Smithys Glasspacks, who runs 'em?

Anybody run Smithys gl***packs? I'm looking for a loud, deep tone for my '56 Dodge. I'd like to do an H-pipe or X-pipe with the Smithys and dumps, either before the rear axle or exiting out each side in front of the tire. OR, I'd like to have it look like an old NASCAR exhaust but I'm having trouble finding pics of mid 50's race cars and their exhaust setup. I'm thinking they had both pipes exit out one side...but I'd like to duplicate the style and position of the pipes...and still keep the gl***packs tucked underneath the car. What other options do I have?

 

I run them. 331 caddy v8.

They are deep and do sound nice. but if your definition of loud is anything like mine......smithy's isn't what you want.

maybe if you dumped some water down there or oil or what not and blew them out they'd be louder. Get the shortest ones you can and run them close to the headers and you could get some volume/rasp.

downsize the pipes...tricks like that.

If you run them strait up they are not loud. I like mine.

 

I was told if you use the inlet as the exit & the exit as the inlet they'll make a more raspy sound. That is what i did but i dont no if its true. Oh yeah they are loud!!!!

No_Respect

Loud Pipes Save Lives

 

apparently flipping them makes a difference. I wish I could get a video or sound bite or something. Be interested to see the difference.

mine aren't loud at all. My daily driver is louder.

but my definition of loud is different than some. I'm thinking anything under like 100-105dbs is quite.

Mine are probably around 90.

 

Well they don't have to be ear splitting, but I want them to be slightly obnoxious... I was gonna get the short ones...I think they're 24 or 22 inches long. And probably run 2 and 1/4 inch pipe. I try to get them as close to the header as possible. I think they're sound perfect if I don't go over the rear axle. Thanks for the info.

 

I'll try to test them both ways before I weld them up. Never thought about flippin them though...but I'll try, what the hell.

 

i run smithys and smithys ONLY...... KILLER sound... put em as close to motor as possible

 

If obnoxious is what your after then I suggest dump tubes. This way you can adjust your level of loud.

 

Not that it's the same, but here's what they sound like on my flathead six, just for grins... Both 2" pipes run all the way back on one side, with crossover close to the headers.

http://www.andersonarc.com/jeep/rev2.mov

Pete

 

If you want loud, cheapie cherry bombs from your local auto parts store will do the trick.

 

I'm gonna run the Smithys....I want loud, but more importantly, I want the correct sound. The car has to sound right...and I don't think cherry bombs are gonna give me what I want. I like the reception the Smithys get so I think I'll go with them and use the tips from you guys...real close to the motor and dumps right before the rear axle. I haven't determined my exit location, but it'll either have turndowns and dump under the car or come out the side in front of the rear tires...maybe one on each side, or two on one side. Thanks for the input though.

 

I put a set of old gl***packs on my '59 I found hangin' around my barn. Sounded OK but was way too quiet. I would strongly suggest exhaust dumps. I put 'em on my car and now its loud as hell-or back to quiet (of course I havent had the caps on once yet)
-Dean

 

Where would I put these cut-outs? I don't really wanna run open headers so I wonder if I could put the cut-outs directly after the gl***packs. So it'll go basically headers, gl***packs and cut-outs and then maybe 8 feet of pipe. I wanna run the exhaust through the gl***packs all the time, but I'd be able to byp*** about 8 feet of pipe with the cut-outs. That might be what I'm lookin for...

 

Personally I run Brockman Mellow Tones, I think they sound much better, and they are available with gl*** packing, steel pack, or NO pack. Also you can get them in a variety of lengths, to suit your choice of engine better.
And I think you are trying to do too many things with your exhaust. First of all, an X or H pipe is used in hi-perf cars, trying to extract the maximum HP out of them. You're not going to do that with Smitty's, they make more sound than horsepower! It would also radically change the sound of them...smooth them out so much thye won't even sound like Smittys'. Don't do it. Also, Nascar style dumps on a car that is trying for a fifties trad sound? Stick with hooked up lakers, just plain duals, or dump tubes, for authenticity.

 

i have an exhaust shop. every pair if smittys ive put on a car i ended up taking back off. they do not sound period correct according to the people that used them back in the day. they must be made different now. they are very very quiet unless you have a serious motor, the ones that say cherrybomb are the best sounding, they have a perferated inner tube., the other cheapies have a louvered inner tube and sound like ****!!!

 

The cut outs will not have any effect after the gl*** packs. The great thing about them is that the noise is not permanant. Just cap them when you want less noise. I am putting them on my roadster. Its a flat motor so it would not be as loud as your car. If you want to see what it would be like when you are setting up your exhaust start the car before you put the gl*** packs on. I think you will like it!

 

A 1/34 or 2" pipe raps better than the big ones...early NASCAR cars just ran the pipes out of each side of the car ahaead of the rear wheels...nothin' fancy.

 

i wish i could run smithys with my 454 but they just dotn make them big enough!

 

i have one on my buick....in my opinion it's almost too quiet. i'm in the market to change out to cherry bombs.

