Hey all
Im looking for the best mufflers to put on my 79 Ranchero with a 460. At my old forum with the other ranchero guys, some people said that they had Flowmaster 50 series. Heres what i want anyone to post: which mufflers are the best sounding and give great performance. Flowmasters are one of the best i hear, but their sound is a little different. I pulled up to this 69 Chevelle, and just idling and sitting there, it sounded awesome. It was very low, but it wasnt a rumble. It was like an explosion here and there. Does anyone know what mufflers those are? Ive also heard of glasspacks, but i dont know what those are. Your guys help and any suggestions will be great. I just dont know what is the best sound but good performance i can get is. Thanks
Danny

 

exhaust set up is important. If you are running the whole exhaust, I would recommend having and "X" or "H" pipe installed also. They allow your engine to sound equal and perform better. I run California Turbo's on mine. I am not a big fan of being "like everyone". I like to do thigns differently and see what I have available to me. I have a nice lopey idle and it barks when you get on it. But it's not as loud as a set of glass packs.

 

Any series of Flowmasters sounds good. It all depends on your personal taste about volume. Just stay away from the Delta Flow series if you want a deep rumbly tone.

I agree with airharley about the H pipe. They equalize exhaust pulse pressure from side to side and can add some ponies if done correctly. I would stay away from an x pipe unless you want a euro/ricer type tone.

Whatever you do, DONT PUT ON GLASSPACKS!!!! You may know these as Cherry Bombs. They are the absolute worst muffler anyone could put on a vehicle. Aside from sounding like crap, they tend to rot out in a hurry which makes them sound even worse. They are also some of the most restrictive mufflers you can buy. Some may argue that point but there is no argument to be had. Facts is facts.

 

Flowmaster and others have sound clips on their websites.

 

Has anyone ever used the summot welded mufflers? they are only $38 a piece and if i remember correcty, car craft did a test with a bunch of cheap mufflers and they did pretty well.

 

Exhaust sound is a lot like motor oil, everyone has their own opinion.

Here's a CFM comparison of popular mufflers for performance purposes:

http://www.exhaustsoundclips.com/cfm.pdf

 

I have the same question as Danny, but am looking for a different result. My 1976 E-250 with a 460 still has a (AFAIK) completely stock exhaust (2-into-1 2.5" pipe w/single large Ford-brand muffler), but on a recent trip to the mid-west I could hear it begin to blow out the muffler internals. Now it sounds really loud and leaks a bit of exhaust.

I'd like to get back to a quiet tone, but would also like to get better power and fuel mileage. Would it be better to go with a 3" single from the "Y" back or a dual 2.5"? And can you guys recommend a muffler(s) that are quiet but which don't choke off too much power?

Thanks! Stan

 

Stan, you'll be better off with dual 2.5" pipes vs. a single 3" pipe. Think of it like this. With dual 2.5" pipes you'll have a total of 5"s of cross section vs. 3"s of cross section with a single 3" pipe.

 

Unless you're subject to visual emissions compliance and if not are prepared to get rid of the Y pipe, I'm with 77'F-150Mudder on true dual 2.5 pipes off the exhaust manifolds.

 

Kind of off the topic, but I put a Bassani X-pipe with cats and a Borla XR-1 cat back on my 1996 Cobra, and the sound is so sweet. It doesn't sound ricey...it sounds like a Ferrari.

 

Ok so perhaps ricer wasn't the best description. But "euro" is a good descrption. I've had both on my 98' Cobra. To me, the BBK H sounds WAY better than the Bassanni. Much throatier. I didn't like having my car sound like it came from Europe. I have a friend who did a Bassanni on his 94' Cobra and quickly ditched it for an H-pipe. It's mostly personal taste when it comes to X vs. H. There are subtle differences in the power curve but nothing you'd probably notice on a truck.

 

Well here's my 2 cents...
I have a F-350 extended cab dually with a 460 and I just did a custom exhaust job on it. I started out with a set of Heddman Hedders but we could'nt them to seal up for the life of us so we kept the stock manifolds which another exhaust shop told me with my truck (92 being computerized) would give me more power and less problems than the crap hedders. They were right. Now on an older truck hedders might be fine. I had a 79 F150 4x4 with a set of hookers on the 351M that made that truck dance...
Anyway I went with a true dual set-up including dual high-flow converters, an "X" pipe and dual Dynomax super turbos. I have used the super turbos on my other trucks too. They seem to give you that mean low-tone gurgle that will catch attention but not loud enough to get you in trouble and they have great air flow which is what you want. Just don't go with a pipe size any larger than 2 1/2". Anything bigger and you'll have problems with back pressure.

Hope this helps...

 

Well, on my 460 I have a set of dual 2.5 inch pipe with 40 series Flowmasters dumping off before my rear axle. Very deep idle and a nice throaty bark at upper RPMs. If you could, I would recommend some Hedman Elite Series Headers. They are good quality and last! Or, you could get some custom made and CERAMICE COAT THEM!

 

Double post.......sorry!

 

Thanks for the input guys! I don't think California cares about the exhaus ton a '76 truck, since it doesn't require cats. I'll ask a local muffler shop, though, and go dual two-an-an-halfs if I can, or step up to a single 3" if I must.

Sorry about hijacking your thread, Danny!