Customs Ever Seen A Finned Aluminum Muffler?

modelamac · Mar 4, 2014

I'm posting this hoping someone has seen one of these!

I bought this the other week on ebay... It's a finned aluminum 2 piece muffler. The thing that sucks is the guy only had one of these...

it's 27" long, 7" wide and 4" tall. The only thing I can find on the net is the patten applied for information from 1958 - 1961, and a exploded view drawing... which by the way doesn't match the inside of this muffler.

The castings are the exact same for both sides... it has a 2 1/4" inlet and a 2" outlet, and bolted all the way around the edge with one bolt in the center.

The best I can figure the way it works is... the exhaust comes into a rectangular cambered area through a 2 1/4" pipe, and escapes through a small window on each side of the box and travels down a long narrow path with a few short angled ribs that go against the flow, then through two more windows into another rectangular camber and exits through the 2" outlet pipe.

There is no packing and the chambered areas and the narrow pathway fit tight together so they are sealed.

It's kind of a wild design... I don't have any idea what it would sound like.

I'm actually thinking about re-casting it and making a few sets, do you guys think that there would be any interest in these if I went to the trouble of doing that?

I just think this thing is cool as hell, and if your a freak for details like I am they would be "way cool" polished and on a 50's custom!

Let me know what you guys think... any input, information or ideas would be great.

alchemy · Mar 4, 2014

It looks die cast. If you cast some in alum, how would you surface the edges so they seal tight? Does the original have any gasket material in it?

I can't say you'd sell a ton, but I'm sure a few HAMBers would buy some for the curiosity. I'd hook that one up first and see what it sounds like.

1928Fordman · Mar 4, 2014

Cool. No more rusted out mufflers for you.

porknbeaner · Mar 4, 2014

It would probably sound a little like a flowmaster. Never seen one but if you cats them and give me a pair I can say that I have seen two.

Funny the things that you can find that no one has ever seen or remembers seeing. Maybe look in the back of some old magazines for an ad.

lucas doolin · Mar 4, 2014

Looks fairly flat. Beyond the cool factor, might ease installation with limited space.

tommy · Mar 4, 2014

I've never seen one but it was made for a 57 Ford. the flat spot in the pipe is a dead give away. It is there for clearance of the trans cross member. It mounts way up in the system.

modelamac · Mar 4, 2014

Yeah! Tommy I figured the flat spot would have been for some type of a clearance provision but I didn't have any idea for what.... that's cool to know that it may have been for a '57 Ford.

Alchemy... good question on the casting.. there is no gasket material between the two pieces. There is how ever a high ridge that fits into a valley on the edges... that acts as the seal. So since it is the same casting it actually has a male side and female side. It's really kind of simple, yet neat how it works.

I've talked to a guy that has been in the pattern business for over 40 years about this thing... and he seems to think that it would be no problem making a pattern and doing a sand type cast. The finish wouldn't be quite as slick, but would be smooth and not porous like some sand casting is. He did say that there would be some shrinkage, so it may be just a little shorter than the original... and that shouldn't be more than a 1/8 to 1/4 inch.

As far as the fit and seal.. he claims that shouldn't be a problem. But with that being said... with any casting there is a possibility that the edges may have to milled or matched up for a tight fit.

budd · Mar 4, 2014

open it up and show us the inside please.

modelamac · Mar 4, 2014

I will try to get some pictures of the inside of it tonight...

Model T1 · Mar 4, 2014

That is very interesting. I'll bet not many of us have seen one, or at least remember them. Like mentioned, they would be great for those clearance problems. Thanks for posting.
Walk over and check Ernie Hemmings old garage. He may have a bunch of them in there.

lothiandon1940 · Mar 4, 2014

Very cool piece. Does that little R in the circle after Aluma Cast mean that it is a registered trademark? I see it says patent pending also, but truth be told, I really don't know exactly what that means. You might want to do a little more research before you invest too much time and money into casting more of them so as not to run into any legal jams.

Max Gearhead · Mar 4, 2014

tommy · Mar 4, 2014

It looks like you could replace the fiberglass after it burned out. Who'd a thunk a rebuildable muffler?

mrobvious34 · Mar 4, 2014

That is way cool. I would be interested to know what it sounds like. Besides the rust factor would there be any advantage to a cast over a steel muffler?