_T

 

Got Smithy's (or a reasonable facimile there of) on the wife's 300. They're loud that's for sure, but the big block puts a lot of volume through them.


the only thing I don't like about them is the diameter, my personal preferance is a large diameter exhaust, but for cl***ic sound its gotta be Smithy's or Hollywoods for sure.

 

Smithys=****TYS.....never again!!!

I had a 3 1/2 cutout on my T-head Mercer..... Used it to blow Malayasian kids OFF THE ROAD!!!!! Hmmmm CUTOUT GOOD!!!

And you get better gas mileage!!!!

 

I have the smallest Cherry Bombs they make on my 52 Olds 303. I like 'em. They're loud when you accelerate a little hard and then quiet down when you're just at cruisin speed. Cheap is a good point as well.

 

I've got the shortest Smitty's close to front on my 39 Mercury- They are very quiet indeed- Because the car is an ol' timey custom, I don;t mind the mellow tone.

On my 29 Roadster I have Blue Streaks (gl*** packs like Cherry Bombs)- Way, way louder, throaty, etc.

Depends on what yor looking for....

 

You're probably right...I think I'm overcomplicating my exhaust options. I know I wanna have them come out the sides ahead of the rear tires...and maybe I'll just do duals without any crossover. It sounds to me like the Smithys today are a little quieter than what they used to be...maybe I'll buy one Smithys and one cherry bomb and run that...

 

actually Smithys are "steel" packs, not "gl***" packs, they take alot longer to break in, but when they do, they sound excelent.

 

nope!!! you have a choice when you order them the steelpacks arent much louder..

 

Dave and Mark are right. The smithy's with a 24" case is still a big muffler and will quiet you down big time. But what are you looking to do? What engine are you running? What are the specs on your motor?
Want horsepower? Smithy's are the wrong choice, and in my book, they don't sound great.
I run with a set of Cherry bombs, with 2.5" pipes (I'm not gonna choke my big block with small pipes), and I chopped the 30" case down to a 12" case. Nice mellow rumble at idle and nice tone when I'm going down the road. When I put the hammer down, that rumble turns to a ROAR.
Dump tubs are gay unless you're running a built motor. Little is dumber than making a huge racket and going nowhere. That's no different than the non v-tec/automatic Honda with a fart can.

Remember...
-small pipes rapp and crackle, which is period, but hurts power.
-the further foward the mufflers are, the louder and rappier it will be.
-an H/X pipe will help build power, but will destroy any rap in the tone (think of the whoosh of a 5.0 stang)
-wide open exhaust will greatly hurt low end power, which ****s if you have a street engine.
-having an absurdly loud car is cool, but screaming at your p***engers is not cool.

 

What are mufflers? All I ever hear is that the bearings in the mufflers give out all the time, so I just don't run any mufflers and avoid the problem of the dreaded muffler bearings.



Seriously, on my daily driver 60 El Camino with small V-8, I have 2-inch dual exhaust, no mufflers, and tailpipes out the back. Sounds great and is not too loud. Has a nice rap to it when you let off the gas or get on it. A crossover will take out some of the rapping. I am sure that all of the bends and turns the exhaust makes on the El Camino helps to break up the sound, but it really is not that loud and has not caused any trouble in my neighborhood, town or from the cops.

 

I got a 315 hemi...so I'm thinking 2 inch or 2 1/4 inch pipes would be good for it. I'm not really looking for any horsepower gains...just a period sounding exhaust that would be an improvement over the stock single exhaust. I'm thinking I'm gonna go with 2 1/4 inch pipes, with no crossover pipe, with the smithys as close to the motor as possible and then have them exit just ahead of the rear tires with a nice cut on the end to make them flush with the body. If they're too quiet...I could always cut them down like you said...but I'm gonna start with the 24 inchers. And if I don't like the Smithys I could always swap in a set of cherry bombs.

The motor is 9.25 to 1 compression, factory rated at 260 hp, and 330 lb/ft. So it's got the ummph to make some noise...and right now it's just exhaling through half of the original single exhaust pipe and is pretty loud.

I just don't wanna throw some Flowmasters or Dynomax mufflers on there...that's just not right for it.

 

I doubt this would apply to your situation, but in case someone is looking for the same thing I was: I'm running 30" Smiffy's located just under the front seats of my 52 Chevy, with pipes out the back. It's WAY quieter than most of yall would like, but I get a lot less complaints from the neighbors when I leave the house early in the morning every day. Mine have a good deep growl rather than a sharp rap... more Louie Armstrong than James Brown... but I really like the sound... and it don't sound like a durn Flowmaster setup! I think it's a good sound for a custom, but not punchy enough for a hot rod.

Back when I was running worn out Cherry Bombs, for a few weeks I just put some turn-downs right on the back of the mufflers. This put the exhaust exiting just in front of the rear axle. (The turn-downs pointed the exhaust away from the axle.) This was a LOUD setup. S'prised I didn't get the cops called on me.