The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Straight pipes, glass packs, mufflers for 250 ???

Time is approaching fast to set up my exhaust system and I can use some advise from those with the knowledge.

I am running a 250 motor in my 1951 1/2 ton truck. I got split stovebolt headers....and I am so confused with the rest of the exhaust.

I know I want two outlets and I want to daily drive my truck. I don't want to wake up the neighborhood when I come home at midnight. I heard that straight pipes can and will eventually blow out my engine and are too noisy. I have heard glass packs are a beeter option to quite the noise down but the result will be the same, a blown motor...safest bet is to go with mufflers...but haven't really seen that many trucks with one, so I am thinking that might not be the right answer either....then the whole debate of one glass pack vs. two is just out of my leauge....HELP!!!

I've never heard of glaspacs ruining engines and they sound good. I run a pair of glaspacs on my '56 and it sounds great to me.

I would do Flowmasters or 12" glasspacs. I have a 55 235 in my 53 3600 with fentons and 18" cherrybombs and it sounds great, almost like an old byplane. also if you go on youtube theres tons of sound clips.

1st, whomeer told you straight pipes &/or glass packs "can & will blow a motor" is blowing smoke up your nether orfice.

So, your choice is really a matter of personal preference. If you like it loud and you want to keep your neighbors and the local police off your butt glasspacks will do the job.
If you're wanting a little thump but not too much, there are turbo mufflers out there that will give you a nice note without being too loud or too quiet. Thrush and Magnafow are a couple of my favorites.
If you really want to have some fun with people you can run regular mufflers with manual cut outs. Nice and quiet for around the neighborhood, and then when you want to make some noise you pull the knobs and presto, you're running a straight pipe. However, much like running straight pipes, if this is going to be licenced regulalry and not as a collector car running either straight pipes or cutouts may be illegal (in the Peoples Republic of California, I'd say it probably is), best to check that out.

Once you figure all that out, talk to some folks in classic car clubs around your area about who does the best muffler work and take your rig to them. A decent shop can give you a good deal on new pipes custom fit to your truck & they'll last for years.

Relax!

There's no rule that says you have to get this perfect the first try. If you think you'll want straight pipes, build the system that way. If it's too loud or raspy, add mufflers. Its just a matter of cutting a section of pipe out and installing the muffler in its place. Or you could use muffler tips. I wonder what it would sound like with a pair of ricer fart pipes on the end of a straight exhaust.

I'm running a pair of 22" Smithys on my 55 235. I like the way it sounds.

regards,
Leon

I heard that straight pipes can and will eventually blow out my engine

Did you notice that the speaker had this squeaky little voice, and was wearing short pants?

Yep, personal preference. Have you thought about scavenger pipes?

Put glasspacks in as close to the manifolds as possible, and run long tail pipes, no too big a diameter.
Will really sound nice especially when you let off of it going down a hill or something, very cool!
It will crackle and pop and just sound cool!
But won't wake up the neighbors unless you get on it.
And yes, loud pipes do blow up engines, because gearheads love revvin' the snot out of them !!!

As has been stated, muffler noise is a matter of taste. Look at my single fairly stock muffler with one in and two outles used with Fentons manifold in the picturetrail below. It sounds cool too..at least tome.

..... to cut cost I ran Straight Pipes on my 37 with the 350 hot engine. Man, did it "count'em off". Absolutely loved them straight out the back. Ran them for about 6 years. I did "light foot" it around the neighbor hood but sometimes I WANTED them to know I was going up the street

THEN I planned to drive it to Kansas a couple years ago and my wife said no way would she ride that far with them rumbling all the way.....so, 22" Smitty's went on it and now it sounds like a pussy cat purrrring. UGH

Like many have said it's a matter of preference. I have 22" glasspacks on mine and I think it sounds great. Quiet enough just puttin around, but loud if I lay into it. I was also told choosing glasspacks, the longer they are the quieter they will be. So 15" packs are louder then 22"s. Just a thought.

Probably the only thing about glasspacks that would blow the motor besides just racking it up would be the "get them super hot and then run water from a hose so the glass will pop" trick. We did that nonsense in high school. Had a 63 GMC with a 305 V6, duals straight back and packs just under the floorboard. Would ride around and get them super hot, then run water down the tailpipe. all it did was make them louder.

Well, all this info is really god. It helped research a but more and found a better muffler sh,op to do the work.
I was wondering, is there a particular brand of glasspacks better than other?

I am going for 18" glasspacks.

Thx

Glasspacks are pretty simple critters. Each may have a bit different tone depending on the way they are built and the material used to pack them. The cheaper they are the less likely the material will last and the sound will change & get louder, my expereince it's more of an issue with engines that have higher exhause temps.
Personaly I'm still a fan of the good 'ol fashioned cherry bombs for the low cost option, but there are much better quality and longer lasting packs out there. Magnaflow makes some of the best IMO.