Smitty's Mufflers on a Flathead

I'm wanting to treat my '38 to a dual exhaust system before spring.

I'm going to run a pair of Smitty's but don't know how long I need them. Should I go with the 22", 26", or 30" Smitty's? The engine in my '38 is bone stock.

I'm much more interested in a good sound than I am in volume.

TIA, JH

 

22"

 

If your looking for sound then go with the shorter ones, You might be suprised by trying no mufflers at all on a full exhaust, it is not really that loud on a full system.

 

Just installed some 26" on a friend's 59A/B 32 lowboy, not too loud, nice tone. I would guess that the 30's would be even better, and over time the interior "damping" may lessen, esp if it's glass fiber.

 

I love the sound of smittys. But the placement of the muffler in proximity to the end of the pipe plays a big part on sound.
Hopefully someone will pipe in here but I beleive the closest to the tailpipe the better the sound.
I have always thought that Ford had a group of engineers being paid to design every new Mustang exhaust that comes out.
I think those cars are the best sound new car on the road.
I would like to try a set of those mufflers on a flatty just for shits and giggles.

 

Have used Smitty's off and on since the '60's. Love 'em! Basically the rule of thumb is that the shorter the Smitty, the louder and more "rap" it will have. The longer the Smitty is, the lower and more mellow the sound is. I've found that compression ratio's affect the noise......lower the compression is the softer the engine noise. So...with a near stock compression flathead you might try straight pipes, the noise may be lower than you think. My only concern with straight pipes and mufflers like flowmaster (yuk) is the interior resonance. With age, certain frequency levels now get on my nerves ! Until age gets to them, glasspaks are usually pretty decent as far as resonance goes.

 

I may just try straigt pipes first. I could always go back & add the mufflers if needed.

This would also allow me to see how loud it is without mufflers. That could help me decide if I need a shorter (louder) muffler or if I need a longer (quieter) muffler.

JH

 

We put a pair of 30"s on our 8BA, it's pretty quiet but has a little bit of a mellow sound to it. Probably TOO quiet for most people but we like it.

 

Straight pipes on a stock flatty with no mufflers on our Merc sounds so sweet, and it is no loud at all.

 

Anyone have a sound clip without mufflers? I haven't decided if I'm running them or not.

 

SmiTHy's...



I'm running 22" on my 8BA and they sound great (sounded even better with no mufflers).

 

I put 26's on my 8AB I wish I had used 22's. but it is getting better. The flatty's like some back pressure.

 

The little mufflers I have on my truck with a 59ab sound awesome.......sorry, I dont know who made them. If you are interested I can dig out the guys contact info for you and you can order a set.

 

I ran 30" ones on my flathead in my roadster and I couldn't hear it run. When I reved it up the only sound was the fan. I ran it that way for about a week and then took them off and am running straight pipe with a full system out the back and it sounds good.

 

But how do you pronounce it?

 

smitties

 

Here is a clip of mine with 26" Smitty's.

http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q86/50fordtudor/?action=view&current=M2U00029.flv

 

Sound is a function of pipe diameter, muff length, muff placement and pipe length. Longer pipes will have a deeper note - like sliding out on a trombone; short pipes will have a higher, sharper, note.

Flatties have an odd syncopation; a function of a now-unusual firing order, a siamesed center outlet and the odd way the exhaust routes around the end cylinders. I also believe the internal passages of the motor act as a baffle and 'eat' 40% of the sound wave B4 it eve exits the motor!

Some of the most raspy motors I've ever worked with were F1 Cosworth V8's; you can peer down the exhaust port and see the backside of the valve. This straight shot to the exhaust system makes for some of the coarsest exhaust notes in motordom, methinks.

If it were my car...

I'd put the longest set of pipes on it I could - sans muffs - and drive it for a week or two. If the sound was too much for my ear, I'd go to the shortest set of Smitty's to cut the note - mounted way back. If that was too much for the days I wanna be rowdy, I'd add a set of cutouts...best of both worlds.

 

I have them on my shoebox and love them. A cool, low sounding growl.

 

Put straight pipes with no muffs on the Merc to start, didn't like the pop sound when you get off it, so we put 12 inch glass packs on it. Sounds pretty much the same, but no poppin.

 

YEP I have heard Muttley's flathead pickup and it couldn't sound better. Plenty Loud with awesome tone. I think they are resonators.

For a stock flatty use 2" exhaust.

 

I put ONE on a single exhaust, 72 Buick and it sounded kinda cool

 

Mufflers are way over-rated.

A stock flathead doesn't need mufflers. I have full length pipes running out the back and they sound good. I do not remember the pipe diameter I used but it was stepped up a couple of times off the headers. Small diameter will rap, larger diameter will give a deeper tone.

I don't have a radio so I need to listen to something.

Neal

 

ill tell you the best sound..there was the brookville 32 coupe that was made to look like an old salt flats car, he had the short smithys and cut them in half then welded up the end with a hole in it . UNREAL best ive ever heard, its obviously up to you but thats the way i would go, but ive never heard the mellowtones or whatever they are.

Cheers

 

whoops... the bitchin 32' was at the GNRS

 

The original Smittys sounded better, the new ones are different.
I use Brockman's on all my sleds now....
Use the shortest ones he makes (12 or 18") and call him direct...he'll make them for you without any packing at all in them.
Mount them as close to the engine as possible.

 

Yeah, steel packs smitheys from the 50's

 

If I could find the cable to my camcorder, I'd upload some video - got Fentons & 22" steelpack Brockmans, Fentons & 12" steelpack Brockmans, Red's Headers & 22" steelpack Brockmans - so you can hear for yourself...now if I could find that damn cable.

 

After meeting the Porter Muffler guys in St Paul I would go with them. Bombproof comes to mine. They are on the HAMB and make the mufflers in Minnesota.

 

Doesn't an F1 Cosworth V-8 have a flat crank, making it basically two four cylinders engines connected together? If so, this would explain some of the raspy exhaust sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLczVCFRzuQ
Cosworth DFV V-8 warming up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPhoJAvXjEQ
Lotus 49 Grand Prix car with Cosworth DFV V-8