Dreddybear · Mar 4, 2014

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3080940.html

greybeard360 · Mar 4, 2014

I did a little google search... not the first patent on a cast muffler!

http://www.google.com/patents/US1622692

http://www.google.sc/patents/US3080940

I have never seen any, but looks kind of cool !

burl · Mar 4, 2014

Definitely die cast and the name registered.If you sand cast I don't think you could end up with the ribs as narrow as the original.Pretty cool idea.Wonder if the original tooling is still around.With the many different ways of scanning original parts and duplicating it wouldn't be to hard to make patterns for sand casting.Just not sure if there would be enough market to justify the expense.Tough to find good sand casters that would bother with small runs of the special parts.

tommy · Mar 4, 2014

couldn't have been successful...over 20 years replacing mufflers and I've never seen one.

My 57 2dr wagon had the factory muffler with the Ford football pressed into it. I saved it because I thought it was cool with the football in it.
I was the first guy to remove the brake drums...they still had the metal clips on the studs to keep them from falling off on the assembly line. 70 K on the clock. rural miles

alchemy · Mar 4, 2014

The guys that cast my stuff would just use your original to cast the new ones. The 27 inch parts would turn out about 3/8 inch shorter than the original. No big deal. They are in Davenport, Iowa, so give me a PM if you want their info. They don't mind one-offs.

I was wondering about the sealing edges because the newly sandcast part would need machining or sanding to mate closely with the other half. If they were just flat surfaces maybe you could use that orange goop that some guys use on their header flanges, after sanding flat.

whtbaron · Mar 4, 2014

tommy said: ↑

It looks like you could replace the fiberglass after it burned out. Who'd a thunk a rebuildable muffler?
Click to expand...

Yea, back in the day when you could buy a new Thrush muffler for $7, I can see where this may have been out-priced in the market. Today I don't see any reason why it couldn't be a contender. The big question is how tough the alloy is, and how much beating it could take under a vehicle. I know cast aluminum oil pans have been known to shatter on speed bumps. For you guys that crawl around on pavement, this could be a real cool piece.

Wolfcreek-Steve · Mar 4, 2014

I think I read somewhere that 5/32-3/16 is about the minimum for webs/ribs in sandcast aluminum.
I don't know how long a trademark is good for, but a patent is 17 years and re-upable once, so if this is for a 58 ford, patent would be dead by 1992. (check with an attorney about this)
I'm a modelmaker, so I would build a new pattern, allowing for shrinkage, different size ribs, and no logo. Maybe change the interior a little add some grooves in the flange to hold hi-temp silicone and find someone to cast a few. There are some foundry people here on the hamb that will give advice on the casting process. When you get a couple made take them to a swap meet and see what happens!
I am going through this with a totally different part and am looking forward to learning a process that is new to me. Am I going to get rich? I expect not!

arkiehotrods · Mar 4, 2014

www.alumacast.com may have the answers to your questions

arkiehotrods · Mar 4, 2014

I just went to alumacast.com and sent them a message about this piece. They said they would get back in touch in one business day.

mike in tucson · Mar 4, 2014

Alumacast web site says they were founded in 1983

bchctybob · Mar 4, 2014

Great work Mac snagging that thing! I would buy a pair for one of my projects. Before you commit to recasting them as is, see if there are some changes you can make to the internal baffle arrangement to allow for maybe adding/deleting F-glas in some chambers to kind of "tune" the sound. Post pictures of the inside and I'm sure someone here has some ideas on how to bring them up to date performance and sound wise.

freiertpc · Mar 9, 2014

I want some I build my own now anyway And tune them for how i want them to sound
But those are Plain cool and could be nice polished up

mgtstumpy · Mar 10, 2014

I see ®, Registered Trade Mark

Log in or Sign up

Customs Ever Seen A Finned Aluminum Muffler?

modelamac
Member

from Quincy, Illinois

Attached Files:

$_57.JPG

$_57-1.JPG

alchemy
Member

from M'town, Iowa

1928Fordman
Member

from Kingwood,TX

porknbeaner
Member

from North Central Missouri

lucas doolin
Member

from New Albany IN

tommy
Member Emeritus

from Davidsonville, Md.

modelamac
Member

from Quincy, Illinois

budd
Member

from Vancouver Island BC

modelamac
Member

from Quincy, Illinois

Model T1
Member

from Central Illinois

lothiandon1940
Member

from So. Maryland

Maryland HAMBers

The DOG - Deuce Owner's Group

Fat Fords from 1935-1948

1940 Ford

Roadsters.

