who has, how do you like em? sound? performance?

 

I had the chrome version about 4 years.
When they started looking funky I had them Jet Hot coated.
I like 'em a lot better now that they are no longer six different colors of blue and brown :lol:
For mufflers I have Magnum 2 1/4" glass packs.
Sound? loud.
Performance? loud.

 

mufflers? what do you do, just stick em in the sidepipe tubes?

 

Yes, the mufflers just slide into the side tubes. There are pretty much three main choices.

Hooker Reverse Flow Mufflers - Flow the worst and REALLY hold back your engine.
Hooker Glasspack Mufflers - Flow much better than the reverse flows.
JCL Spiral Baffles - Quiet down the exhaust and have been compared to running open headers.

JCLs are the way to go....but at $300 for the pair, start saving your pennies :)

 

If you click on my web site, you can hear mine with the JCL spiral inserts. These are the best inserts I have found after extensive searching with regard to both noise control and minimal horsepower loss. I am very pleased with them! I now need to make a new recording of the engine above 5000 rpm!
http://blue69l88.homestead.com/l88.html

Chuck


[Modified by Chuck Harmon, 10:09 PM 12/16/2001]

 

I bought the complete set from Ecklers. Headers, sidepipes, and reverse flow mufflers. I loved the look but did not like the sound. I hooked up with forum member JCL at http://www.spiralturbobaffles.com he makes a baffles that slips in, flows better and sounds great. Several forum members have bought them from him and highly recommend them. The reverse flow mufflers are 200.00 from Ecklers and the baffles from JCL are 300.00 well work the extra bucks if you want true sidepipe sounds and performance.

As for the finish I bought chrome but if I was to do it over again I would get jet hot coating. I will probably have mine redone. Hope this helps. :seeya

 

Great looking car and sounds cool too. :cool:

 

I love em.

The performance sucks, I made my own mufflers/baffles. I gained horsepower but I also gained a lot of noise, but I haven't been pulled over yet...... I think I'll open them up a bit more this winter for more power.

 

Dumb question, but cant you just run (without the mufflers) the side tubes?

How would that sound? Perform?

 

not sure about performanc but ever run open headers? im assuming they are just as loud

 

MikeC,

How is the performance bad? Compared to what type of exhaust ? Did you dyno before and after HH and side pipes, or did you take it to the track before and after and have time slips that show this ? Or is this just a seat of the pants feel ? More info please, I dont have any real world testing of my own yet. 72 Vette can you chime in on this one ? Thanks :seeya


[Modified by ScubaJKD, 10:03 AM 12/17/2001]

 

Chuck,

Are the sidepipes in your picture hot coated? They look great...

 

72 Vette, had his Jet Hot Coated. They look great. I am going to go ahead and do the Jet Hot Coating. I have another post going right now discussing this process. :seeya

 

Two cents here:
You wont find a better sound, or freer fllowing setup, BUT:

The fit is close, but you WILL have to mod the front of the drivers side rocker moulding. 68-72, and some later folks have had the same prob. That piece is expensive to replace, but can be done with a little grinding, and glassed back up if you want to repair. I had hooker sidepipes, removed them, and fixed the rocker moulding myself, no big deal. There may be a way to alleviate that prob, maybe double exh manifold gaskets, not sure.

Road grime and grit thrown up by the front tire really does a job on the pipes, especially directly behind the front tires, and where they first exit from under the car and come around to the sides. Imagine sand blasting. Thats exactly what happeneds. If you daily drive, you will really have to pay close attention to maintenance. Mine were black, and I was constantly repaiting them in said area. The chrome ones tend to "fog" up from little scratches from the constant exposure of flying sand and grit from the front tires. Also, dry the collectors very closely after washing, where the headers "snake" together. They are very prone to rust from collected water if you dont.

I really got tired of the upkeep, and switched them out

 

Bryan. Will have some Dyno tests shortly. Both on BB's, but should show some difference in power. I remember MassVette had some done a while back with reverse flows (i think) and nothing. I believe he said he lost almost 100HP. CHOKE!! And the open exhaust is so loud. I changed sidepipes to the long tip, and tried them without baffles. Dba's went from 81 to 97. Now thats a jump. Don't get me wrong the "383" sound fantastic, for about 5 minutes. Anybody that can drive their Vette without has got to be deaf. And if you can get away with it, then the cops got to be deaf !!! Bryan is your BEAST running yet? JCL :cool: :cool: :chevy

 

74jack,

Thanks for the compliment! Yes, the pipes have been coated by Jet Hot. They guarantee their work for life, but you will have to pay for the shipping, not cheap! Someone suggested running open pipes. I ran open pipes for the first half hour while running in the cam. Even with ear protectors it is loud at 2500 rpm. When I jazzed the throttle toward the end (I just couldn't resist!) my wife who was standing outside the garage on the front lawn wearing ear protectors jumped. I scared her half to death! I think I could break window glass! The size and compression does greatly intensify the sound, but even so they would still be loud on a L48.

Chuck

 

JCL, I would love to see your dyno tests. I should be starting my beast very soon. She is comming together nicely. Check out the website. :seeya

 

Bryan, Not tests, no timeslips on the on system. I had manifolds and 2 1/4" dual, no cats. But From hooker mufflers to mine that I made, there is a definite seat of the pants feel.

Hookers mufflers holes through the glas pack are about 1 3/4" in diamter plus you have to subtract the area for the louvers.

As for open exhaust, my engine is fairly calm and there is not a chance i would run it on the street without mufflers way to f'n loud

 

Very, Very NICE!! Yellow 72 :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :seeya

 

Okay, another stupid question.

I'm thinking about putting on headers and sidepipes, but wonder
about the legal issues concerning the cat. converter. Also, can they
be installed by a shop since the converters are being eliminated??

Thanks.