Last week, a good friend of mine and myself gutted the 2nd of the two converters on the F-150 in my signature. After we got it gutted, I left it straight out. The rear of the 2nd converter is right under the passenger side of the seat.

It helped out the sound of the truck ALOT, but I wanted more. So, I decided to take on the task of gutting the front converter. I helped a buddy yesterday with his Blazer by cutting his converter off and driving it to the local muffler shop to have a glasspack welded on. For my services, he paid to have a glasspack muffler welded right onto the gutted 2nd converter. It was also a straight-out flow.

That REALLY quietened it down... I was just missing that good 'ol sound I had before. So, as said above, I took on the task last night of gutting my front converter.

Now, I don't know how many of you own mid-90's F-150's, but the front converter looks to be a pain to gut... But, it's really not. All I used was a reciprocating saw, a 4-foot steel pipe, and a 3-pound sledge hammer.

After an hour's worth of work, I was finally finished. I fired the truck up to blow out the remainder of dust, chips, jiblets, and steel-mesh from the inside of the converter, and it didn't seem that loud at idle.

Then, I decided to take it down the road... It is VERY loud! I pulled out of my driveway onto my little 'ol country road, and drove at barely above idle past my neighbor's houses. All of their homes are about 100 feet from the road. When I got back, 3 out of the 5 neighbors that I drove by called and told me that I rattled the windows in the homes! Thank God they're all kin folks!

If the truck is revved to anything above idle, it rattles my ear drums. I'm driving it to the muffler shop Monday to have it welded back together, just as it was before the gutting job. I should REALLY be able to hear that glasspack now!

I know that this practice is illegal, and is subject to many, many fines and broken laws, but I'm taking that chance. I'm not sure if this subject is allowed on FTE's Forums, but I didn't see anything speaking against it. I just wanted to let you all know that you can REALLY wake a 302 up by gutting the converters!!

Nightrain

 

gas milege should come up to.ford motors like to breathe
i`ve got a 73 f350 with a 302 running stock manifolds into 2.5 pipes for about 2 foot
then it dumps into 4inch pipe and runs into 4"flomaster
sounds sweet

 

Nothing wrong with that! I'm already getting about 18 miles per gallon, so if I could get at least 20 out of it, I'd be REALLY satisfied!

I was thinking of buying one of those Flowmaster's off of eBay, but I'm going to wait until I hear this baby run with the glasspack and the cats gutted. I think it'll be music to my ears.

Nightrain

 

Just my personal preference, but I always thought that a car/truck shouldn't be louder than it is fast. My 65 mustang with 360HP has dual exhaust with 30" glasspacks. My truck, a 400 with edelbrock performer intake & cam, will have dual exhaust with turbos or flowmasters. Enough to hear over street tires in town, but barely audible over 70mph highway wind noise.

 

Ugh... I had my exhaust welded back together today, glasspack included, and I don't like it. I can hear it, but it just isn't as powerful as before. I'm going to give it about another week and see if I can crack the packing in the glasspack with some cold water.

If it doesn't bust, it's being cut off at the weld-seam, right where it meets the gutted second converter. Then I should be able to hear it ALOT better.

Nightrain

 

One of your biggest notices in sound will be where the pipe dumps out. If the cats dumped out under the seat then you will definitely hear it. When you add the length of the glasspack it only takes it farther from your ears. Also you are now used to the sound of wide open straight pipes. I have found that 40 series Flowmasters have a great deep tone without taking alot away from the engine noise itself.

 

How the heck did a 302 end up in a 73 F350?? That's just wrong..... Leave the 390 or drop in a 460.

 

Yeah, I have gotten used to the sound of the straight pipes. I'm just waiting to see how all of this turns out. It seems like the glasspack is getting a little louder, but I'm going to try and crack it with some cold water this weekend.

BTW, just for my knowledge, what is the LOUDEST muffler there is, especially for my situation? I've talked with some other guys, and they all said that the Cherry Bomb glasspack is the loudest, hands-down.

Nightrain

 

I have heard that Cherry Bombs are by far the loudest. I have always been a fan of loud with a somewhat deep mellow tone that only flowmaster has seemed to offer. I am not down grading Cherry Bombs but, they have a little too much "popping" for me. Entirely up to the person paying for them.

 

v10man
changed running gear to 97 f350 with 460in it ,blowed up 460 just about time gas went to 3$ a gal.Had 302 laying in floor and all parts to install
gets about 18 mi to gal. LOL

 

As long as they're loud, that's what I want.

I wish I could hear a truck like mine before I dished out $30 for one. I tried shooting some cold water into my glasspack today. It sizzled and popped, but it hasn't gotten any louder.

I LOVE Flowmasters, but everyone around here has them, and I don't want to dish out for them. To buy one and have it installed, just WELDING it on, my muffler shop wanted $125 for the muffler and the labor. That's more than I want to dish out...

A $30 Cherry Bomb is more my speed. I'm going to see how this g'pack I have now turns out, then I might decide to go with a Cherry Bomb.

Nightrain

 

How much of a difference in sound did gutting the cat closest to the manifolds make? Did it seem to change the exhaust tone at all or mostly just make it louder? How loud does it sound in the interior? I plan to cut out the 2nd cat sometime soon and replace it with a longer cherry bomb but leave the 1st to hopefully keep it somewhat mellow for now... (temporary set up until i can go with a chambered muffler(s) I want to be able to carry out a conversation inside the cab! BTW this is a '89 302 with no muffler and dual tips that end before the rear axle. I can barely even hear the exhaust without a muffler...

 

Well, here was my setup before hand...

When I first bought this truck over a year and a half ago, it had straight-pipe duals run from the 2nd converter out the rear with standard tips on it. It sounded okay, but I wanted it louder. Eventually when the tips started rusting out, I had the muffler shop cut the duals off, and leave about a foot of pipe past the rear converter. Then, I had them weld a turn-down tip on it. That didn't make it any louder.

Then, two weeks ago, a buddy of mine and me cut off the turn-down and gutted the rear converter. It was nice and loud. It really was. It had an excellent tone in the cab, and it sounded good outside. Then, I gutted the front (1st) converter. It was LOUD. It sounded sooooo good, but it was loud. Now with this glasspack, it quietened it down, but the packing is starting to crack and it's getting louder.

It is really good and loud with both of the converters busted out and no tip at the rear of the 2nd converter, if you can stand it anyway. I'm still thinking of cutting my g'pack off, but I still don't know.

If you need any advice or help on your converter gutting job, just let me know.

Nightrain

 

Just give the glasspack some time... keep shooting water in it and eventually it should get ALMOST as loud as a straight pipe. My '90 F-150 w/351w has the 2nd cat removed going into a 18" Redhot 'pack exiting in front of the rear tire and it took awhile before it started sounding good (I too was shooting water in it)

 

I heard that. It seems to be getting louder, but I miss that sound.

I went today to the parts store and traded in a serpentine belt for a Cherry Bomb Turbo muffler. I should've got the CB glasspack, but I figured this is what everyone was talking about. It seems to be a straight-thru muffler, (no packing), which has minimal back-pressure. I think I'm going to go back and get my money back, though.

I'm planning on going to the garage later tonight when the truck cools off and cutting that glasspack off. I can't stand it any longer!!

Nightrain