how obnoxious will it sound?
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Biloxi, MS
how obnoxious will it sound?
I've read a lot on here about how the 302 engines run a lot better without the muffler, so I checked with Iowa law, and so long as I have dual catalic converters, I'm "legal", not that I was too worried anyway...
Buddy of mine gave me a reciprocating saw, and I've been pondering doing this for a while, soon as the snow melts... My question is, how loud will this sound? Anybody got a sound clip or anything? A little rumble is fine, but obnoxiously loud might be pushing it, I tend to come home from work really late, and don't hate the neighbors enough that I want to wake them up at 1:00 every morning...
Buddy of mine gave me a reciprocating saw, and I've been pondering doing this for a while, soon as the snow melts... My question is, how loud will this sound? Anybody got a sound clip or anything? A little rumble is fine, but obnoxiously loud might be pushing it, I tend to come home from work really late, and don't hate the neighbors enough that I want to wake them up at 1:00 every morning...
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From: Anchorage Alaska
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Joined: Dec 2007
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It shouldn't sound that bad. I installed plain pipes in place of the mufflers on my old 5.0 Mustang, keeping the cats and full length exhaust in place. It was perfectly fine at idle, rumbly but not noisy. It'll get loud when you put your foot into it, but not as much as you might think.
You'll definitely want fairly long pipes though, they'll help to maintain the engine's torque, and tone down the noise somewhat.
You'll definitely want fairly long pipes though, they'll help to maintain the engine's torque, and tone down the noise somewhat.
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Joined: Apr 2005
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From: Hawkeye Country
It'll be really quiet, I cut the muffler off my 96 and I still couldn't hear it at idle, it had a very slight rumble when revved, if you got about 10 feet away you wouldn't be able to hear it.
I ended up ditching the cats and ran true duals with glasspacks, still at idle it was extremely quiet, also it wouldn't make much noise if I puttered down the road, but damn it got loud at full throttle.
You'll be just fine without the muffler, I've got no idea why Ford thought they needed one that big in the first place.
I ended up ditching the cats and ran true duals with glasspacks, still at idle it was extremely quiet, also it wouldn't make much noise if I puttered down the road, but damn it got loud at full throttle.
You'll be just fine without the muffler, I've got no idea why Ford thought they needed one that big in the first place.
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Joined: Sep 2007
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I have a 1986 F-150 302 EFI, and it has the dual cats into one pipe with another cat set up, so I can tell you about mine.
I did it. I cut the exhaust off about to right under the door. It's about 3 feet behind the door. Still has all the cats. It definitely made it louder. At first, I could hear the sound hitting off the bottom of the bed or something, and it sounded like I could hear a "SHHHHH" sound with it, sometimes.
After a couple of weeks of it bothering me if it sounded like that to other people, I told my g/f to drive it up the road, normal driving, but take it to 2500RPM each gear.
Man, it brought a smile to my face. Did not sound like crap at all. Sounded like it had an exhaust system put on. Of course, she also had to floor it when she hit third gear, but it sounded good, but pretty loud. Then she cruised on down the road in 4th, and I heard it. Not too loud, but a nice deep growl. Didn't sound like some mufflerless trash, really. But sound is subjective.
I did it. I cut the exhaust off about to right under the door. It's about 3 feet behind the door. Still has all the cats. It definitely made it louder. At first, I could hear the sound hitting off the bottom of the bed or something, and it sounded like I could hear a "SHHHHH" sound with it, sometimes.
After a couple of weeks of it bothering me if it sounded like that to other people, I told my g/f to drive it up the road, normal driving, but take it to 2500RPM each gear.
Man, it brought a smile to my face. Did not sound like crap at all. Sounded like it had an exhaust system put on. Of course, she also had to floor it when she hit third gear, but it sounded good, but pretty loud. Then she cruised on down the road in 4th, and I heard it. Not too loud, but a nice deep growl. Didn't sound like some mufflerless trash, really. But sound is subjective.
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Joined: Aug 2006
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Should be alright
Going straight pipe off the cats, it'll be rumbly but not that much of a pain for your neighbors, so far as being legal. Hell you live in Iowa you have no state inspection out there and I'd be willing to wager your truck is better put together than 80% of the wrecks I've seen running around on the roads in IA (Lived in IA for 3.5 years)
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Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Hampstead, NC
my 351 only has the Cat on it. I cut the pipe off right after it. As long as Im easin around it has a bit of rumble but nothing obnoxious, about 4,000RPMs is a different story. She'll talk to ya.
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