Technical Mufflers and such

I’d like to get some opinions from you all. I’ve had a slew of hot rods and all but one nailhead was all flatheads. All of them had short straight pipes also. Anyway I’ve got this coupe now and bought some really *****en exhaust tips here on the HAMB so now I’m kinda gonna have to run the exhaust out the back. I’ve been on YouTube with the volume up of course and would like some input. Start with the motor. 283 with some double humps and L79 cam. Now let’s talk about exhaust and mufflers. I’m reading a 2”-2.25” exhaust is about what I need for the best performance. I’d bet that doesn’t matter much so my questions are . What’s the best sound for this little V8? I’ve been listening to everything from short to long cherry bombs to the small flomaster super 10’s. If I can say preference I don’t like ratty sounding exhaust but on the other hand I don’t want it quiet either. Any inputs would be appreciated and considered. Oh 5 spd transmission. Check out these ***s! I mean tips.
Thanks

 

Porters sounded great on my last flathead

 

14" steelpacks; either Porters or Brockmans.

 

my old coupe had 1 5/8 pipes with an insert to break up the sound. It sounded hot rod.
My rpu is a 283 4 deuce with a 5 speed. I'm doing 1 5/8 on that as well.

IMHO, when you get more than 2 inch pipe, it starts to sound muscle car

 

Well now that’s interesting to know. I appreciate that input.

 

1 5/8" is a good header primary tube size....
I prefer chambered mufflers on a hotrod. Nice rumble sound. 2 in pipes would probably work fine for a mild 283

 

Porters

 

I am glad the HAMB is finally getting around to a discussion regarding mufflers.

 

I am running Porters on my banger, on my Studebaker V8 and on my 300 cu in aluminum Buick V8. All sound great. All 2" in and 2" out.
Warren

 

I rarely see the Cherry Bomb steel packs mentioned here, but I’m real happy with them on my banger. Scallops installed facing the exhaust, if you wanted them probably a little louder you could install them the other way.

 

H.A.M.B. friendly is loud and ratty, for some. mild out to rear of car for others to enjoy good too. do you want to hear exhaust inside past insulation with windows up and radio on?

 

Me to...I'll start. Somehow improved performance has been equated to loud noise.I'd like to take a moment and share my opinion. It isn't.

I'm curious about the "best performance" part,. How do you define that? What exactly were you reading? Why is the word performance the criteria? Why not comfort? Or...driving pleasure? All around purpose? Listening pleasure? Driver friendly? But you want performance... The word attached to loud vibrating teeth rattling extra second gaining flat out high revving output free flowing hope to win races neighbor annoying noise makers.

You do have a choice you know, you can pick a different word. One that says, the rumble is real, the ride enjoyable, and if need be, all systems still go. That word is behaviours. What exhaust will when used on my car will allow it to exhibit it's best behaviours?

2.25 duals, balance tube, factory ovals and tail pipes with those ***y tips.

 

^^^^^^^^^^
It tickles your innards.

 

I've really enjoyed this exhaust system, it's loud, but not too loud, it's throaty, not ratty, it doesn't have that decel rap like gl*** packs do. It is a 283 with lakes headers with Speedway spiral baffles inserted and the tips turned out sideways. At any car show or rod run it's not the loudest and certainly not the quietest one there. I know the OP is not looking to use lakes pipes because he has those new tips he wants to use on the back, but a fella could insert the spiral baffles in a header collector then choke the pipes down to 2" and run them out to the rear. The sound wouldn't be the same, but it wouldn't be far off.

 

I prefer Brockman Mellowtones on all my Kustom builds. Just sounds authentic 50's hopped up. They can make them in different levels of loudness, by length of muffler, or what packing you use, fibergl***, steel, or nothing. But they are all going to be louder than stock!

 

that engine combo is very similar to my 39, 283 10 to 1 compression with an 097 cam. I run fenderwell headers and 2 inch straight pipes into little Kick Stand style lake pipes I made. It sounds great is really not loud and sounds like i'm making a lap at Riverside Raceway in 1963 when i wind it up to 6000 rpm. Id build the whole exhaust with straight pipes and if its too loud you can always put mufflers into a straight section later. I'll try and attach a video to this thread of it running later. or you can look on my instagram there are some on there from a while back @Jacobs_Hotrods

 

@wuga id love to hear that Stude!

but to the OP I would say the most “traditional” cars are running a porter for the deeper tone but still a good cackly hot rod noise.

