Looking for your opinions on dual exhaust for the 289 with shorty headers. From memory the factory option chambered mufflers on the Z28's and Chevelles sounded real nasty but without the crackel and pop of glass packs. I want loud but not the snappy crackle when hard on it or quick off. This will be full out the back duals. Maybe even an X pipe to even out the tone. Your thoughts?
I was looking at the same thing. Here is a web site for chambered exhaust that has sound clips and product info. www.classicchambered.com
A buddy of mine restored a 69 COPO 427 Camaro his girlfriend owned (was her dads and was left to her when he passed) and he used the factory chambered exhaust on that only with headers. In all honesty, it sounded like shit. It was loud, but in the wrong way. It had a nasty rap worse than any glass packs we've ever heard. In fact he got 2 tickets for loud exhaust on the car EVEN after explaining they were original equipment..And it had full tails on it too.. This car wasn't just rapping once let off, it would snap and pop under hard acceleration too..tottaly took away from the car. I'm sure the dia of the pipe and compression will have some effect on the sound too. And this car had compression to it, and we all thought the pipes were too small. This is only my own oppinion on them, but i don't like chambered systems..
I've installed some recycled chambered exaust back in the day and it sounds ratty. Not cool. I think staight pipes sound better. I can't explain why.
Aren't Flowmasters 'chambered'? My bone friggin stock 305 Caprice w/single 2.50" 2 chamber Flowmaster sounds really cool and doesn't resonate at speed. This is the third vehicle I've had them on and I'll keep runnin them cause they're relatively affordable and sound cool.
I run 2 1/2" tow chamber FlowMasters on my 32 with short tailpipes. It's too loud and doesn't sound all that good, but I'm sorta stuck with them due to lack of room underneath. My 2002 F-150 SuperCrew w/5 liter has a true dual exhaust* system (2 1/2") with three chamber FlowMasters and regular length tailpipes. It has a sweet sound very reminiscent of glass and steelpack muffs from back in the day. I wish they would fit under the 32.
You might look at the Magna-flow brand mufflers.(they come in different lengths) They are actually a straight through glass pack. They are almost a direct replacement in size for the Flow masters. They'll be loud with no tail pipes but they do have more of the 50's sound. They have less of the hollow sound found in the flowmasters.
i ditched my 3 chamber flowmasters for a pair of glasspacks. i didnt like how it sounded too much like a muscle car. they had a real low hum on the highway that sounded nice but would put me right to sleep. the glasspacks have a real nice rap when i step on it but a mellow rumble when im cruising. i get a lot of positive comments about the sound now. when i fire her up i see a lot of heads turn with big smiles on em. some people hate the rap - some people love it. i think its great. i think the sound of a custom or rod is a matter of personal taste, just as much as paint or wheels or anything else on it.
Yes, they are chambered mufflers. What these guys are talking about though, is "chambered exhaust" which is just crimps in an otherwise straight pipe. It was optional on Vettes, Camaros, and Chevelles for a while. And it sounds terrible. Here's what it looks like.
[ In all honesty, it sounded like shit. It was loud, but in the wrong way. It had a nasty rap worse than any glass packs we've ever heard. My son got a '71 Nova with homebrew chambered exhaust several years ago. It sounded OK at idle only, but when running at any rpms to speak of , it just blatted and carried on in the worst way possible. It was a super nasty, ugly sound. And way too loud. He liked it because he didn't know better. One problem was that it didn't have a crossover pipe, I'm sure. When he was at work one day I drove it to the muffler shop and had a couple of Walker turbo mufflers put on it, and all new pipes with crossover. That was over a year ago. It sounds really nice now. He keeps saying he's going to get loud pipes, and I say not while your'e living in my house! Mellow is in, loud blatting,l cracking, popping noise is an annoyance to most folks. The Nova sounds nice outside the car, not too loud, but with the right kind of sound, and is quiet inside the car. That's what he doesn't like, wish I could pipe the noise that comes out the back into the driver's seat !
I'm with sojerscraper on this one! Personally, I dislike the hollow and tinny "mellow" sound that doesn't have a bark when you get on it. Also it seems to me that most of the louder chambered mufflers produce a ton of resonance inside the car. I do think some of the Magnaflows sound pretty good unless someone destroys the effect by adding an H or X pipe. Grew up in Southern Cal and still like the sound of flatties with Smithys that most rodders there ran in those days. Can't say I like popping and backfiring on deceleration. But, that's caused by ignition and/or mixture more so than mufflers.
For what it's worth I'm using dual flowmasters series 40 the short ones, with a two inch pipe setup. I think they sound great. They have good tone and bark just enough to make it pleasent.
NO FLOWMASTERS!!! I was talking the crimped pipe setup like in the picture. Flowmasters are to0 mullet mobile/5.0 Mustang for a 60's car. I had Walker Super Turbo's on my '66 Mustang with the 289. Might go with them again.
The Jalopy Journal
