I am looking at replacing my '50's Headman Headers with Ford Power Train headers and performance mufflers with 2" tailpipes on my '57 T-Bird. I'm considering Flowmasters and Magna Flow. The local exhaust shop that I am thinking about having install from the headers back recomends Magnaflo. Says Flomasters don't have as good a warranty and sound tinny. Seem to have heard that before. What do you guys like?  Don't want it to be TOO loud. Actually like the sound of the stock system but need less restrictive mufflers and bigger pipes.  Also curious as to how you bypass/unhook the headers for the strip. My old Headmans use the stock exhaust pipe and I just welded 2" water pipe cutouts in the exhaust pipes. I'm guessing I will have to fabricate cutouts or have the exhaust shop do it.

Glass packs, chambered mufflers sound like shit in my opinion

The Magnaflos I looked at today were straight thu.  No baffels that I could see. You may be talking about Flowmasters. I have heard complaints about the sound of them before.

A comment about the FPA headers.
I opted for the additional cost of the ceramic coating which after 3 years has turned to shit.
Pitts and rust popping thru in a garage kept car is unacceptable in my book.
To there credit they said they would recoat for free if I shipped the tubes back to them.

On some of my other cars I have used Jet Hot for their ceramic coating. I will be sending my FPA headers to Jet Hot and have them do the ceramic coating.

Thats my story. Oldmics

Back in '68 I had a set of those "firing order specific" Hedman tri-y's. Good headers.

I've got a set of FPA 4 tubes on my bird now. 2 1/4", with Hushmasters in the original location under the X frame. I had to add a set of resonators at the back, they were just too rappy under power or down a hill. I had a set of Stainless Specialties on before with the Red's tri-y's and 2" pipes. Doing it again, I'd pay the price to have Stainless build me a pair in 2 1/4". They were great on the bird, and great on my F-code roadster with 2 1/2" pipes.

My buddy has a set of Smitty's (Smithy's?) on his scrub, and they sound great. 2" pipe, no H pipe, 350cid mild motor.

Edit.

I had my headers coated by the same outfit in Auburn WA that FPA used then. Been fine for years. But my headers were run by Ted on his Dyno before coating. 12 pulls if I remember correctly. They said they were the cleanest, most burned in set they'd ever seen. Good to know they're standing behind the work.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

I have the 2” In – 2” Out Smitty’s on both my ’50 Custom with a Flattie and my ’55 Customline with the 272.  Both cars have a nice mellow sound without being too loud.  I have the 3” In – 3” Out chambered Magnaflow look-alikes on my ’66 Fairlane with a 390 and it’s simply loud.  Not popping loud but just a loud roar.  My dyno headers for the Y engines have DynaFlo straight thru mufflers on them and have held up well now for eight years.  These mufflers were also on three of the engines used in previous EMC competitions as in this case, the headers actually make better power numbers with the mufflers on the headers than running the headers without mufflers.. 

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

The magnaflows are probably what's known as Turbo mufflers.  They have a straight through design like a glass pack, but are not a glass pack.

I've only used 2 mufflers so far, Flowtech Purple Hornies Glass packs and Hooker Aerochamber.  2 1/2" pipes from header to muffler, with an X-pipe, for both.  Purple Hornies are 3" in/out, header flange mount.  Aerochamber are 2 1/2" in/out.  Turn downs for both, no tailpipe.
Idle sound level is about the same.  Cruise and wide open, the glass packs are much louder.  The exhaust note seemed about the same, only varying sound level.

The Purple Hornies on my current engine are intolerable.  Even short trips would have my ears ringing.  I did use them on a smaller displacement, lower compression, and less free-breathing engine with an H-pipe and it was tolerable.

The problem with this info is that the sound level is largely dependent on the performance level of the engine, and exhaust tube sizing.  So you may not experience my results, unless you have the exact same setup.

Regarding bypassing the mufflers, there are many products for that, from a simple cap that you unscrew to electrically controlled that open with the push of a button.
Frank Rice has an F-code which he has an X-pipe installed and he says it runs no different with or without mufflers.  In that case, messing with cutouts would not even be necessary.  But he has  a full size car and I have a truck, so lots more room to work with.  I have not tested that with my truck.


Lawrenceville, GA

I have been thinking about using Porter mufflers on my 55 Fairlane, 292 yblock with dual exhaust, cast iron manifolds. They sound good reading about them, but has anybody had any real life experience with them? How did they do - sound quality, durability,etc.? Thanks!

Hi BamaBob

Hope this works. Here's a link to my Parklane with Porters. I really like them, they mellow out at speed. I have an H pipe too. Sorry the video isn't longer or I didn't jump on the accelerator harder.

Roll tide!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3oYGG3cUIZ8


MplsMike
'56 Parklane
Minneapolis, MN

I'd go Porters or Smithy's. I've got Smithy's on my wagon and I get alot of compliments on how it sounds. I'm real happy with how it sounds. I have never liked the tin can sound of the Magna Flow mufflers. They sound horrible even on new cars.

Durham Missouri