best sounding mufflers

D

dave m

Senior Member
need your opinion----whats the best sounding mufflers for 35 coupe with a 36 lb flathead motor--- want to run duals & have a nice rumble but nothing too loud---thanks
 
I have Porters on one, Smithys on one, both sound good, Porters a little quieter, but different cams, so a little bit of apples and oranges. Porters on engine with dual carbs on Eddie Meyer high rise intake and Eddie Meyer heads, Smithys on stock engine with a little bigger cam. Both bored .040, dome top pistons.
 
Add to what I just posted. Both short mufflers, dual exhaust, Reds headers, 1 3/4 pipe, mufflers right behind the headers where they fit in the X of the frame.
 
The best sounding hot rods with flatheads I've heard have no mufflers or very short glasspacks. Mostly highboy coupes and roadsters so the noise goes with the style. They don't have that much compression, so they are not terribly loud. I had a '65 Mustang with 10.5:1 compression and that was way too loud, so it got short glasspacks. It kind of depends on where and how much you're going to drive it. I admit, as I get older the loud noise isn't as soothing as it once was.

I own the Mitchell Muffler Pickup ('28 Ford). The first hot rod in America to have glasspack mufflers. Dave Mitchell was the first guy to developed them and sell them in America. He built it first with flathead during WWII and then installed an Olds engine in it in 1950. it's not very loud at all. Somebody shortened the scarce '25 T-bed in the 1960s, it was only made for a few months. I'm looking for a stock '25 bed if somebody sees one. I've had the car for 20-years and so far, I've only seen three rusted out '25 beds and one perfect one. The funny thing is that beautiful straight one is in a front yard about ten-houses away from me and the guy will not sell it. The universe is screwing with me.
 
I suspect the manifolds or headers make a bigger difference on exhaust noise than the mufflers do. My 38 Phaeton has old cherry bomb mufflers on it behind stock manifolds and it is a mellow refined sound. A friend of mine has a set of headers in front of Smittys and they are much louder.
 
with the Reds headers and Smithy's steel pack mufflers I like how my 39 peeekup sounds, hope this helps and lets us know what you end up doing.

No matter what you put out the tailpipe, a Flathead has that great sound anyway:D
 
Kinda like the potato-potato sound of a Harley. There might be better motorcycles, but nothing has a better sound.

Why do Flatheads sound so nice? Is it firing order?
 
JayChicago said:
Kinda like the potato-potato sound of a Harley. There might be better motorcycles, but nothing has a better sound.

Why do Flatheads sound so nice? Is it firing order?
Click to expand...
you know Jay that is exactly what my buddys used to say when I pulled up on my FLHS...Potato-potato-potato:D I ran the Sampson duels that sounded great.
 
I installed 22" Brockman's on my '32

"Re: Brockman Custom Parts: Length and 1 3/4"


Hi Glenn, I would use the 22" body glass packs. But I can't make them smaller than 2" and larger. Sorry Brock..
From: "Brockman Custom Parts" <admin@brockmancustomparts.com>
To: "cj brockman" <cj.brockman@comcast.net>


Hi,
I have a 1932 Ford Roadster with a 59A flathead, 4" stroke, two Stromberg 97s, headers and Max 1 cam; so good performer. I would like to know what length you suggest and hope that I can get 1 3/4" inlet and outlets. I hope you can supply these so I don't have to mess with adapters. I don't want too loud."


I found them a bit loud so slipped exhaust baffles in the end. Just right now.


547512
 
JayChicago said:
Why do Flatheads sound so nice? Is it firing order?
Click to expand...

The firing order will have some influence, but I suspect it's mainly the siamesed central exhaust ports and overall port shapes.

The SBC/BBC/W have essentially the same firing order with only what is the Flathead's 8/2 cylinders swapped. They're closer to each other than a SBF is to either. And we all know a Flathead doesn't sound like a GM engine.
 
For what its' worth, we have a '55 Tbird. It had some very old generic glasspacks when we bought. Restored it and put new Porter's on--sounds the same. Stock original 292.
 
glennpm and I think a like.
I am going to try these in place of my porter mufflers. They will not fit in my 1 3/4 exhaust. The solution is to use a 2 inch pipe the length of the porters and replace. It's on the list. Vance hines long shot baffles out of my Harley.
vance_hines_replacement_baffle_750x750.jpg
 
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