Anyone ever used these inserts made by Dawson Headers in their hooker sidemounts? I found them mentioned in the Jan 02 issue of Vette in an article on page 60 about an orange 71 LS6. They are supposed to be less restrictive than the Hooker inserts. They're located in CA so any of you CA guys heard of them? Thanks for any replies. :cheers:

 

I have never heard of the Dawson inserts. I use the Spiral Turbo Baffles and love them. They have very little, if any, restriction and sound great.

 

I have not heard of them, but I would be interested in any non restrictive exhaust for my sidepipes. If you do find any information please pass it along.

 

Below is the email response I got back from them.

"Hi mark,
Theinserts we build for the 4" Covette sidetubes area 21/2"
sraight through perforated core style muffler. For
comparison, the largest available from hooker is a 13/4"
louvered core.
We have had reports from customers with 500hp motors that the
mufflers alone can be worth as much as 50+ hp over the
smaller Hooker muffler.
The case is the same as the Hooker, so the muffler fits and
installs the same way. The cost is $250.00 per pair plus
shipping. Lead time is about 3 weeks.
Any further questions, let me know.
SHop # is (909) 928 - 0969 my cell# is (909) 518 - 3876

Thanks,
Tom"


Not sure how these compare in sound or efficiency to the spiral baffles but it is another alternative to the crummy Hooker inserts. How bout it JCL, a side-by-side dyno & sound comparison would be interesting! They also told me you can order them packed with fiberglass material or without (louder but probably less restrictive) and that most order them without. Still looking for someone who has them or someone local to CA who can go check them out for us. :confused: I'll post more as I get their responses to my questions.
:cheers:


[Modified by Marks69BB, 11:04 AM 11/15/2002]

 

I can add my 2 cents on this topic I think as I have used the JCL baffles and I currently have Dynomax Magnum glass packs. I am sure JCL baffles perform as claimed, but if you want a deep RUMBLE at idle and a guttural ROAR at full throttle you can't beat my setup especially at about 20 bucks each and a little fabrication. I too would like to see a dyno comparison JCL baffles@ $300.00 vs. the Dynomax straight thru muffler @ about$50.00 :cheers:


[Modified by yellow 72, 1:10 PM 11/15/2002]

 

there is a mag called corvette cars and parts , that did a story on installing side pipes this month , and a good bit of story covered what kind of insert to use. I think it's got a white 71 on the cover.

 

Hey Yellow 72 can you give us more info on the Dynomax mufflers such as what modifications and did you lose alot of power over the JCL's. Oh and part #s. :cool: :cheers:

 

I used the gutted Hooker muffler cases. I cut the end caps off and welded them to the magnum glasspacks and then welded them back in the case. They are 2 1/4" in/out, you can use the 2 1/2" muffler which has a 4" case if you don't use the Hooker case.
I sure couldn't feel any seat of the pants difference in performance between the JCL baffles and the Magnums....if anything it feels stronger on the low end with the glasspacks. Keep in mind I'm not looking for that last 5 hp @7500 RPM, I Just wanted a less restrictive and better sounding exhaust than the Hooker mufflers. I tried the JCL baffles and while I think it's a quality piece, I flat didn't like their sound in comparision to the Dynomax mufflers...and as a bonus the're dirt cheap... :cheers:

 

A 2" straight-through glass pack insert cost me 95 H.P. on my dyno runs. Now I run JCL Spiral Turbo baffles.
:yesnod: :chevy :chevy :yesnod:

 

Was that the Hooker glasspack? If so, mine was the louvered core type which bring that 2" inner dia down to at most 1 1/2".

Now, I run 2 1/2" perferated core (inner diameter = 2 1/2") glasspacks and I'd put them against anything out there. After all, this is the same design as the Dynomax Bullet Race mufflers.

I think it's ridiculous at the prices people want for these muffler inserts. I bought two stainless steel perferated core tubes ( 2 1/2" x 30" long) for $15 ($10 for the aluminized steel) each and 10 sq ft of fiberglass for $7.50. A little welding ($30 at muffler shop) and your done. I used the stock muffler's end pieces bored out to accept the 2 1/2" pipe. I also used the side tubes as the "outer" casing of the muffler (as it was on my Hooker glasspacks).

 

Yep, I just measured the original Hooker mufflers that cmae with my header/pipes and the core is 1 3/4" and with it being louvered a 3/4" socket is the largest that will drop thru!
Not too hard to improve upon this junk :cheers: