History Muffler Suggestion - Straight 6?

As I inch closer to getting my old 37 Hudson coupe running again, I wanted to get some ideas about choosing a muffler for the original straight 6 engine.

Other than being a stock “refreshed” engine , the compression is being bumped to around 9:1. With exhaust coming off the top of the block I can’t come up with a good header design & I’d rather not go over the top of the engine with exhaust. Thus it’s a log roll style exhaust manifold of sorts.

Now I know it’s a 6 cylinder & not a V8 or even straight 8. So I’m prepared that the sound will probably be uneventful but in case I’m wrong please let me know what may sound healthy & aggressive.... if that’s even possible for the old engine!



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Show us a picture ... then we can show you where & how to split the manifold for duals.

 

^^^^^ yes pics please. Split exhaust is old school

 

Someone still sells their version of a Smitty glass pack and it doesn't get much more trad than that.

On my 48 with the 292 I plan to run Porters The length still to be determined.

 

FWIW, I had a single Smitty with 2 1/4" pipe on the 250 6 cyl in my Chevy truck, sounded like a rice rocket with a fart can. I put the muffler back into "stock" and got a Walker #17828 Sound FX that's about 6" round and 20" long. Its nice and quiet and not as annoying as the other one. When the truck had a SBC, I ran Smittys on duals and it sounded sweet, maybe with a 2-4 split manifold and duals it would have sounded good but not a single. Mitch.

 

I ran a Cherry Bomb on a 250 Chevy and it was too loud. I even got pulled over for it eventually, and I was driving it "normally" in traffic. I replaced it with a Corvair Turbo muffler and it was far better sounding. Sixes on a single system really don't sound so good. Split, of course, that's totally different!

 

Split and the mufflers from a Jag XK 120, 140 or 150.

 

Twice Pipes With Harley Mufflers Should Be Distinctive.. ..

 

Walker Sound FX #17197..
My opinion is straight six engines sound best regular mufflers.. They have a real nice perrr to them with a good muffler, with a glass pack, they have a loud blatt sound to them..

Checkout Walker mufflers here.. https://www.walkerexhaust.com/products/light-vehicle/mufflers-muffler-assemblies.html

 

My 250 in my wagon has a split manifold (3/3), & dual 12" glasspacks. It's not impressive. A little too loud. Maybe a little tractor-like. But it does exit in front of the rear wheel. If it was out the back, I think it would sound better.

 

I'm thinking about what my mama told me.

 

Check out the "Leno's Garage" episode about Steve McQueens Jag. XKSS. Who knew an inline 6
could sound so good.

 

the last 6 cylinder exhaust I did, was a straight pipe back, then split to each side. NO mufflers. sound like a race car.

 

I did the same thing with a flathead six. HRP

 

Back in high school a friend had a straight 6 in his car. In the 70's he would get ragged over that. One day he comes driving up with a cherry bomb on it.

He steps out so proud and say "Hows is sound now". Without missing a beat and with a straight face my other buddy said "Like a 6 cylinder with a cherry bomb on it".

 

How good are you at welding headers? If you want the best sound, a tri-Y works really well because it gives the illusion of more cylinders firing off and it mellows out the rough edges. Join the first 6 runners into pairs depending on your firing order at about 14" to 18" and then the bottom 3 at about the same length into a 2.50" to 2.75" collector, to a big, single, straight-through muffler. You can split the exhaust after the muffler if you want the dual tip look. That won't impact the sound of the exhaust note much, either way. Leave a straight section in front of the tips in case you want to add in resonators later.
A big 6 can hold its own with an 8 because of the size of the cylinder pulses are generally equal. The tri-Y allows a bit of an echo that fills in between those fewer pulses which mellows the result. Another way to say it is....... some of each pulse splits into its neighbor and bounces back out as a ghost pulse behind the primary pulse.

 

Excellent approach! ^^^^
If you 'allow' pipe dia or # of outlets to increase for the rear portion,
it deepens the note.

 

I got a set of cast iron headers for my flathead six. Sounds great, mufflers gotten louder with age though.

 

I first ran Brockman Mellowtones on my built 292 and it was way to loud. Partly because i dumped my exhaust just in front of the rear. I ended up taking the Brocks out and installed Flowmasters. 2 1/4 "in 2 1/4" out.

 

2 1/4' thru a stock muffler. Make it as quiet as possible because it will NEVER sound as good as a V-8!
Not being ugly just tell'in the truth.
6 cylinders with "splits"....or straight pipes....or blowmaster 40's sound like crap to a car guy.
If it ain't a big/honk'in/snotty idling V-8........don't even try. Just be quiet and cool.
6sally6

 

Thats funny, the other day I start my 55 Fargo truck with flathead 6 and dual exhaust with thrush mufflers for a visitor.
I rev it up a bit then shut her down, guy says oh nice you got a V8 in there.
I show him the engine and he gasps "wholly chit" thats a flathead 6....lol
To me it spunds good but not like a wicked V8.....lol

 

Twice pipes straight out the back !

 

NOTHING SOUNDS BETTER THAN A 235 SPLIT ! just my opinion . split the manifold on my 292 and it didn't sound the same , or good . my 230 flatty in my 50 dodge sounds awsome with 12 inch glass packs . maybe a bit on the loud side though ! but 20 yrs. , no tickets so maybe not ! just put a set of headers on the 235 im putting in my 41 , but cant tell yet if the will sound like fentons . ive heard where you put the mufflers will make a difference . ! its all relevant ??

 

Matter of opinion!

Ben

 

I used to run Scotties , I think maybe Royal Scotts ok no a Chevy 6.

 

Okay Boyz and Girlz listen up here...lol
Yes exhaust needs work and new piping..

 

If your not splitting the manifold it won't matter much. I would go for quiet.

 

Nice PJ's!
6sally6

 

WTF observant 1, it was 630 in the morning...lol
And yes this old beast lays rubber even with 3.23 gears.

 

I'm a huge fan of a straight six, with split exhaust, and glasspacks. Brockman Mellowtones for me! I've got them on my 47 Chevy, with a 292, and they sound great.