orion :: SS Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Hey guys... First off...Merry X-mas (eve), happy holidays! Wanted to post pics of my new exhaust. I didn't plan on doing a catback on this truck, but I had an unused Magnaflow muffler laying around from an old project, and realized that for $75 for another matching muffler, I could get a few ponies, and a great sound out of my 6.0... I used two Magnaflow mufflers (2.5" offset in / 2.5" center out - p/n 12256), an H-pipe before the mufflers, modified the stock Y-pipe, and the rear piping and tip. (I did all this in my garage with a Lincoln 135 wire-feed welder, flux core wire...so excuse the semi-sloppy welds on a few of the pipes..and they look even more funky b/c I hit them with high-temp, shiny AL paint) I wanted to keep it cheap, so I settled on a homemade H-pipe, rather than make a more complicated Y. Started by cutting off the stock muffler,and put in the H-pipe: Then welded on the 2 mufflers: I drove it like this for a day, with just dumps after the muffler...and hated it. Noticeable loss in low end, and bad resonance in the cab at idle and up to ~2000rpm... Sounder GREAT at WOT, but too loud for my tastes (it really wasn't that bad, but I wanted quiet, with just a little more rumble than stock)... So I took the stock Y-pipe and made it a more "true" Y...for better flow, better merging of the exhaust gas. Welded that to the muffler exit, made a 3" intermediate pipe to connect it to the stock rear piping: The low end grunt was back, and the sound better IMO... I wanted the tip to sit a little higher, so I bent the hanger up a little, to make it sit a little closer to the body: And finally, and outside shot: - - - - - Impressions: Awesome sound. Deep and mellow, maybe a little resonance between 1500-1800rpm...but a great rumble at idle, and it seems quicker in the higher RPMs (?). Overall, I'm really happy with the outcome, sound and performance. This is a great mod for these trucks IMO (and even better for the $75 I have invested in it)...although it did take ~5hrs of playing around / cutting / welding to get it *just right*. Anyway, have a good holiday... - Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGMTech Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Cool, nice write up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTex Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Great post. I installed my headers and built custom front pipes that merged into the stock muffler last year. I did this in my driveway with a flux core welder. I feel your pain. I really need to get the gas add-on for it and get off the flux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orion :: SS Posted December 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 ...did this in my driveway with a flux core welder. I feel your pain. I really need to get the gas add-on for it and get off the flux. Hehehe...me too. My welder came with the gas kit (reg, hoses, etc...), but I have yet to buy a bottle for it!!! It does the job, but it's not pretty. Thanks for the compliments... - Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therock Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 BigTex, Did you feel the OE muffler was OK in your header setup? Tell us what changes were noticed with the headers on an OE muffler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTex Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 (edited) I had some good gains. I replaced the front pipes at the same time. I didn't put the cats back on. It made the stock muffler sound real good. I had more compliments with that setup than I have with my flo-pro muffler I have now. I didn't gain much with the flopro over the stocker. Edited December 25, 2004 by BigTex (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiel Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 Spray the welding with some zink-spray and it will last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orion :: SS Posted December 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 A few thoughts, after putting ~400 miles aon the truck after putting on the exhaust: Power: Seems great...much improved on the top end (3000rpm and up). With the stock tailpipe, the low end feels the same (much better than with the dumps)... Gas mileage: Same style driving, I saw a 1mpg improvement (50% city, 50% highway @ 80-85mph = ~14.2mpg now) Noise: Sounds AWESOME at startup and idle...nice and deep tone. Drones a little as you start off, until ~2100rpm...then it's barely louder than stock. Once I hit ~55-60mph, it's bad once it shifts to 4th - Lots of resonance in the cab. If I drop it into 3rd and bump the RPM over 2100, it's quiet again. That's my only complaint - A little annoying resonance in the low RPMs. Other than that, it's GREAT. - - - - - So that brings me to a question: Has any one else noticed their exhaust has "broken in" and quieted down a little? Mine was more loud for the first few drives, now it sems to have mellowed out and gotten "smoother" now... I know that mufflers burn off some of the outer sound deadening material, I assume this change is related to that... Any input is appreciated... - Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woffski Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 I did'nt get the pics!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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