1961 T Bird Custom Exhaust

[askiles]

Hey there guys! New to the forum, and just recently acquired a 1961 T Bird. It has what looks to be a somewhat hacked together custom exhaust on there, with 2 glasspack mufflers mid car, and I really want to change it. I lowered the car 3" all the way around, this pieced together monstrosity of an exhaust actually sags and hits bumps in the road. I would love to get a nice custom 2" or 2 1/2" exhaust with some Flowmaster Series 40 mufflers done on it. Does anyone sell anything like this, or am I looking at finding a nice custom exhaust shop? Does anyone have pics of their custom exhausts? I would love to see what some people have had done. Thanks!!

-Andy

[Yadkin]

I'm not aware of a kit for this car. I hired a guy to install a "kit" from Magnaflow, really a one-size-fits-none, and the results were embarrassing.

Then I got smart, talked to a few guys in the classic car community here, and they recommended a local shop. He built one from my Sanderson Headers on back, using Magnaflo mufflers for a Mustang. He only charged me $350 for a complete 2.5" system with H pipe and modern rod-type hangers. It's almost a work of art, symmetrical from the H on back.

Find a guy that likes to do classics.

[askiles]

That sounds great! At a great price as well! Do you have any pics that I could see of it? Any videos of the sound of it? Thanks for the help.

[Wudro]

If you can't find anything and need to find a shop, check out Apache Muffler on Main St. in Mesa. Great work and familiar with Classic Cars.

[RustyNCa]

I'm not aware of a kit for this car. I hired a guy to install a "kit" from Magnaflow, really a one-size-fits-none, and the results were embarrassing.

Then I got smart, talked to a few guys in the classic car community here, and they recommended a local shop. He built one from my Sanderson Headers on back, using Magnaflo mufflers for a Mustang. He only charged me $350 for a complete 2.5" system with H pipe and modern rod-type hangers. It's almost a work of art, symmetrical from the H on back.

Find a guy that likes to do classics.

The premade kits never really fit right, I agree 100% with Yadkin on this, find a really good performance fab guy, but I've never got a custom exhaust for only $350. That sounds like a killer deal.

Personally, I would avoid the flowmasters, I have them on our olds, and had them on our Camaro, they drone terribly and sound awful if you run them out toward the end of the system. If you find a good exhaust guy, he can tell you what to run to get the sound you want.

Cheers
RustyNCA

[askiles]

Thanks Wudro, I will check out Apache Muffler. I believe I am not too far from them.

Rusty, knowing the sounds of many mufflers, Flowmaster 40's are exactly what I want. But thanks!!

[simplyconnected]

I had 3-chamber Flowmasters on my Mustang. With the 5.0HO it sounded ok. When I went to a 351W with a cam, those same mufflers sounded so loud my radio/CD player was useless. I kept them anyway and after many years, finally blew holes through the backs of both.

Beefy/throaty sound comes from the cam you use and piston diameters. That's why Harleys never sound like Gold Wings. - Dave

[askiles]

Simply, so are you saying I should just change my cam and pistons?? LOL ;-)

[simplyconnected]

All joking aside, you probably have a 390 so your pistons are good. If you want that 'big boy' sound, hook that FE up with a 260 degree duration cam.

BTW, you're going to gain some ponies, too. - Dave

[askiles]

I do in fact have the 390FE in this bad boy. Thanks for the cam suggestion. That will have to go on the list for future mods.

[RustyNCa]

Thanks Wudro, I will check out Apache Muffler. I believe I am not too far from them.

Rusty, knowing the sounds of many mufflers, Flowmaster 40's are exactly what I want. But thanks!!

I have to say, they sound great in my olds at idle and low rpm, but at 2,500 to 2,800 they make your head hurt from the drone. Perhaps part of that tho is both cars I have flowmasters in were convertibles which always had and have the top down?

[Yadkin]

That sounds great! At a great price as well! Do you have any pics that I could see of it? Any videos of the sound of it? Thanks for the help.

I thought I took pictures when I had the car on a lift but can't find them. So sorry, no. Videos won't do you any good since I don't have the model number of the mufflers. All I know is that they are from a much later model Mustang. They are a tad loud for me and I'll probably end up switching them out.

[Joe Johnston]

Do what you want but it still won't sound as good as a Y-Block!!