I'm thinking about running duals on my '98 4X4 EB and wanted to get some opinions as far as what you guys think is the best way to go. Cats/no cats, size pipe, mufflers, side or rear exit, stuff like that.

 

FLowmaster seems to be the majority choice here.

 

Custom job or kit?

 

They make a kit for the expy. It has a 3 inch side exit.

 

I didn't see a kit for the Expy at Motorhaven... is it listed somewhere else? Or does the F150 kit apply?

Thanks-

2Gordons

 

I hasd mine custom built at a local shop. Flowmaster 40 series SIDO out the stock location. Sounds great and looks pretty good also. There are numerous kits on the market. Do a little research and find out which way you want to go. Some are louder than others. Mine at 65MPH is silent inside the truck. If you put your foot in it you will definately hear the sound. It sounds great going under an overpass while under load. Good luck and enjoy!

 

Is a true dual possible with the gas tank location? When I installed my Gibson I didn't see where there would be room. My understanding (which is limited) is that exausts must be of equal length from block out. If you ran short on one side because of the gas tank and longer on the other (stock location) you wouldn't have true dual exahust, most of the exhaust would take the shortest path. I may be wrong on this but it's what I remember my friend who builds dragsters and stuff telling me once.

 

I was told that it would be impossible because of the fuel tank location. It would get too hot and cause possible explosion! I had mine run out side by side in the stock location, that is 2 pipes and 2 tips. Only one inlet of 3" and 2 outlets of 2 1/2".

 

Key word in there is " DRAGSTERS" LOL, Its an expy not a dragster.
Take the truck down to the local shop an have a set of duels welded in. There are no aftermarket kits in duel form that I know of that are available. Duels sound 100% better than single

 

Flowmaster, by far..... True 3" all the way back....

 

I personally have a Flowmaster Force II Catback on my truck, but I've also heard good things about the similar Gibson system. As our friends here pointed out, a true dual exhaust is a no go for this vehicle unless you want a carbeque of epic proportions.

Good luck and let us know what you settle with - we've spent most of our money on mods so we're forced to live vicariously through other unsuspecting FTE members.

EDIT: If you're looking for something with a little more pizazz than the prefabbed (and economical, I might add) catback systems, a competent muffler/exhaust shop should be able to build you what you want. They might even be able to manufacture a dual exhaust where the left pipe is a dummy pipe.

XXL

XXL

 

I'll probably get a custom job but I was just wondering what other options were out there. I haven't really taken the time to crawl under there and look but I ran a system on a Bronco I had one time where both pipes left the engine and ran down the pass. side frame rail then split past the rear axle to exit each side. I know a shop that's real good with pipe bending so I'll probably just get it up on the rack one day and decide what to do from there. Are there any other drawbacks from true duals other than pipe location? Are there any sensors, etc. that would have to be relocated?

Thanks for the info so far.

 

A pal of mine with a 2001 5.4L Expy 2WD recently got a dual system fabbed and installed at a local custom exhaust shop. He used a "heavy duty" glasspack that they feature, ran one pipe to just aft of the rear axle track bar, and then split into duals. Stainless angled tips complete the system, exiting on either side of the trailer hitch. The cross over pipe runs beneath the spare tire, but the tire can still be removed and there's enuf clearance that the tire's OK. His total cost, P&L, was $250. It really sounds good, at least from the outside, IMHO.

I traveled today to the same shop to get the same thing (I have a 1997 EB 4WD 5.4L), but the shop guy gave me his disclaimer regarding the high potential (with rear-exit duals) for exhaust gasses to collect in the vacuum area behind the tailgate. He claimed that if the rubber seal became damaged or compressive-set, then the CO could enter the passenger compt. He was still willing to do the job, but said he felt it was his ethical obligation to tell me of this potential hazard.

Considering we have two little ones and the 'Pig (short for the affectionate nickname "Pigspedition") is my wife's vehicle and out travel vehicle, I decided to just go with the glasspack and the stainless tip exiting at the stock side rear location, atleast until I can research this CO buildup issue further. Result? The single stainless tip looks good and sounds rumbly now, and if we change our minds later, we can always go back and get the full crossover dual system done for about the same incremental cost difference. I'm thinking that a Flowmaster would be less "Boomy" than the glasspack, and I think my friend's dual setup sounds a little better, but I only spent $110 out the door and am happy for now.

Please let me know if you run across any info regarding exhaust gasses/CO hazard from rear-exiting tip(s).

 

The CO issues is quite true. Many of the Bronco owners have them out the back, and you can really smell the exhaust with the back window down. Chances are you won't run into much trouble on the Expy, even if the back window seal has a small leak, but the possibility still exists.

 

Remember that if you ever hope to go off road, do nothing to decrease the ground clearance, especially of the exhaust system. I pulled a stuck F-250 truck backwards out of a sandy wash at Big Bend National Park one time, and he looked good until he high centered on his side exit exhausts (under the running boards) as we got to good solid ground. Moved eveything forward a foot into the engine compartment. I'll bet that was one noisy, smelly ride to get to the paved park road 11 miles away.