The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts LOUD mufflers

i have a 53 3100 with a 57 235 and i want to make the loudest sound i possibly can, what kind of mufflers should i buy, I already have headers

You answered your own question, read it again.

Did you say something about mufflers?
I didn't think so...

whats the likely hood that i will be pulled over if i just have headers and no mufflers

Pretty high, depends on just how loud it is & how bored the police are.

You say mufflers, do you have a split exhaust?
I like the way flow masters sound on a V8, but haven't heard one on a stovebolt.

I took a "Cherry Bomb" sort of muffler off my truck when I bought it. It was pretty loud.

Off course open headers will do the job just fine. I had 72 SS Chevelle that I drove across town with open headers to get the exhaust put on professionally a number of years ago.

I think i might have suffered some hearing loss from the experience.

I had an ordinary original looking muffler on my 52 1 ton. My exhaust pipe rusted and broke off, I had a new exhaust system put on with a similar looking muffler. The new muffler was much quieter, and I did not think the old one was loud. I would not go back to the loud one after having the quiet one, it's nice to be able to have a conversation while driving.

best sounding muffler I ever ran on a six was a "Hush" Thrush..... don't let the Hush name fool you, as it had that wonderful low tone with a serious burble...
Michael

I have split exhaust

I have a '56 235, Fenton cast iron headers. I had 2-20" cherry bombs and was streetable if I didn't get 'on it'. This fall I put on an 'X' pipe after the headers, before the bombs and although it quieted everything down I perceive MORE power. Not the answer to your question (Grigg already answered it) but and this is a big BUT... this Spring I'm going to try the 'X' and NO mufflers.

I'm going to guess that I could get some of the 'rap' back. I think also key here is the effect of stereo on our ears. If you place the speakers (tailpipes together running out the back) you get a singular sound. You place the pipes on either side of the rear of the truck, IMHO, markedly different. My truck has pipes on either side running out the back, optimum separation. I'm hoping I can have the best of both worlds...good, reasonable sound, more power.

I'm kinda with Grigg on this one. I used to think the best sound on an old six was no muffler at all. As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate a quieter ride. I think an original style muffler gives an original type sound....which, in my opinion, is what they're supposed to have.

Quiet was the was the reason I changed mine out. When I first put a new muffler and exhaust extension on it and then tuned the rocker arms, my truck purred like a kitten. It was kind of neat being able to stand next to it and hear just a whisper of a sound.

Of course, that's how I like, if you like it loud then a straight pipe off the header would do it.

Muffler? I don't need no stinking muffler!

With twins off headers run them back just in front of the rear end and turn them down and out and pretend you're sixteen again.

When I still had my '65, it had shorty headers into 2.5" pipes with a set of turbo mufflers. Similar in construction to the Thrush "hush" ones. At idle you could barely hear it, driving around it had a very deep mellow tone, but when I got into it everyone knew it.
Still a big fan of Magnaflow products. Good tone, higher volume but not obnoxiously so. Just an oversized glass pack for the most part, but much better sounding.

then again, there's always the option of running cutouts,...

I am 16 and quiet trucks are no fun I want to scare little old ladies

I agree with this opinion, it has been many years since I ran these, but they were great. I would guess that they don't make them anymore.

John

i am much older and i scare people who scare little old ladies. go with the quieter mufflers and keep your money for stuff other than fines and court costs. besides, it's much more fun when people are not really sure what you have under the hood. a good running 6 can make a suprising amount of power. head down to the local drag strip and put it to those v-8 guys once in awhile. i saw a dodge omni beat the snot out of a corvette a few years back.. the vette guy wasn't doing any braggin', and left with his tail between his legs. i thought that was pretty kool.

The '50 GMC 1 ton pickup, I just purchased has a 261 6 cyl., with Fenton Headers, & glasspacks(don't know the brand). It has a very nice sound to it. I have Clifford Headers, & glasspacks, on my 235 6 cyl. equipted '51 1/2 ton also. It also has a very nice sound.

