I have a 96 f250 with a 351. im interested in a catback exhaust kit. the only kit flowmaster makes for this truck is with a series 70 big block muffler. is anyone farmiliar with this muffler? will it sound good? I want one that sounds good and grunty when i get on it, but doesnt annoy me on the highway. i found this kit online for only $260. ive also heard that the flowmaster mufflers rust out fast. is this true?

is there a kit from another manufacturer that would be good? I'd like to spend under $300.

thanks

 

I just installed the same kit you are thinking about on my 94 351. it sounds good it idle and under acceleration, but is quiet at a cruise, between 50-60 nothing at all. faster and it gets just a little bit louder, I can just barely hear it on the interstate. Your truck may be just a little bit louder if your motor is turning more rpm's because of different gears than I have. 3.55
I don't know anything about them rusting out faster than others, mine is only about a month old.
if you get this kit I recomend picking up new rubber mounts from a store. They arn't included in the kit and mine were in pretty sad shape after getting the origional parts off so I replaced all three.

 

Check out your local muffler shops, I was about to buy a cat back Flowmaster kit and just decided to stop by the muff. shop out of curiosity and $189.00 later I had a cat back Flowmaster installed.. It's worth checking on. It did sound good though, not too loud.

That was on another truck I don't have anymore....(A Chebby 350 CID)

 

If you're worried about rusting your best bed would be finding some stainless.......or at the very least aluminized steel pipes....the flowmasters last a good while and I have yet to see one rust to the extent that they get holes.....I've seen it more than once on trucks where if the trucks are rode hard and put away wet out in the woods.....the inlet or outlet tubes break off the main body........Definately get new rubber mounts.......flowmaster always has a good sound.......my GP's make me wanna floor it all the time.....ha ha.and shops do install the kits for less than you buy them as a DIY kit.Make sure the shop you go to is reputable and the welds look good....also make sure they don't weld the tip hangers to the frame...I've seen too much of that BS.Luck

JR

 

Good point, they did do mine that way. I didn't like it but it seemed to work ok and I think with a MIG welder the heat is not to much of an issue. In fact I think it's kind of the norm at most muffler shops these days unless you specify.

 

Oh I was also gonna mention I ran the previous truck with the cat in for about a year and it had good tone. Then I removed the cat and it got quite a bit louder. I was surprised how much the cat muffled it.

 

Check out Ebay, I have found a few good deals on there but the best thing to do is to go to a muffler shop and get them to bend you up some pipes and install em for you. I would buy a new flowmaster (if thats what you want) and just get them to install it for you. Only thing about a flowmaster cat back is that they have mandral bent pipe so it flows better than what the muffler shops offer. I dont think you could tell a difference though. As for Flowmaster rusting through I have noticed that they burn or rust through at the "V" or "delta" and where they weld the inlets and outlets. If you live up north in the snow I would go stainless but if not aluminized is fine. Thing is I dont think flowmaster offers anything in stainless.

 

I have the Flowmaster catback setup and love it. Sounds good, not too loud at highway speeds. (my tires take care of the high speed noises)

 

My F-250 with a 460 in it *only* has the cat... No mufflers. Surprisingly, it idles fairly quiet, and actually sounds pretty good when I'm driving it. Not as horribly loud as one would think. It's got a broken A.I.R tube on it, so it gets a little rhaspy at times, but I'll eventually fix that.

Someday I may run some good pipes out the back, and do away with the turndown that's coming out the back of it, but not right now. Too cold and snowy around here.