Made the mistake of going with the cheapest quote. Thought "how bad can they *(#* it up?". SMH

I did a ton of research on all this trying to get the best sound and performance and bought quality parts. Went with true, 100 CPI, MF high flow cats, MF Y, MF SIDO, and DW SS tips.

Showed the installer pics of exactly how I wanted the tips but those are the only instructions I gave. Figured they were a professional "custom exhaust shop" as their name implied but I figured wrong. Partially my fault for not being specific about everything else but I doubt it would have made a difference. They didn't do the tips like I wanted anyway and they made mistakes that any competent installer shouldn't make IMO, instructions or not.

So, they ran the crossover pipe under the transmission cross member, welded the Y directly to the muffler inlet, and had about another 12" to get the muffler closer to the rear axle...







It sounds decent. A little too loud for me but I'm old. I wanted the better flow from the cats and knew that would make it a lot louder so I went with the biggest MF they made. Also went with the Y instead of true duals to try and keep the noise down to a low growl. It's not that bad but I do have a drone at 1500-2000. At least I think it's a drone. Never heard one before but it's much louder at those RPM's unless I stomp on it. I'll post some videos next.

So, question is, what should I do now?

How big of a deal is it to have the Y mounted where it is? I'm far from an expert on this but from what I learned, the Y should be as far forward as possible to help scavenging. Again, I thought the shop would have enough sense to mount it where the original was located. At the very least, it would have saved them on materials.

Should I have another shop cut out the Y and move it forward (if it's even possible, they welded it right to the inlet so there might not even be enough inlet left to weld another pipe on)? Or, is it maybe acting like an X pipe since the muffler has a Y? Or, can I just have them weld in an H near where the Y should have been mounted?

Or, since the dual pipes are already there, should I cut out the Y and SIDO and just install a DIDO with a built in X?

Performance wise I'm OK with how it's set up now. Getting much better MPG and top end seems a little better. Acceleration and passing is about the same, maybe a little worse at lower speeds. Not throwing any codes, yet... I have about 125 miles on it. Not sure if that's enough for the sensors to gather data.

I'm leaning toward the H mainly because it seems like the easiest solution but I'm not sure if it will help or make things worse. Going to have the new shop tuck the cross over pipe and fix the tips for sure. If I don't cut out the SIDO, probably going to just leave it where it is. Not sure another 12" toward the rear will make that much of a difference.

 

Well, you now have all there is of a tru dual exhaust except the dual mufflers. You could as you say Or you could throw on a matched pair of shorter mufflers like Turbos (I have them on my '77, like them .... been using since 1986, like them) or FMs or longer glass packs like 2.5" core .... you can get them in SS if desired.

You could add an H or X .... but I don't think you'd ever know the difference.

Is this a 5.0 or 5.4 or "what"??? They do sound differently.

In either case. you made an investment .... looks like a SS muffler too .... maybe sell it and the "Y"?

What is this your talking about?

 

That looks ****ty, no offense. It took more material and time and forget about know how. They crossed the exhaust up front for what reason I don't know. It makes no sense. They should of left the factory "Y" in. Its plenty big and would of looked much better and functioned better.




exhaust 2



exhaust 3



JLP long bars



exhaust 1

 

It's a 5.4. 2006

Will cutting out the Y/SIDO and replacing with a DIDO make any difference in performance? It would be louder but would it eliminate the drone?

I'd like to go a little quieter or just eliminate the drone at 1500-2000. It's really not that bad. It is louder at those RPM's but it's not bad enough to rattle anything.

Thinking of going with a pair of resonators or J-pipes. If they had put the Y in the right spot I could have just done a single resonator or J-pipe.

 

MF makes some pretty good mufflers, so I don't imagine a dido or two mufflers would change much performance wise.
That install is dreadful, almost like it was done on a monday or friday. I guess it's a live and learn moment. Have you asked for a refund? Or at least given the culprit shop a terrible review?
Looking at your pictures and reading your remarks, it really boils down to what do you want to spend? There's no reason a good shop can't remove the Y from the muffler w/o messing up the inlet, tuck the cross over tube where it belongs and install that Y where you wanted it in the first place and run a single pipe back to the muffler.
Just my 2 cents

 

Good news is that I only paid them $125 and that included all the pipe which is probably worth $75-100. Was supposed to be $250 but I told them I was only paying half since they didn't do the tips the way I wanted. I didn't even bother to look underneath because I was pissed about the tips. Should have known better.

I went to 3 different shops today and they all said that it won't make a difference if the Y was moved forward. They also didn't know WTF a J Pipe or scavenging was either so I don't trust their "expert" opinion. They just stated the obvious that I'd only need one resonator if the Y was moved forward.

I'm no expert but I know the Y should be as far forward as possible and there is no scavenging after the Y. What I don't know is if that extra 2.5 feet forward will really make any difference since I'm all stock everywhere else. I have the cold air intake mod and I want to get a SCT programmer and some custom tunes in the near future but that's about it. Most of my performance budget goes into making the boat go faster.

So, here's a crazy idea I think might just work... how about I just put a 11" or 14" DIDO MF with a built in X before the Y? I want to tone it down a bit without losing any flow and get some scavenging before the Y. Moving the Y and adding a good resonator (one with stainless mesh, not fiberglass) is going to cost more than a 14" MF DIDO @ $83. Even if I can fit two resonators side by side (doubtful without bending pipes, probably have to stagger two shorties) that's going to run $110-140 for the pair.

 

Pulled the trigger on the 14" DIDO MF. That's going to be better than adding 2 resonators IMO because it has the built in X.

FYI, the 11" does not have the built in X. The 4x9 14" is the smallest body they have with the built in X.

I'll update once it's installed.

 

Just catching up ..... with only $125 in it so far, that's certainly a viable option to try. Save the current muffler .... someone will want it.

I myself had some issues with "droneing" at 1700-1900 rpm range that got old after awhile. I did some study on it, and tried some weights like the factory uses sometimes ...... they did help!
https://www.f150online.com/forums/ex...07-f-side.html

Would have certainly worked!

 

I kept the SIDO on there. Just added the 14" DIDO as far forward as it would go.

It's perfect for me now. Low growl, no drone, but you can hear it when you stomp on it. Very happy.

Tips are exactly where I wanted them also. Shop did a great job. Perfection Exhaust in Kernersville, NC in case anyone is looking for a good installer.