Max Gearhead
Member

from Wisconsin

She's real fine, my 409

WISCONSON HAMBERS

Paper Dreamers

Box Truck Bastards

58-59 Chevy Apache Builders

SAY WHY AND?

tommy
Member Emeritus

from Davidsonville, Md.

mrobvious34
Member

from Canyon, TX

Dreddybear
Member

from DALLAS TEXAS

greybeard360
Member

from Watauga, Texas

burl
Member

from Minnesota

tommy
Member Emeritus

from Davidsonville, Md.

alchemy
Member

from M'town, Iowa

whtbaron
Member

from manitoba

Wolfcreek-Steve
Member

from Central Wisconsin

COE's (Cab Over Engine)

arkiehotrods
Member

from Northwest Arkansas

arkiehotrods
Member

from Northwest Arkansas

mike in tucson
Member

from Tucson

bchctybob
Member

from valley springs, ca

freiertpc
Member

from Stevensville,Mi.

mgtstumpy
Member

from Brisbane Australia

Share This Page

Archive

Atomic Industry

Support

Subscribe

Log in or Sign up

Customs Ever Seen A Finned Aluminum Muffler?

modelamac Member from Quincy, Illinois

Attached Files:

$_57.JPG

$_57-1.JPG

alchemy Member from M'town, Iowa

1928Fordman Member from Kingwood,TX

porknbeaner Member from North Central Missouri

lucas doolin Member from New Albany IN

tommy Member Emeritus from Davidsonville, Md.

modelamac Member from Quincy, Illinois

budd Member from Vancouver Island BC

modelamac Member from Quincy, Illinois

Model T1 Member from Central Illinois

lothiandon1940 Member from So. Maryland Maryland HAMBers The DOG - Deuce Owner's Group Fat Fords from 1935-1948 1940 Ford Roadsters.

Max Gearhead Member from Wisconsin She's real fine, my 409 WISCONSON HAMBERS Paper Dreamers Box Truck Bastards 58-59 Chevy Apache Builders SAY WHY AND?

tommy Member Emeritus from Davidsonville, Md.

mrobvious34 Member from Canyon, TX

Dreddybear Member from DALLAS TEXAS

greybeard360 Member from Watauga, Texas

burl Member from Minnesota

tommy Member Emeritus from Davidsonville, Md.

alchemy Member from M'town, Iowa

whtbaron Member from manitoba

Wolfcreek-Steve Member from Central Wisconsin COE's (Cab Over Engine)

arkiehotrods Member from Northwest Arkansas

arkiehotrods Member from Northwest Arkansas

mike in tucson Member from Tucson

bchctybob Member from valley springs, ca

freiertpc Member from Stevensville,Mi.

mgtstumpy Member from Brisbane Australia

Share This Page

Useful Searches

Archive

Atomic Industry

Support

Subscribe

modelamac
Member

from Quincy, Illinois

alchemy
Member

from M'town, Iowa

1928Fordman
Member

from Kingwood,TX

porknbeaner
Member

from North Central Missouri

lucas doolin
Member

from New Albany IN

tommy
Member Emeritus

from Davidsonville, Md.

modelamac
Member

from Quincy, Illinois

budd
Member

from Vancouver Island BC

modelamac
Member

from Quincy, Illinois

Model T1
Member

from Central Illinois

lothiandon1940
Member

from So. Maryland

Maryland HAMBers

The DOG - Deuce Owner's Group

Fat Fords from 1935-1948

1940 Ford

Roadsters.

Max Gearhead
Member

from Wisconsin

She's real fine, my 409

WISCONSON HAMBERS

Paper Dreamers

Box Truck Bastards

58-59 Chevy Apache Builders

SAY WHY AND?

tommy
Member Emeritus

from Davidsonville, Md.

mrobvious34
Member

from Canyon, TX

Dreddybear
Member

from DALLAS TEXAS

greybeard360
Member

from Watauga, Texas

burl
Member

from Minnesota

tommy
Member Emeritus

from Davidsonville, Md.

alchemy
Member

from M'town, Iowa

whtbaron
Member

from manitoba

Wolfcreek-Steve
Member

from Central Wisconsin

COE's (Cab Over Engine)

arkiehotrods
Member

from Northwest Arkansas

arkiehotrods
Member

from Northwest Arkansas

mike in tucson
Member

from Tucson

bchctybob
Member

from valley springs, ca

freiertpc
Member

from Stevensville,Mi.

mgtstumpy
Member

from Brisbane Australia