Non farm truck sounding mufflers on a sbc.

If you live in Texas, you've probably noticed every single Chevy truck from the late 60s to the early 90s sounds almost exactly the same. I've got a 305 that is hanging on for its life in my 57, and damn if it doesn't sound just like one of them. It actually has the stockers still on it(or similar to stock, and not aftermarket upgrades), but one had a backfire and split down the side. I want this thing to sound good, but not modern, and not like a dang truck. Suggestions? Eliminate them altogether and just run pipes? I think I'll probably stay away from glasspacks. This car is just a cruiser and it doesn't need to sound like the world is coming to an end when I drive it, but I'd like some tone. Help.

 

Put some john deer tractor mufflers on it then it wont sound like a truck Or maybe flow masters then it will sound like every other car with flow masters........
Dave

 

I'm from TX too. I had flowmasters put on my truck years ago. Not loud, but a nice deep and mellow tone. A kid at work asked me if i had "wet 'em down". "What do you mean?" I replied. He started up his truck, gunned the motor repeatedly, and every time the RPMs slowed back down, it would pop and backfire. He said,"You get 'em real hot, and spray 'em with a garden hose!"
He MADE his truck sound that way. On purpose. What can I say? I guess I just don't get it.

 

That shit was done with the old glass packs. Im thinking that kid didnt or doesnt know that a flowmaster has steel baffles or diverters ill call em to get the flowmaster sound. Running the hose up em aint gonna do a dam thing but rust em out/ The old walker glass packs you could hurry up the process by hosen em.....
Dave

 

Yeah, his were glasspacks.

 

The wife's 59 has Smithy's on it. They're niceand mellow when your cruising but they have a good rap to them when you get in it.

I like the sound so much I got a set for the Hel Camino.

 

Eric, just get any old kinda muffler you want. Some cheap turbos will sound good, or go with glasspacks or Flowmasters or whatever.

The problem with trucks and your Chevy isn't the mufflers. It's the length of pipe AFTER the mufflers.

My friend's '84 pickup sounded the same with stock mufflers, turbo mufflers, and Flowmasters. So we wacked off 6' of pipe on each side where they went up and over the axle and out under the bumper. Voila, they sounded like Flowmasters.

Try to find a shop that will either put turn downs under it (noisy and dusty) or run the pipe up and over the axle and exit just behind the rear wheel. It will sound good.

BTW, I recommend some cheap turbos for that piece.

 

Yep, that or beat 'em with a hammer...

 

Oh trust me, I'm all about the cheap with this car. Glad I get an employee discount on at least a few of my options...

 

Nicest sound after all these years still has to be Smitty's, especially when you back out of it. I long ago forgot the girl's name, but I remember the night and that beautiful sound...

 

Is there that much difference in length between behind the rear wheel and the bumper?

 

Is there that much difference in length from between behind the rear wheel and the bumper?

 

For cheap, nice sounding mufflers, I like the Summit Racing turbo mufflers. $15 each, show up on the porch in a couple of days. I prefer the deep hollow rumble of turbo mufflers and large diameter pipes over the rap of glasspacks and small pipes.

 

Throw an X-pipe in it. It'll change the sound more than you'd think. BTW, I've got a pair of new in box Summit turbos for $35 shipped($5 less shipped than from Summit) if you decide on them. PM me for details if your intersted.

 

love the sound of cherry bombs and 2 1/2 inch pipes dumped beforethe axles on my coupe but maybe not what your lookin fer as it can gat quite loud but it is a rod and not a cruiser meant to be loud fast and annoying to the unknowing

 

I'll vote for the Summit's too! Much better than the glasspacks I was running.

Tim D.

 

My old LeMans had 2 1/2 inch pipes from the collectors into glasspacks with a crossover pipe, and then 2 inch pipe out to the bumper. After we got the 5 pounds of leaves and nuts out of the one tailpipe it sounded pretty sweet. Not too loud around town but when you got on it it sounded bad ass. Wasn't fast, but it sounded that way. I don't think the change in pipe size at the muffler had as much to do with it. I think it was that the crossover pipe took some of the "rappyness" out of the glasspacks and quieted it down a bit.

 

i really like the sound of V-Force by flo-pro.sound neat on a sbc.

 

Are those any different than a Dynomax/Thrush turbo muffler? I have been looking at those and the Dynomax/Thrushes in the Summit catalog, and that's what they look like. The price is around the same for both.

Slonaker

 

i can't believe nobody's mentioned magnaflow...great sound when you get on it but fairly quiet when it's sitting and just enough of a rumble to bring a smile to your face when you are cruising steady.

here's my daily driver '84 delta w/ a 307 (soon 455) from a stop to about 55 and a single magnaflow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je4aXb3D7WA

 

I've got a pair of 2.5" dynomax race magnums on a 283. they sound really good and throaty, and they never cackle (straight duals, no cross over, turned down right after the muffler). my old neighbor couldn't believe it, he thought it was a big block at first by the way it sounded. but i popped for him and there sat my little 283.

 

Smithy's, Smithy's, Smithy's

 

Flowtech afterburners sound pretty sweet. Anone know if the warlock sounds similar? Thats the one that has a plug you can quickly remove to uncork the exhaust.

A friend has a '66 vette and the factory sidepipes sound really cool. I think they are this style of muffler: http://www.sweet-thunder.com/chambered_general_main.html#aluminum .

 

This company has some sounds on their webpage: http://www.classicchambered.com/classic/sounds.html .