budget performance 390 muffler

[neo-Redneck]

i drive a 71 F250 with a 390 fe and an aux fuel tank, i have no preference in engine tone (other than not outrageously loud) but want to install the most performance oriented muffler that wont break my wallet.

i require no CAT and my muffler work is free, i have a 2in single downpipe, and ill have all new pipe after the muffler.
my existing stock system has more holes in it than obamas presidential campaign, and its severely robbing my power and mileage, whats the most cost/power efficient muffler option out there? and if preference will effect this question, my new system will be short and side out or down pipe.

anyone want to offer their two cents?

[HOWDY69]

Years ago my dad had duals put on the truck at Midas or someplace similar. The driver side makes a loop under the frame rail to miss the aux tank. They exit in front of the tires.

[neo-Redneck]

i'll be keeping my exhaust single, and using the original downpipe but chopping and trashing the system before the original muffler.

my question is what muffler i should use and what specs? outlet size? muffler type? in order to attain the most power from the engine.

[BiggDogg]

Hooker Aerochambers have pretty good flow rates. There is a post somewhere in the forums with flow rate data. You get a lot of bang for your buck in my opinion. They sound good too. I'll see if I can find that post...

[BobbyFord]

2" is very small and restrictive for a V8 engine. I recommend 2-1/2" I prefer Magnaflow mufflers: http://www.magnaflow.com/

[BiggDogg]

Here are some links and info BobbyFord posted in another topic about a year ago:

A guy at 460ford.com that owns a dyno did a muffler test a few years back. He tested several different muffler brands on the same engine. His findings were that Flowmaster mufflers actually caused a decrease in horsepower. The two best mufflers that he tested were Dynomax and Magnaflow (both of which I think sound better anyway).

A lot of it depends on the model of Flowmaster tested for most street driven vehicles flowmasters are over the top because of the lack of restriction but in racing circuits that require mufflers flowmasters are the domnant choice. Flowmaster started out as a muffler for race vehicles and then just used their credibility in that arena (and peoples desire to sound like a race car) as a marketing tool. It worked quite well for a long time until the Magnaflow's and the Dynomax's. Even so, for most vehicles the horsepower gained by scrapping the Flowmasters is a number that were you to swap them without somebodies knowledge they wouldn't even know. just my

The guy that did the muffler test builds race motors for boats and cars, he also races himself. None of the set-ups he tested were on a street motor. Not many of the guys over on 460ford.com use Flowmasters. According to the engine builders the Flowmasters do not flow enough and are too restrictive.

Here's a few exhaust threads:

http://www.460ford.com/forum/showthread ... t+mufflers

http://www.460ford.com/forum/showthread ... t+mufflers

http://www.460ford.com/forum/showthread ... t+mufflers

Finally, here is something from a CarCraft Magazine article about best bang for your buck on mufflers. Flowmasters didn't even make the HP list:

I have listed here a muffler shootout test done by CAR CRAFT, they show the best bang for the buck, and show the db's

The Mufflers
MAKE MODEL Part No. COST
SUMMIT Turbo 630125 $14.75
THRUSH Magnum Glasspack 24214 $16.50
THRUSH Boss Turbo 17718 $23.95
HOOKER Competition 21006 $25.95
DYNOMAX Super Turbo 17733 $28.50
DYNOMAX Race Magnum 24215 $31.95
HOOKER Super Competition 21106 $35.95
SUMMIT Fully Welded 630325 $38.69
FLOWTECH Afterburner 50322 $39.95

MUFFLER FLOW TEST

MUFFLER Flow at 28-in H20
DynoMax Race Magnum 528.64 cfm
Thrush Magnum Glasspack 507.40 cfm
Summit Fully Welded 343.38 cfm
Flowtech Afterburner 342.20 cfm
DynoMax Super Turbo 333.94 cfm
Hooker Competition 232.46 cfm
Hooker Super Competition 320.96 cfm
Summit Turbo 331.16 cfm
Thrush Boss Turbo 297.36 cfm

MUFFLER Idle dB WOT dB
DynoMax Super Turbo 89 123
DynoMax Race Magnum 94 133
Flowtech Afterburner 92 124
Hooker Competion 92 122
Hooker Super Competion 90 125
Summit Turbo 89 124
Summit Fully Welded 92 125
Thrush Boss Turbo 90 123
Thrush Magnum Glasspack 92 128

DYNO TEST
All mufflers were dyno-tested on a 355-cube SBC with 10.0:1 compression, Air Flow Research 190 aluminum heads, a CompCams 292 hyd. a Victor Jr. intake, a Holley 750-cfm double-pumper, and 1 5/8 Headman headers.


MUFFLER HP TORQUE 2,500-6,000rpmAverage
Hooker Competition 397.4 381.1 286.8hp/351.9 lb-ft
Thrush Boss Turbo 407.1 384.9 292.1 hp/357.5 lb-ft
DynoMax Race Magnum 409.5 394.3 298.8 hp/366.9 lb-ft
Flowtech Afterburner 409.7 391.2 294.8 hp/361.7 lb-ft
Thrush Glasspack 409.5 389.8 297.7 hp/365.3 lb-ft
Summit Turbo 411.5 386.3 291.5 hp/357.4 lb-ft
DynoMax Super Turbo 412.7 387.2 292.6 hp/358.6 lb-ft
Hooker Super Comp 413.8 387.2 292.8 hp/359.0 lb-ft
Summit Fully Welded 415.4 390.7 295.6 hp/362.4 lb-ft


more numbers for ya'll who like numbers.

