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Is it difficult to swap the inserts on side pipes? I will install header/side pipes this winter (probably Dougs)
I was thinking to having reverse flows and high flow inserts and swap them when needed.
Quiet for daily drives and dinners out with the wife and swap them for shows and more spirited driving.
Is it a quick or easy swap?
Those pipes can be a bitch to get apart. You might want to try some anti-sieze on them.
Just my opinion - Doug's pipes are a good choice but I would probably just put some capped STS baffles in there and forget about it. Rumor has it STS stopped capping them but I would still do it. I did see where someone capped them at the outlet with a removable threaded cap. Thats a great idea.
Go to Car Chemistry and see if they have something that will work for you. I am going to purchase their 2.5 baffles for my 66 with side pipes. The noise on the highway is driving me crazy. Jerry
They are a pain to take apart and replace. Not difficult by any means but you don't want to do it back and forth. I had "earplug required" inserts when I bought my car. I tried a bubba built insert that a friend had and it was still too loud. I bought Hooker glass packs and the sound was acceptable but too restrictive. I finally cut the ends off of the old inserts and welded them to 22" Magnaflow glass packs. I can now hear the radio and carry on a conversation at cruise and it has the deep mellow Magnaflow sound. Best of all it isn't very restrictive and you definitely hear it under moderate to hard acceleration.
Old burned out pipes
Ready to cut. About 4".
The cut off ends. The inner pipe has to be cut out also.
A look down the Magnaflow 22" 2 1/4" inside.
The cut ends fitted.
Ready for assembly. Make sure you have the correct ends on each pipe. One end is larger diameter than the other. You need large and small on each muffler.
Ready to weld. This one is actually 18". It was too loud for my taste so I have done this twice.
If anyone is interested in the 18" inserts they are available. Just PM me.
As already stated it's not an easy swap. You have to decide which way you want to go and live with it. I have tried STS, Sweet Thunder 2 1/4" and eventually decided to suffer the performance loss and went with reverse flow.
I will say it is not difficult if you use anti-seize and don't care if the tabs scratch your paint (it takes some rocking and twisting). It takes me about 20 minutes per side, I don't have nice paint so that helps. The high flow inserts are very loud but allow for less power loss than the smaller Glass Packs or reverse flow inserts (part of that depends on your CI/HP, more cubes/HP = more loss with the Glass Packs/rev flow). I will say I personally wouldn't want to do it more than a couple times a month even up on the kwik lift.
They are a pain to take apart and replace. Not difficult by any means but you don't want to do it back and forth. I had "earplug required" inserts when I bought my car. I tried a bubba built insert that a friend had and it was still too loud. I bought Hooker glass packs and the sound was acceptable but too restrictive. I finally cut the ends off of the old inserts and welded them to 22" Magnaflow glass packs. I can now hear the radio and carry on a conversation at cruise and it has the deep mellow Magnaflow sound. Best of all it isn't very restrictive and you definitely hear it under moderate to hard acceleration.
Old burned out pipes
Ready to cut. About 4".
The cut off ends. The inner pipe has to be cut out also.
A look down the Magnaflow 22" 2 1/4" inside.
The cut ends fitted.
Ready for assembly. Make sure you have the correct ends on each pipe. One end is larger diameter than the other. You need large and small on each muffler.
Ready to weld. This one is actually 18". It was too loud for my taste so I have done this twice.
If anyone is interested in the 18" inserts they are available. Just PM me.
Side pipe - swapable inserts??
