...well, sort of. Let me explain. You know how every once in a while you'll hear a really nasty sounding mustang or camaro drive by (yes, I know they are different sounds, but you know what i mean- something that makes you stop what you're doing, turn, and look)...well, I want something like that. The best way I can describe the sound I'm looking for is two words: Offshore Powerboat.

Something that sends shivers up your spine at idle, and at WOT makes aethiests rethink their whole belief system (or lack thereof). Now I know that right now you're saying to yourself "yeah, yeah- straight pipes", and I would agree (thats what I wanted to do), but I don't want to get hassled by the po-po (which I already have to deal with enough as it is) if they look underneath the truck and don't see a muffler.

So this is what I'm thinking (or actually what was suggested to me by a friend, and what I'm having done tomorrow morning- I just wanted to know if anyone else has tried it yet). I'm going to (have someone) unclamp and drop the factory exhaust, cut open the TOP (thats the key I think) of the muffler, and gut it. Then, after its hollowed out, weld up back up and bolt it back on, so that the underside of the muffler looks just like it does now- old, dirty, STOCK, and scratched.

Theoretically (and correct me if I'm wrong), this should offer the same or slightly better flow than stock (maybe not as good st straight pipes due to the turbulence in the muffler shell before the exhaust gases are expended), and should still have the benefit of the X-pipe/H-pipe crossover theory. I think the resonation inside of the muffler will give off a different sound than straight pipes alone; like a deep hollow sound (or thats what I'm banking on anyways). And yes, I realize that regardless of if a cop sees a muffler underneath, he can still write me up for a noise violation, but thats one less thing to worry about as far as I'm concerned. The only apparent flaw I see in this plan is the new clamps to put it back together, but I'm hoping I'll think of something before then.

Has anyone else tried this, knows of someone that has, or has any reasons why I should/shouldn't do this? Thanks, later...

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Being Single...
Seeing Double...
Going for the triple
(((Garrett))))
'00 Silver Lightning
'01 CR250
'00 NESC MX Amateur Champ
#65 NESC / #465 AMA

motoxer@wpi.edu
gkaye@rjagroup.com
AOL IM: GK65A

 

You'll sound like a truck without a muffler!!
LOUD!! does not make it any faster....my $.02

 

FASTRK99- I suppose I should have said that I'm doing THIS mod strictly for sound purposes, not for extra hp/tq (which is why I'm only spending $60 to have it done). I do want straight pipes, I just don't want it to be painfully visually obvious that thats what I had done. My question was more along the lines of what people think it will sound like (tone-wise), how loud it will be (at idle, highway, and WOT), and if I will LOSE any hp/tq. Thanks...

 

The factory tuned that system. You are going to have to do something with the cats. They soak up more noise than mufflers. With cats and no muffler it will be louder but no power boat sound. Shell the cats and run Borla XR-1's or single chamber flows for noise.

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01' Silver Bullet
Bought 03/31/01
Tire shredding truck
Prototype ram air 5/03 testing...
Retrax cover 5/5/01

 

Sorry MX,
I personally would rather hear the whine of the supercharger.
By the way, those offshore racers DO sound awsome. My brother-in-law used to race unlimited class.
Hope your happy with your mod...good luck!

Mark

 

L8: Once again, I left something relevant out that I didn't think of before. I just bought the 5yr/100k ESP warranty a few months ago that I'm going to probably end up milking for all its worth if I keep driving the way I do, plus I really don't want to do "anything" that would cause me to not pass the emissions part of the Massachusetts yearly inspection (the decibel level thing I'm willing to try and tackle). Thanks for the suggestions though; keep em coming

 

I went with the Magnaflow 12468. Sounds awesome. Low rumble and idle and wails good with you foot in it. $180 installed. Does not sound like my Donzi. But then again twin 600hp big blocks tuning 5500 with open headers is pretty awesome.

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2000 Silver Lightning 13.16 (so far)
PSP 4-way
PSP Filter Kit
PSP Lower Pulley
Level 10 Shift kit
F-250 Trans pan
MagnaFlow 12468
Snug-Lid

I feel a 12.xx coming on.

Team PSP West

 

MXRacer,

I looked in my stock muffler when they took it off and if I remember correctly it looked like 2 long perforated pipes that went straight thru like glasspacks. They end in a common chamber 90 degrees out from the tailpipe outlets. This explains why it's hard to improve on the stock muffler. The only restriction is the exhaust rolling around in that common chamber because the pipes don't matchup.



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Later,
Chuck
Black 00
Chuck's Lightning Page

 

MXRacer:
When I lowered my lightning I took off the exhaust from the mufler back, including the mufler. When I was done lowering my truck I wanted to see how it rode, so I took it out with the rear exhaust still off. I liked it, it did sound mean. I drove it to work a couple of days like that and most of the guys thought that it sounded more like a worlds fastest truck should sound. I had to agree it did sound nice. I ordered the complete Bassani exhaust system with the coated headers, I have been told that this set up sounds pretty good. For what you want to do I think you will like it. If a bad a$$ sound is what you want then that is what you will get. Good luck with it and let us know what you think when it is done.

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Bill
'00 white lightning-#2030 of 4966-4/6/00 thursday
muth mirrors,door key pad mod,fog light mod, Homelink remote
clear corners, super white; headlights,corners,fogs,
trenz billet upper and lower grills, billet 3rd brake light cover,
Bedrug, harley davidson tonneau cover,
JDM flip chip, JDM lower pulley on order, 90mm mass air, JDM tranny mod,JDM 5"aluminum driveshaft, driveshaft safteyloop on order
J.L. stage 2 ram air kit
BellTech 3/4 lowering kit
2001 tails installed,2001 headlights on order,
20" chrome lightning wheels on order
Bassani exhaust (full meal deal, coated) soon to be installed
more to come....
my zing albums-_-click here-_
'00 harley davidson FLSTC tons of custom parts..
'99.5 nissan pathfinder le-STILLEN EQUIPPED
'88 toyota show truck(TONKA)
'91 toyota mr2 turbo (to many mods to list)
'00 yamaha banshee(toomy race kit/chrome pipes)