GLASSPACKS, the anti-Flowmaster: which flow/sound better

I put a muffler from a 1999 Dodge Caravan on my straight six and it is great!

a. it flows like straight pipe.
b. it looks like a small glass pack and is aluminized for great longevity.
c. keep in mind that these Caravans have a catalytic converter with
a small mufller downstream from it. The muffler adjusts the tone
and that's about it, there's really not much to it.
d. At idle it has a really nice low note, crack the throttle and it
sounds like a glass pack, floor it and it sounds like wide open
headers. At cruising it is a really deep tone.
e. Available at all muffler shops and normally guaranteed for as long
as you own your car, mine cost me $31.00 installed!

 

A healthy engine will sound great with any kind of mufflers.

I have 30" long 2.5" Cherry Bombs with turndowns on the wagon. Deep and mellow, no cackle at all. Quiet for most driving but they do tend to yell on the highway (3.73s and no overdrive)

 

Smitthy's on my '40, I get asked about them a lot.

 

when i get duals i might go with cherry bomb or smithy. haven't decided yet.

 

There is hardly anything more subjective than how a hot rod is supposed to sound. With that in mind, a few remarks:

I've run glasspacks on a couple of my cars, one for over 20 years. They tend to get a little louder as the filler decays, but usually have a nice tone.

Went to turbo mufflers on my coupe when the glasspacks got too loud. Substantial improvement in noise level, and still a good tone. Work better when the pipes go all the way to the bumper (less resonance).

Have Flowmasters on my roadster currently. They go well with the new motor that is substantially rowdier (too-big cam, pot-metal heads, headers) than its predecessor. Loud enough to set off car alarms while idling through a parking garage (OK, I admit that it entertains me, a lot even), pretty racy sound when you smack the throttle, but very nice (not loud at all) at cruise. A good balance overall.

You are doing the right thing by soliciting opinions, but the only one that really counts is yours. Copying is sort of frowned upon in school, but on this deal it might be just what you want to do. Good luck.

 

I always run cherry bombs cause I'm a cheap bastard, and because I like the way the sound actually gets better with age.

 

I build my own I Call them Ugly Basterds Sounds Grate and I'm not like every body else. I make them out of SS

 

i managed a muffler shop and sold umteen million of them.hated then and still hate them now.i put flowmasters on everything.

 

thank you.

 

If my car sounded like that someone would have to force me to shut it off. It looks like I'm going to have to get a set of Brockman's.

 

got to love the original cherry bombs had flows on my car but sound like every ohter car so i had an old set of cherry bombs from the mid 80's and put them on

 

I'm not crazy about Flow Masters. They seem to be the muffler of choice for the loud=fast crowd. They make just about anything sound like a truck, not my thing. I like Cherry Bombs myself but the sweetest thing you'll ever hear is a well tuned flathead singing thtough a set of Smitties.

 

Anybody ever hear of PORTER Mufflers? A friend of mine just put a set on his car and they sound bitchin. Apparently they were big back in the day 50's and 60's etc. in Cali etc. They have been brought back and are now being made back east. They are worth a look and sound like i am sure cherry bombs etc. Maybe a little louder!

 

Flowmasters behind my built 302. Nasty nasty nasty. Chicks dig it. So do I.

 

Been runnin' 26" Smithy's for years. I really dig the throaty sound on acceleration.
Michael

 

Depends, the Flowmasters on my 454 powered 60 El Co sound just mean on acceleration, but decelerating witht he Smithy's in my 50 Ford with a flathead is just too cool.

 

I like good Thrush tubes, or good ole red Cherry Bombs. Especially after they get broke in, with a nice cam in front. Burn the guts out of em...I dont like the long ones though, I dont want that cackle sound. Cackle is cool on some rides, just not mine. I like some cheap turbos as well. They are pretty quiet, till you hammer on it...My exhaust stops right in front of rear end, and mufflers at that end as well...

 

Who knew?...we must've gone to the same school...

 

Nothing beats Flowmaster mufflers on a 5.0 Mustang, but on my 64 Impala's 283 glasspacks sure sounded great

 

2 inch diameter duals and 18 inch blue streak glass packs on my 65 skylark daily. no cross-over tube, dumping out just past the rear bumper. sounds good. like a mid sixties hot street custom should sound. now if I could just work on the "hot" part.....

 

I like Flowtech Red Hots. They are cheap and loud. Like some women I've know

 

Dual flow 40's, Y pipe split to my straight pipes down the sides....the 40's sound loud and low for cruising, can pull the caps off my pipes when I really want to be heard! Best of both worlds for my 316.

 

Damn, you people have got me confused on what to run. I had my mind made up on cherrybombs but now I'm not sure. I have a sbc with a mild cam (I know who doesn't?) And I want a radical sound and let off rattle. Cherrybombs?

 

Curious as to what the brockmans look like,i just have the plain steel ones the the muffler shop gave me they dont have any markings but sound really good to me.2.5 inchers 24 long my pipes go all the way out.they have a great sound i have had more compliments on the way it sounds now that i have gotten rid of the flowmasters.

 

Two words, straight pipes!

 

I got cherrybombs on my 49' flathead sounds real good. What really got me thinkin was when I bought a Chevy c-10 with a blown engine. I put another small block mildly built and I used the exhaust that was on the truck they were glass packs. It would really come on strong above 2500 RPM. I had new exhaust installed with flowmasters ,power came on from idle to 6000, that impressed me. I could swear it freed up a couple ponies. But sound for sound thats your choice.

 

Started with ram horns and long Smithys on my 40. It sounded good but thought the combo might be killing performance, and to me thats what hot rodding is about. 331 cid Chevy, 2x4 with Nostalgia 30/30 cam. Ran mid to high 16s at the 07 Hamb Drags. Now Im running fenderwell headers, 2 1/2 pipe all the way back with Flowmasters. Made 1 run at the drags last year before tearing up the Muncie, turned a 14.67. quite a differance with just an exhaust change.

 

I'd choose glasspacks over Flowmasters. My 64 Impala has 18" Blue Streaks, and sounds great. I've got 18" Cherry Bombs on my 55 pickup, and it sounds ok. They both have small blocks, a stock 350 in the 64 and a 327 with a mild cam in the truck. The Blue Streaks sound a lot better. I know I'm sacrificing a little power, compared to Flowmasters, but Flows resonate too damn much. JMO.

 

I know one thing, if I see and hear glasspacks, I can safely assume the car is pretty slow.

I'm not sure what I'm gonna put on my Merc but it currently sounds pretty blatty and sh*tty. So I'm gonna probably do some quieter flows since the car is not gonna be a speed machine but I like the tuned sound of some mufflers over others.

On fast cars I've used Dynomax bullets, Dynomax Ultraflow welded muffers, Magnaflow straight-thru mufflers, and Borla XR1's.

 

well? which one do /did you like best?