My coe w/248 only has about 4' of exhaust pipe on it. Its only loud when your within 10' straight behind it and its still not loud enough to worry about. Ill eventually put a muffler on it. Those I6s dont make noise compared to a V8.

im in that boat

I'm running straights on my 350..and how sweet they are....but back in my younger days when a 6cyl was all I could get my hands on I ran splits with a Smitty glass pak. Even one Smitty had a nice tone and as they burn out they get a little louder. I bought two new smittys for my 37 but just can't bring myself to put them on..even after 2 years.

Short straight pipes are the loudest, but it's mostly noise and no tone.

Original 50s Smithy's had metal shavings for packing.
The new repros have glass fiber that doesn't burn or melt, like 60s glasspacks did.
Forget any of the new glasspacks - they just sound like plastic toys.

Brockman Mellowtone steelpack mufflers give the closest to open pipe sound without the noise.

I run 17" shorter ones on my daily 235, exiting just before the rear wheels with turn downs.

On my current coupe/261 project I will use the same length muffler and also add cut-outs behind the front wheels.

The 12" version is used for muffler rapping contest, as it's the loudest you can get with a 'muffler'.

I'm 37 going on 16 and have had the experience you are looking for just last week. To get the loudest thing on the road you are half way home with the headers you have already. As Grigg says "no mufflers", just straight pipes, 2". I ran duals back to the headboard then brought them together into a 2-1/2" pipe. Then ran that into a 4" stack. The stack is important because, 1) it amplifies the sound, and 2) it gets the sound up off the ground a ways so that ALL can hear. And trust me they will hear you way before they see you.

I got away with it for about 2 months and this is what the cop told me last week when he pulled me over: "That is the LOUDEST thing I have ever heard." I didn't argue.

So to tone it down a bit I put two glass packs on it. It's much quieter, but still has a nice little rap. Have fun.

Steel pack mufflers = loud with good tone, if you can find them. I think Brockman is out of business. Their web site is gone.

Straight pipes = very loud with pretty good tone and rap.

I have been running Douglass Steel Packs from the 50's for about 25 years on my truck. They are real burned out and sound better than anything I've ever heard! I love em!

Joe

Why not have the best of both worlds?

Rig up an exhaust cut-out so you can show off the "open headers" sound but still be able to switch over and run through a nice quiet (and legal) muffler system...

That way you can scare anybody you want AND keep the cops happy!

Short open pipes gives the best sound I heard coming from my 235.
They are just too loud and noisy even in my small town with nice cops.
They also don't have good low-torque for city traffic.

They are great though at higher rpm on the freeway, allowing the engine to noticeably breath better.

So for me, cut-outs (maybe with echo cans) and 17" steelpacks for my current 261 project.
I have to say though, I couldn't care less about scaring or impressing others. :rolleyes:
I just like how it feels and sounds to my ears.
Kind a like loud but good tube guitar amps.

My '54 GMC 248 has fentons, 2" pipes and turbo mufflers. It has a nice tone, but not loud at all. I had a '53 with 235 with Fentons and 2" pipes with 18" Porter steel pack mufflers, it was LOUD.

Watch out for the little old ladies. Sometimes you can get burned. Weeds

A number of years ago I had a Harley. I decided to put drag pipes (straight pipes) on it. The shop guys said I was a fool due to loosing so much power. It was cool, as I could shoot flames out the ends!!

My question is, is there any engine damage that a person can incur due to the lack of back pressure on the valves? Or, I guess, any other types of engine damage?

There is a minimum length of exhaust pipe, any shorter and it is bad for the engine. I forget what the rule of thumb is, but something like a foot or so, and for a lawnmower engine about 4" or 5".

No.... sadly the "Hush" Thrush's are long gone.... the last ones I've seen were about a dozen I ended up with from an old Western Auto store I bought out of their old stock parts in the late 80's. Yes.. i have a few left.... NO! I'm not letting any go..lol......keeping them for my own use..

Remember the "sound" of a Boss street rod from the late 50's to late 60's?? Well if it wasn't running a set of Lake pipes... you can be sure it had a set of Thrushes.... as there is/was Nothing else that could create that wonderful "sound"....