I've done a search and come up with so many conflicting stories, I'd like to ask something more specific to my application. I have a 401 Buick with a 4 spd that's going in a '49 Ford coupe. I want a nice burble at idle and an nice throaty sound when accelerating but I don't want the "blappity blap"..bing..bang.boom when I deccelerate or downshift that an 18" set of Smithy's or Brockmans would give me. So I don't want it to sound stock, but I don't want an "aggressive", loud muffler that's going to wake the neigborhood and get a annoying listening to on the highway for 2 hours. Question: What you guys running on a bigger cubic inch motor? Back in the day, supposedly the corvair turbo muffler were what everyone wanted. What is today's equivalent?
I have Dynomax Super turbo's on my A (see avatar, it's the 'before' pic). They sound as you describe you want. Easy enough to carry on a conversation below a shout at speed ('cruise'). No drone or resonance, from the exhaust, even before the sound deadening (using the home depot foil bubble wrap for now). No doubt about it when you're on it either. FWIW any muffler will give you the razberries if you set the carb rich enough at part throttle and let the throttle snap closed. Engine is a SBF stroked & bored to 331 CID, roller cam, RPM air gap W/ 600 4bbl (yeah, non trad I know, temporary till I can afford something cooler ) shorties and 2 1/2" pipe. Oh, the aluminum flywheel and compression help with the 'lope' sound at idle on mine.
Magnaflow mufflers offer a nice sound without the in car drone that loosens bolts and your brain. add either an X or H to the exhaust pipes and they will sound even better. But thats just what I like based on 32 years of doing muffler work.
Longer the gl***pack, smoother the sound. Had 30" packs with 2 1/2" inlet and outlet on my Byooik, sounded very nice, till I wanted straight pipes.
2 1/8? I never seen 2 1/8 exhaust tubing. standard american sizes are 1 1/2 , 1 3/4 , 2 , 2 1/4 , 2 1/2 , and 3 all measured outside .
24" or longer gl***pack is nice sounding. I have 18" and it is a little to raspy sounding. Gl***packs are also low budget.
49 Coupe also look at the long GOERLICH XLERATORS. They are slightly better flowing than some Magnaflows of similar configuration and they will give you the sound you are asking for. We did a lot of muffler testing over the years and I like Super turbos too but these will give you slightly more rumble without the resonation if you pick the longer length and larger case size. The X will also smooth out and get rid of some of that blabble and barking and farting you get from small pipes and short gl***packs (or some steelpacks). Tom
On a car like yours with the sound that i think you are going for I would run a set of 2 1/4" Smithy's in the 26 or 30" length (they don't make an 18" by the way). Jasonp - straight pipes would make more of that "blappity blap"..bing..bang.boom that he said he didn't want, so probably not a good recommendation for this guy
You can have Brockman make you some of their mufflers, any length you want. The longer it is, the less rappp, but still rumble!
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