hooker sidepipe muffler replacement?anybody do it?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 112
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From: n.h.
hooker sidepipe muffler replacement?anybody do it?
hooker makes glasspack and reverse flow muffler insert replacements for thier 4" sidepipes..has anybody tried replacing these ?? much of a project? how do they fasten in ?? do they go in from the front or the rear ??
am considering doing this instead of buying all new sidepipes...
am considering doing this instead of buying all new sidepipes...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,563
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Re: hooker sidepipe muffler replacement?anybody do it? (techrondon)
Talk to JCL on this forum about his spiral baffles for these pipes. 100% improvement over Hooker inserts! :chevy
[Modified by MassVette, 1:10 PM 8/11/2001]
[Modified by MassVette, 1:10 PM 8/11/2001]
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 36
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From: Jacksonville, FL
Done it once
I pulled them out of the Hookers on my '63 many years ago. They had only been on the car a few months. The insert has to come out the front of the sidepipe. You've got to spread the sidepipe clamp open and free it up from the collector. it slides over the collector a good 3 or 4 inches. Get some KANO "Crawling Oil". It's the best penetrant that I've found. You will still need to beat & fram on the sidepipe to drive it off. Anticipate some metal straightening afterwards.
The insert is "slip fit" in the side pipe, held by the two cone shaped ends (the middle of the insert does not touch the sidepipe). Stand it up with the front facing the ground. Bang it down on a piece of wood and eventually the insert will work its way to the end. (more straightening)
The Hooker inserts are 36" long. The inside is only about 2" in diamater. They cause a lot of restriction. I removed mine, cut them in half, and rewelded new cone shaped ends. That opened up the exhaust so much, I had to rejet the carburetor. If you can find a freer flowing insert, go for it. BTW, I ran mine without inserts for a while. Conversations in the car were impossible. Store windows vibrated and everyone at the intersection rolled up their windows when I stopped at a light. But, I drownded the boom boxes on wheels!!!
The insert is "slip fit" in the side pipe, held by the two cone shaped ends (the middle of the insert does not touch the sidepipe). Stand it up with the front facing the ground. Bang it down on a piece of wood and eventually the insert will work its way to the end. (more straightening)
The Hooker inserts are 36" long. The inside is only about 2" in diamater. They cause a lot of restriction. I removed mine, cut them in half, and rewelded new cone shaped ends. That opened up the exhaust so much, I had to rejet the carburetor. If you can find a freer flowing insert, go for it. BTW, I ran mine without inserts for a while. Conversations in the car were impossible. Store windows vibrated and everyone at the intersection rolled up their windows when I stopped at a light. But, I drownded the boom boxes on wheels!!!
