The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Getting the best sound out of my exaust system...

I want a nice sound from my exaust on my 305 V6. I dont want that blatty obnoxious sound that everyone has, I want mellow, but I want it to have a nice deep growling sound too. What do you guys suggest? I also need it affordable, not that i'm cheap or anything, I just dont want to spend $700 on a muffler.

Have you heard 26 inch Smithy's? At first I thought mine were too mellow but now they are finally starting to sound like I wanted. No real heavy rap.

Have the muffler shop guy add a cross-over pipe to connect the dual exhaust just behind the transmission......that will help get you the sound your after.

Keep us posted on your outcome. I have a 302 straight six, that will have fentons and duel exhaust. I just started looking and the smitty's look great, and apparently sound great as well. I just wish they made them in stainless.

One of my customers has a Hyster H-200E forkift that is powered by a 305E V-6.It is running 2 walker straight through 2-1/2 inch industrial mufflers.It also is running the larger 401,432,478 V-6.. 2-3/4" V-band clamp type exhaust manifolds.It sounds great,almost as good as the Toro-Flow in the 1970 HG7500 oil delivery truck I drove in the 1980's.

I had a local muffler shop install two 30inch steel pack mufflers with 2" aluminized steel pipes to my 235 with original Fenton headers, last December.
$400 including mufflers - pretty good for So-CA.
The steel packs have spiral pattern louvers which helps reducing back pressure.
I got the 2" pipe ends at a 45% angle facing down.
The sound is warm and mellow with a nice boomy bottom end.
They are quiet at warm-up and idle, but start to growl at medium to higher rpm.
Somebody told me that steel packs take longer to break in than glass packs, but are louder in the end.
It seems like they got more brittle sounding after a few hundred miles.
Right now it sounds alright going 70 on the freeway. Not loud or annoying at all on longer trips.
I like it best around 45-50, but I am looking forward if they are gettin' louder... :p
I just love the idea of an AD flying down the road, sounding like a giant bumble bee... :rolleyes:

Guys,

While we're on the subject of dual exhaust and such, I'd like to get a few recommendations from you.

I want to run duals on my 292 (bored .060 over), but I want a heavy but relatively mild sound. Very much like the new Mustang GT. I actually would like the exhaust to be such that the engine would sound like a mildly built small block. I'm thinking that an aluminized system with Flowmasters and 2" exhaust running all the way back would achieve this. Off the head I'll be running long Dynomax tube headers. I think the primaries are 1 3/4" and the collectors are 2 1/2". Any recommendations you can give would be much appreciated.

-ftyler

I like flowmasters, they'll make anything sound mean. However, when flowmasters are used on small engines, the exhaust note goes from throaty to snappy when the engine is revved past 3 grand. Ive noticed this when flows are used with V-6s.

chiphead,

The 292 at .060 over is actually of larger displacement than the new Mustang GTs (at 4.6L). So maybe that can help keep the low "throaty" sound I'm looking for.

Maybe I'm looking for something that's not possible. I'm desiring a small block sound from an I6. Think it's possible? Above 3k?

You are right, your six is almost 5 litres. But overall engine design has a lot to do with exhaust note. The size of the explosion, the volume of exhaust gases, the frequency of resonation in the pipes due to firing order & exhaust event timing (6 fires every 120 deg, V8 fires every 90 deg of crank rotation), header choice, exhaust port design, camshaft profile, etc. Not sure if flowmaster makes a muffler for smaller than 2 1/4" pipe, you'll have to look. There are a bunch of different mufflers, pipe sizes and routing options that will affect the sound.

Maybe next week I'll try to share what little I know when its not friday night and Im trying to get away from my work computer.

good luck

chip

I've got a '68 Impala, with a 307 and dual exhaust with turbo mufflers. I love the way it sounds. They have a little deeper tone than some glass packs and a nice rumble at 70 mph.