720 exhaust help???!!!

[bracktheron720]

Hey im puttin an exhaust system together for my truck and would like to know what everybody else is runnin and what they would recomend..iv got the z24. any help would be great!!!

[jdansmith]

Mine will be replaced with a unbranded one from the muffler shop. Don't want the neighbors knowing when I come and go.

[seang]

I did away with the stock quiet muffler and resonator, and instead hung a 1 7/8 inch inner diameter straight pipe from the cat back. I also had a 2 1/8 pipe for a while, but that was flexpipe and eventually rotted through. The 2 1/8 had a little (literally) more zoom at the tippy top of the powerband, but the 1 7/8 does a great job with torque. Some will run a 2.5, and that's cool, but I would go no bigger. If I ever have to replace this one for some odd reason, I'm going with a 2 inch I.D. straightpipe.

If you must run a muffler, here are my thoughts on some...

-Do Not Run; Flowmaster, Thrush Turbo or Turbo2, or anything oval shaped unless you are really sick of loud exhausts.

-Do Run; straightpipe (1st choice), glasspack (if you must).

-There are also resonators which can be run with or without a muffler to help reduce the sometimes annoying drones. I have no experience with these.

Whatever you run, make sure you run it all the way out the back/side of the vehicle or else the resonance will suck no matter what.

[bracktheron720]

i was runnin duel flowmaster 40s on a 403 small block in my olds and i would have to say was the best set up iv ever run it sounded mean as all hell and could keep up with its sound..i hate loud a** cars that cant even get out of there own way......and i dont want my truck ot sound like every other import on the road..i have a 2 1/2 inch glass pack in the shop will that give it a nice beefy sound or will i get the fartcan sound i hate so much??????? and thanks for the input so far!!!

[seang]

A flowmaster on your naps-z isn't gonna have that mean v8 sound, it would sound much wimpier. A glasspack isn't necessarily gonna sound like fart can, nor will a properly sized straightpipe. In fact, a straightpipe and a glasspack have alot in common sound-wise, but the glasspack cuts out high frequencies. Any low frequencies between the two are roughly the same. Here are some examples...

Pezi's truck during autocross; I think he has a resonator with no muffler, but he definitely has a header... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9c-sYwdPZs

Naps-z with 2.25 magnaflow revs to 6k... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVPzuaU2CTI

My own truck; 1 7/8 straight pipe from the cat back; stock exhaust manifold...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZnhQhhN_W4

Another one of my truck accelerating thru 3rd gear (not my favorite, but it is what it is). I think the camera was too close, it amplified the hissy high pitched parts when I wanted to catch the raspy bellow. I don't think it's too ricey... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uA3BG87Ilw

This one isn't a truck, but it's alot like it. A 240sx with a straight pipe . This is one of my favorite sounding ka24's (ka24 and naps-z24 share the same bore and stroke)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTVVvVu2Z-o

Hope this helps!

[bracktheron720]

seang you rock !! thats what i needed a few good examples of sum different setups!!!iv got the stock manifold for now.....no cat or resinator just sum giant late model pickup muffler welded on its quiter than a mouse pissin on cotton.....oh i know ill never get the sound my olds had lol..but i tihnk i might go with the glass pack to get rid of the high end sound..and will dumping it out the side with a short tail pipe be louder than runnin it all the way out the back of the bed?? your truck sounds nice!!

[seang]

Thanks! I want to cut the part of my vid where I get out smiling like some kind of dork, and I should have worn some jeans when I shot the bumper mounted one, but oh well, they aren't that big of a deal.

The stock location was dumped out the side under the bed behind the rear drivers side tire.

The way mine is now, if I were to get rear ended, my tailpipe might get bent/smushed. The rusty catalytic converter bolts would probably break, but IDK. If that happens, then I'll run it out the stock location.

Of course, the closer the exhaust outlet is to the cab, the more sound pressure will be captured by it. Even the bed can resonate if the exhaust is dumped underneath it, so that's why I recommend running it out at least somewhere.

I learned this the hard way. My old 87 had a thrush turbo muffler (which isn't the best sound here) where the cat was, and no tailpipe. It exited right under the cab, and it wasn't the best way I could have done it. I just didn't realize it at the time. From now on, the full length straightpipe is my favorite, even for any future hoopties I might have.

There is one way to defeat this whole dilemma, and that is to actually go faster than the speed of sound.....not gonna happen.

A straightpipe is also lighter.
Modified by seang at 3:45 PM 11/12/2009

[bracktheron720]

you look like you really like your truck!!i get a hard time from all the guys at the shop for putting so much time and thought into my rusty little datsun but i love it so screw um!!lolwhoever did the exhaust befor i got it did a really nice job its nice strait pipe with no crazy bends but then they stuffed a 29 inch long muffler on it that i got off today and its stamped ford lol must of just been layin around and worked but idk......my tail pipe dumps at about the same place yours does from what i can see but strait down urs looks like it kicks out towards the drivers side a bit..correct me if im wrong..and mines really really quite even without a cat...so gettin a couple adapters and replacing with ford muffler with the glasspack should do the trick??oh and if i remember correctly im pretty sure we took a blow tourch to the galsspack and burnt all the fiberglass crap out is that gunna do anything to the sound??

[seang]

if i remember correctly im pretty sure we took a blow tourch to the galsspack and burnt all the fiberglass crap out is that gunna do anything to the sound??

I don't know

[seang]

but strait down urs looks like it kicks out towards the drivers side a bit..correct me if im wrong...

The tailpipe in my exhaust clip video was a 5ft piece of flexpipe, and was wobbling around when I was revving it due to the ghetto wire hangers.

The acceleration video has the 1 7/8 inch tailpipe. It is more towards the drivers side, because there really is no practical way to exit it out the passenger side like a 2.3 Ranger does. The engine/truck is just made that way. I just ran it straight back (albiet over the axle) and out. Well, it's almost out, it just barely juts out from behind the bumper. It is a 4wd, and I want the bumper to take any bumps.

so gettin a couple adapters and replacing with ford muffler with the glasspack should do the trick??

Pretty much, just measure for the adapters, and bolt or weld it in. Test fit the adapters in the parking lot of the auto parts store to make sure they are gonna fit so you don't have to make multiple trips.

Make sure the whole system is well hung, that is fastened with proper hangers and not with mechanics wire or coat hangers. That s*** doesn't last more than a couple weeks, and needs constant attention.