs, headers, and a dual quad carb setup on in the future. I have been told that to keep the original type of sound, I need a muffler with three baffles, but I have no clue what I'm looking for. If you have suggestions, or reasons why I'm crazy and this just won't work please let me know.
Best thing is to go on youtube and type in the names of several mufflers and crank it up to check out sounds there are a bunch of choices to blow you away.My 24" Cherry Bombs have a low rumble with a wicked bark when it's revved.
I've been listening to youtube clips trying to find a good sounding set-up for my 302... so far I think I've decided on 26" Porters. Gl***packs or steelpacks definitely seem to tame some of that snapping exhaust note that the SBFs seem to have with regular mufflers, and the Porters seem to sound the best to me. Of course they're also twice the price of other gl***packs.
I've just done all this as well since I want my 54 silent too. If you have the room go with Flowmaster 50 or 70 series SUV mufflers, go to the site & watch the video's. Pretty neat
I was using Cherry Bombs on my 55 when it had a Y block in it . I have used Cherry Bombs since they started out . I do like them but I also have a set of original Smithys to try out too . The very best muffler I loved the sound of but they don't make them anymore were the Thrush round gl*** packs from the early 70's . They had a great sound to them . At an idle they had a sweet rumble but when you stood on the gas peddle , they made a great sound ! They came in a small 12" or 14" up to 24" I think . I used the smallest I could get back in the day and stuck them on my headers and that was it ! The old purple Hornies are good too . Just remember the sound will change and be different depending on where you mount the muffler . Header mount mufflers are different sounding compared to mufflers that are mounted in the middle of the car or at the rear of the car . I think most "Gl*** pack" mufflers are made of steel today instead of fibergl*** which changes the sound . You can also take a cheap gl*** pack and cut the end off , pull the baffle out then wrap with fibergl*** and weld back up to get that old real "gl*** pack" sound again ! I also used a Corvair 3" in & 3" out muffler too . Then used drive shafts as tail pipes out the side of the car by the rear wheels . We welded the D/S to the mufflers . Those were very loud too when you stood on the gas peddle ! Just a few different ways to make your engine sound unique ! Jim
i like the dynomax super turbos, great for sleepers. but headers are louder then cast manifolds. i want porters for my 55 though.
I prefer the straight pipes!! But, I found a baffled muffler that looks like a gl*** pack, and is apx 13" long. i have used them behind a 305, 350, 259 stude, and a 302. Awsome sound, not too loud, but V8 for sure. My local exhaust shop stocks them,. My new favorite muffler!
Thanks for all the suggestions, and information on the different types. I will take a look at some of the you tube videos and see what you guys are talking about.
Back in the 60's and 70's my favorite on flatheads and Y-Blocks was the Walker Continentals it was a blue gl***pack,the Purple Hornies are still around and I sold a lot of those back in the day. I lot of us old timers are of the mind our years of Fords are gl*** pack cars,Flowmasters are a Muscle Car era thing but everybody has different tastes.
I actually had Flowmaster mufflers on it before I cut the exhaust off to fit the headers in. I'm not really sure what type they were but they are about 18" long and definitely say Flowmaster on them. The sound was good but I would like a different one. I took the you tube advice and I've narrowed it down to Smithy's or Porter's. One step closer is better than no clue at all. Thanks for the help.
Jim- You said that putting the muffler closer to the rear makes it sound different than other areas, does that mean it will make it more quite the farther from the header that it is? I'm sure it sounds like a stupid question because thinking about the physics of sound travel, it makes sense that it would sound less loud at the rear vs. the header, but I want to make sure.
Man, idk about you but i really love the sound of them porters. . . but that is just me. I highly recommend though
the longer the tail pipe after the muffler the quieter it will be. and the bends over the axle help too. thats why the fart pipe cars are so loud, no pipe after the muffler.
So I should mount the muffler closer to the header from what you are saying? I just want to make sure I understand what I'm reading. Sorry I'm always worried things will get screwed up since I am new at everything that I do.
yes, but actualy the best place to mount them is under the rear seat area for space under the car so they wont drag and hit the body and such. a good muffler shop will advise you of this too.
So basically keep them where the factory brackets are for the original exhaust. Now I know and knowing is half the battle. Well, according to G.I.Joe. I think the best half is winning the battle. So far, I'm winning.
Things that affect the tone , ford has a different firing order than chev, So same muffler can sound different. If you put an H pipe in your system it will tend to smooth it out,and increase your low end torque. The higher the compression the sharper the tone. ( big cams will lower your low end cylinder pressure) and tone. IE if you were looking for the low smooth tone you got out of your old 49 ford flathead. It only had 6.5 compression (if My old brain remembers correctly) and will be hard to dupilcate. I am putting a 351 W in my 54 Merc and am very interested in what you guys come up with. Thanks for all the information. Nial
well something to try, keep the 2 chamber flowmasters. i beleive thats what you got, and have the resonators put behinde them if you can find room. that would give a quieter flowmaster sound. the muffler shop here would temporarily hang some on and start it so you can see if its the sound you would like. it would deffinatly be diffrent. one thing i dont like about flowmaster is every body has them and that sound.
In the old days with Y blocks I used to put the " hollywood mufflers " as close as I could to the engine and loved the sound. My 56 with 351W doesen't sound too bad now, I think the mufflers are Torque Thrusts, but there is a set of gl*** packs going on it soon, gotta keep the neighbours entertained.
I'm closely following this conversation. It's muffler time for my 302 and I'm torn on which way to go as well. I don't want a car that's loud and unpleasant to drive, but I do want something more than total quiet.
Well, since you are watching this post, I may as well tell you what I've decided to do. I am taking Jim's advice and keeping the Flowmasters and I will put the resonators in the headers or behind the mufflers. Basically I decided I don't want to spend too much money on the exhaust right now. I do plan on getting the Porters later but at this point I'm more interested in getting the car moving down the road again.
Here's a bit of moldy nonsense from the grooveyard of forgotten lore: Modern mufflers = modern muscle car sound. Old time mufflers (gl***packs) = old time sounds. Sounds simple, but it works. Here's something nobody has mentioned yet: Run small diameter pipes (1 3/4" and 2") with the mufflers (24" gl*** packs preferably) in the stock location on the car. Use cast iron manifolds if you can, not headers unless you must. Use full over-the-axle tail pipes, but stop 'em 6 inches or so short of the bumper. Finish the system off with "echo can" tips (straight tips) that are about 1/2" larger diameter than the tail pipes and end about 1" short of the bumper. The echo cans amplify the deep tones of the engine without being any louder. Stopping them short of the bumper has the same effect...and it also keeps them from getting smashed against the bumper going in and out of driveways. Uploaded with ImageShack.us The Merc is going to get this treatment as is the Vicky, but here's the Buick as a running, driving example. The exhaust tone is fantastically old-school - especially with a mild cam (motor is a 350 Chevy). I know, I know... This runs against everything you've ever read in the go-fast magazines, but trust me, you'll like the tone of the exhaust AND you'll like the nice low-end torque that this system will give you. Trust me...
Actually I someone over the weekend told me the same thing about smaller diameter pipes keeping the tone that I want. The other information about keeping the pipes and tips behind the bumper is new to me, but it sounds reasonable. Thanks for bringing this information to the table.
The Jalopy Journal