I have smithys which are also very traditional but quieter.

on the cherry bomb type route if you go check out iron Traps you tube videos damn near every one of those cars are 1 3/4 ish pipes with a store brand/ super cheap/ cherry bomb 12” gl*** pack.

granted sound out of your phone or computer is never gonna get it exactly accurate but it gives you an idea.

a lot of the characteristics and tone come from the muffler but a fair amount comes from the size and design of the rest of the system as well.

based on your question and car id say you’d probably like the porters

 

That sounds great! That's what a traditional hot rod Chevy V8 is supposed to sound like. Love it!

 

Corvair turbo’s are my go to. Been using them a long time. Snowman ⛄️

 

Yet after 217 pages there will still be no consensus!

 

here is a vidoe of mine after the Kick Stand lakes were added.. no mufflers, just 2 inch pipes out of fender well headers.

 

Some of us are old grey *******s, I certainly am. In my youth I enjoyed loud, but I was raising a family and running a business so long trips in the toys didn't happen near enough. I'll go on record to say I could die happy if I never heard another ****in Flowmaster. When it comes to mufflers it's akin to someone with a speech impediment. Not to dis folks with such, just sayin. I've heard so many cars with gl*** packs it's hard to cypher what's under it. Well, unless it's a legit Thrush from the 60s-70s. NOTHING sounds like that, but I digress. I never understood why we'd pay over $100 for a name like Porter or Smitty just to say it when asked. Compression makes em all sound good. Nothing else helps, and putting such things on a stock motor sounds like you took your mom's car out and dropped the muffler for the night. At my age I want a clean sound. Sound alright, but an incessant drone for hundreds of miles gets old fast. Went fron Detroit to Indy n back in 85 with good ol turbo mufflers on a 70 Cuda with a 383 and purple shaft cam. It was take a chance at 70 (was still 55) or below 60 for comfort. I didn't learn. Had a 5.0, and yes, I put Flowmasters on it (used to like em) and the same ****. 65 or 80 MPH, otherwise the drone was maddening. I'd crank the CD with some White Zombie or Metallica to cancel it. Any gl***pack fed some compression will sound good. An equalizer or balance tube will smooth it out and remove the rat-a-tat-tat on decell (I didn't even like that in my youth). If I was doing this, I'd get some cheap Walker gl***packs (mine were $25 each but 6yrs ago) run em for a while and see if something better or more $$$ was worth doing. No, I haven't run mine yet, I know what it's gonna sound like with fresh stock flatty. Yes, leaving my heat risers open. Feel free to convince us that $300 shipped is worth spending on Porters, or $250 shipped for Smitthys. Seems speedy to me, especially when you can't really tell. After a lifetime of street and track racing, restoration and hot rods, I know exhaust sound is almost as important as stance. What do I think is the best sound? Magnaflows. Nice and pleasant performance tone cruising, almost obscene at WFO. Best of both worlds and they'll find a home under my GTO.
The OT rod I built has em. Nearly perfect. My opinions which are worth whatcha paid for em

 

In the early 70's I was a ****er for these kind of marketing ploys, hey, I was just a kid.
These were the ones that were deemed illegal (loud), people knew you were coming long before they saw you.



They still make them but they have been "neutered" considerably.

 

I try to explain to people what it feels like to have this Meniere's disease flair up that has had me sidelined since September. Your video (cool by the way) is what I see when I drive or ride in a car. No stabilizer at all, just bouncing.

As for car exhaust, I don't care for straight pipes. I have tried them and those horrible, chambered pipes that were options on 69 Camaros (barf). To each their own. I run 22" Smittys on my blown flathead and they sound nice, a little too loud as they burned in to be honest. I put 22" Porters behind the Desoto, it doesn't have much more than break-in miles on the clock, but they are already very loud! The Desoto is 10.5:1 so it barks. My 442 (11:1) has magnaflows that have been on there for over 20 years, they sound nice still to this day. I liked that so much I installed them on my 2020 Silverado (6.2L, 11.5:1 CR), Sounds mean pulling a trailer and my wife always knows when I get home! My dune buggy has flow-masters and sounds like an old, fat lady walking on a foggy pier, farting with every step...wearing tin can undies.

 

I’ve got 36” smithy’s on my 46 behind a sbc and they did get considerably louder as they aged but the tone is still good. Pretty quite at idle