o.k fellas' it's time for a new exaust system for the wagon.so i been thinkin' not to run mufflers at all..besides the sound..will it harm the engine???you know with a lack of back pressure and all that..i've had many 'a' dual gl*** pack system in my years,and tried a bunch of different makes of "packs" but never have been happy with the over all sound,,and no flowbasterds aint an option,,[i dont have a mullet] lemme know the pro's and con's thanks .....craig
I know a few people that have proven it can burn an exhaust valve, but I'm no expert. I would at least run some pipe down a little ways. race cars with open headers run header extensions for this reason.
Pro, it'll be really loud. Con, it'll be really loud. It won't hurt the motor, as long as you run a few feet of pipe.
I have heard the burning of the valve thing, but why does this happen? what is the real explination for it?
I hooked up with a guy this past summer who was running a built flat head in his '32 3 window, with straight 2" pipe out the back.. Being a flathead, it wasn't all that loud at idle, but man did it crackle when he hit the go pedal!!! We all went on a cruise and i heard his car over mine, and he was 3 cars up from me! The car was the red oxide "Hop Up" 3 window with the numbers on the doors. I can honestly say it was one of the best sounding 'rods i've ever heard. An overheads gonna be louder i'm sure, but it'll prolly sound killer! I'd say run open, only because i know i wont.. Rat..
I've got straight 1 3/4" pipes on the flattie in my pickup. It's no louder than some of the trucks that run around here with the bazooka tube exhaust tips. I like it alot!!!
The reason you would burn valves is because of the increased efficiency of the exhaust without mufflers. You'll be scavenging the exhaust so well that the engine will pull in extra air, thereby leaning out. IF you fatten up the carb to suit, it wont be an issue at all. If you run straight pipe all the way out the back it wouldn't even be an issue, although the lack of backpressure will hurt your lowend torque and fuel economy a little bit.
I run straight pipes all they way out the back. 40k miles in 3 years and counting. I love the sound and I have never been hasled by the cops. My pipes are my tunes no radio and no problems. I like it. ...Danny
2 firends of mine run flatties with just pipes out the back& it sounds great. I think the "burnt valve" theory is about 90% urban legend I alwys heard that even Zoomies give you enough backpressure. I'm running short exhaust pipes with just cheapo straight thru gl*** packs & i don't ahve any trouble, been 5 yrs, 24,000 miles!! JimV
Forgot to mention this, but when I first built my car i drove it with just block hugger headers for about 3 week, with nothin else, just up to the collector.I didn't ahve the pipes done yet,everytime i saw a cop i would just idle past em!!
[ QUOTE ] I hooked up with a guy this past summer who was running a built flat head in his '32 3 window, with straight 2" pipe out the back.. Being a flathead, it wasn't all that loud at idle, but man did it crackle when he hit the go pedal!!! We all went on a cruise and i heard his car over mine, and he was 3 cars up from me! The car was the red oxide "Hop Up" 3 window with the numbers on the doors. I can honestly say it was one of the best sounding 'rods i've ever heard. An overheads gonna be louder i'm sure, but it'll prolly sound killer! I'd say run open, only because i know i wont.. Rat.. [/ QUOTE ] Here is a picture of that 32 three window. I took this at York in 2001. It belongs to Ken Schmidt from Ballston Spa NY. You're right about the sound this thig makes. It has an Isky 400jr. He has driven it to the LA Roadster show and to Bonniville. No burned valves either. He is currently building a 32 roadster to race at Bonniville in 05. He'll be driving it to the LA Roadster show this June. It'll have straight pipes as well. One correction: the tail pipes are 1 3/4 inch.
I ran headers with 24" tubes bolted to the collectors on an old Malibu with no mufflers. I drove it like that for a LONG time and never got a ticket or hurt the engine. I don't think you'd burn the valves with even an open set of full length headers...but you'll be more than safe with a full set of pipes. My car had a rib-rattling rumble at an idle, but it just SCREAMED at wide open throttle! Getting onto a freeway was a blast....it sounded like Junior Johnson leaving pit road at Daytona....gave me chills every time!!