All tests via an independent lab
All tests @ 15” wc

2 “ Straight Pipe 283 CFM
2 ¼ “ Straight Pipe 365 CFM
2 ½ “ Straight Pipe 521 CFM

2 ¼” Typical Bent tailpipe 268 CFM
2 ½” Typical Bent Tailpipe 417 CFM

2 ¼” Inlet/Outlet_ Glass Pack Tips- No Louvers- Smooth 274 CFM
2 ¼” Inlet/Outlet- Glass Pack Tips-Louvered 133 CFM
Same as above set for reverse flow 141 CFM
2 ¼” Cherry Bomb 239 CFM
2 ½” Cherry Bomb 294 CFM

2 ½” Inlet/Outlet Dynomax Super Turbo 278 CFM
2 ½” Inlet/Outlet Ultraflow Bullet 512 CFM
2 ½” Inlet/Outlet Gibson Superflow 267 CFM
2 ½” Inlet/Outlet Flowmaster ( 2 Chamber) 249 CFM
2 ½” Inlet Outlet Flowmaster ( 3 Chamber) 229 CFM
2 ¼” Inlet/Outlet Thrush CVX 260 CFM
2 ½” Inlet/Outlet Maremount Cherry Bomb 298 CFM
2 ½” Inlet/Outlet Hooker Aero Chamber 324 CFM
2 ½” Inlet/Outlet Hooker Max Flow 521 CFM
2 ½” Inlet/Outlet Borla Turbo 373 CFM
2 1/2" Inlet/Outlet Magnaflow 284 CFM


Standard OEM 2 ¼” Inlet/Outlet 138-152 CFM
Standard OEM 2 ½” Inlet/Outlet 161-197 CFM

[BiggDogg]

Check out this topic also, you ,might like it:
http://fordification.com/forum/viewtopi ... er+muffler

[neo-Redneck]

Check out this topic also, you ,might like it:
http://fordification.com/forum/viewtopi ... er+muffler

thanks, i think i'll go get a hooker competition muffler, seems to be the best choice.

by the way, '1971fords' 71 pre-runner is somewhat how i want my 71 250 to look like. and the youtube link didnt work btw

[bb429power]

If you like them loud and muscular then get some purple hornies. There not too loud for the streets but its pushing it, mine were extremely loud and now they aren't so loud. hooker headers areochambers maybe, but I personally haven't used them.

[neo-Redneck]

right now im looking for a budget fix for my current system that does wayy too much harm than good.

after looking at that red drag pickup on your photobucket album and daydreaming, i realized if i had a shop i could and certainly would completely restore my entire engine myself, but your in Michigan.

[bb429power]

Thats not my truck, but it runs at my home dragway that's 45min away. I wish a lot of you guys were in Michigan so we could meet up at the drags. Seems like everyone is in California, Darn. I wish to see that truck in person, but I've shot the bull a bit with a guy who sells AMSOIL there with a 65 f100. He runs in the 11's. I want to do more, even though I'm going to have so much horses I'm on a budget and slowly getting it done. Oh, and the crappy red and white truck is mine, just the frame right now and restoring it for (hopefully) the high school drags next year. I'm running the black 70 Maverick this year. You could use some thrush turbo's but they aren't that throaty, check out the mufflers by pypes exhaust on you tube and summitracing.com.

Sorry I'm giving your eyes a work out.

[bb429power]

Wait, if you like the thrush mufflers I mentioned, then get Flowtech Warlocks. They are the same plus a cut out to make it loud.

[neo-Redneck]

no, this is no workout for my eyes, the freeway is my chessboard and i read everything on every car anyways.

i have the same problem here in California, everyone drives 'hybrids' and 'smart cars' and has pretty decent sound stystems in ricer rejects from china, not to mention they have utterly no mechanical knowledge of what makes the car 'go'. i wanna just plow over them sometimes.

ill check out the thrush turbo glasspack for now, when i have more money ill overhaul everything else. the engine is pretty clean, it looks like rust hit some vital spots though, and i tune my engine and carb to compensate for what im missing until i can replace it. my truck is old rusty and heavy, one time i stalled and had to fill my tank on the side of the freeway, after i did so, i had to smoke my tires just to keep up with traffic, i bet that was unexpected for other drivers since it was near Hollywood with BMW's and Benz everywhere.

i have family in Michigan, and i feel i just returned the eye workout favor. sorry.

[bb429power]

Nope not at all. But I don't know what the glasspacks sound like, the one's I was talking about were these.
http://www.summitracing.com/search/Bran ... rd=muffler
Go on youtube and search a set of mufflers before you buy it so you can get a feel for what they sound like. There are so many variations it makes it difficult to choose a set.

[sideoilerfe]

Why do you want to stop the exhaust right after the muffler which will be right after the cab? If cost is an issue you can just get a Raptor muffler 2.5" in/out and get some exhaust pieces at the auto parts store such as four 45 degree elbows,3 straight pieces, a turn down, a hanger and some clamps if you have no welder and do it yourself in a couple of hours. I did and it works great and I don't have to smell or hear it. I used a different muffler but the principle is the same. If we were closer, I'd give you a muffler I have in the garage and help you with it. Let me know if you want pics of mine and i'll take some.