[ QUOTE ] Pro, it'll be really loud. Con, it'll be really loud. It won't hurt the motor, as long as you run a few feet of pipe. [/ QUOTE ]Loud depends on several things. Higher performance engines are louder. Higher rpms are louder. I've been running straight pipes on my 59 Ford 292 for years and on my 39 Ford pickup sbc 350. I have pipes all the way to the bumper. Yes they are louder than the Toyota that my visitor drives. I never hear his car drive up. But my pipes are not LOUD like open headers. Both of my Fords will not attract attention when driven normally (like yer mother would drive) I am extremely disappointed that my 39 is not very loud. I cant even hear my pipes when I'm driving.
I street-drove the Rocky 33 with 6 foot straight pipes on the flathead and never even got a sideways glance from "Da man"... But when I'd lay into it [or "shower down" on it, like the old-timers say] it'd really cackle.
One tip... Go down to radio shack an grab a decible meter... Set it up so its below 87 decibles inside the car and you dont screw up your ears! Just a thought...
SO I THINK MY CHOICE IS CLEAR THEN.....no mufflers it is..my nieghbours are gonna love me even more...thanks guys even if its too loud i can toss some packs in there anytime...
the pipes on my Y-block had a sharp edge on the sound, so I took a smaller diameter pipe about 6" long and made 'baffles' and put them in the very end at the bumper. they are extremely minimal, but they soften the sound, more of a b*** sound now. I met a guy who was complaining that his truck wouldnt p*** inspection. (cat. converters) I suggested he get some cat. converters, split them, gut them, bolt them over the pipes, get inspection, take'em off, save'em for next year.
I've been running my SS454 PU for years without mufflers. Its still got the cat converter but from there back just two straight pipes. Sounds good and I don't have mufflers burning out. BTW the reason the racers put extensions on their headers is not to keep from burning the valves. It's a method of tuning the torque using the exhaust. On some of our old automatic drag cars we would put a long extension on the collector, make some hard runs, watch where the paint blistered on the collector, and cut off the collector at the point of the heavy burn. Just an old stock/super stock tuning aid. Frank
AV8Paul, Thats the one alright!! Here's a shot on at my friends place before we went cruisin' For some reason i thought it had 2"on it..oh well Thanks for the correction. Rat..
[ QUOTE ] I've been running my SS454 PU for years without mufflers. Its still got the cat converter but from there back just two straight pipes. Sounds good and I don't have mufflers burning out. BTW the reason the racers put extensions on their headers is not to keep from burning the valves. It's a method of tuning the torque using the exhaust. On some of our old automatic drag cars we would put a long extension on the collector, make some hard runs, watch where the paint blistered on the collector, and cut off the collector at the point of the heavy burn. Just an old stock/super stock tuning aid. Frank [/ QUOTE ] Right you are, Frankie...we always called 'em "torque tubes"...but in this forum that term may tend to cause some confusion with a driveline part!!
I did the exhaust on my 56 buick (stock 322) with 2" EMT conduit from home depot with no mufflers. It sounded like a tractor at idle but sounded cool at higher RPMs and it only cost me $21
I will second what Rocky said about the 33. It had a killer sound! When you just cruised down the road, it was not obnoxious, when you stepped on the LOUD pedal, it cackled like a 70 year old lounge singer smokin 2 packs a day!
The sound and noise level have alot to do with diameter. My 6 open through 2" dumps was quieter than my friend's 6 with split pipes at the manifold, 2" to the back seat and 1.5" to the bumper. At idle you couldn't have a conversation behind that car! It rapped like nothing I've ever heard, too. Made my 2" pipe full dual system with 12" packs sound like granny's car.. But then my friend's 1.5" straight piped 235 is louder than me at idle, but quieter during acceleration!
my buddy runs straight pipes back to Bellflower tips on his 61 lesabre with a 401. sounds cool at idle, sounds crazy when hammered.
Give it a try Poncho! I think I would leave space for some kind of mufflers, you know what the Langley cops can be like!
the baffles are interesting, how do you make and mount them exactly? not sure from reading there. just kinda figure an option might be needed if headers into lakes pipes is too loud.
manyolcar, you are right I ran the same exhaust on my merc Holy **** that thing is loud! The engine is a hopped up small journal 327 with some poop. I dont want to but I will put on some gl*** packs. The kids in the nieghborhood love it straight piped...Danny
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