[DeTomaso] mufflers

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/19/10 9 34 37, deserttwist at juno.com writes:


> We now have big tube headers, and 2 1/2 inch pipes into the stock 
> mufflers.  Will the car be too loud inside if we gut the mufflers?  We just want a 
> little more rumble and flow not crackling or ratty sounding?
> 

What I did to mine was to open up the cans, and remove all the guts.   I 
then fabricated a Y-shaped pipe to connect the single inlet to the dual 
outlets.   I didn't know how to find perforated pipe, so I used conventional pipe 
and burned a bunch of holes in it with a plasma cutter.   I've since learned 
that the pipe I really needed is readily available; just do a Google search 
on 'perforated exhaust tube'.

Regardless of how you get there, you can then weld the Y-shaped pipes into 
the cans, and pack the can with exhaust packing material.   Most such 
material is simple fiberglass, which wears out over time.   I chose to use 
stainless steel, which was much harder to find.   I just did a search and found 
some on E-bay:

http://tinyurl.com/StainlessMufflerPacking

It's aimed at the dirt bike crowd; their mufflers are much smaller and 
require less material.

A more reasonable option might be to buy coarse stainless steel wool in 
bulk at your hardware store.   It's important to use stainless so it doesn't 
rust and blow away.

When I was done with my project, the exhaust sounded 'better' although it's 
difficult to quantify; it wasn't noticeably louder than the previous 
design, but dyno testing did show an improvement.   However, the long pole in the 
tent (with a GTS exhaust) is the small inside diameter of the resonator 
tips.   Those tips, plus the small diameter of the pipe leading into the 
mufflers on your stock exhaust, will both limit ultimate power.   If ultimate power 
is what you're after, then you need to junk the stock tailpipes and go with 
something else.   But if aesthetics and Italian style and tone are 
important to you too, then gutting the mufflers is a viable alternative, 
particularly since you can do all the necessary work yourself.

When you're done, mask the chrome tips (actually, you should protect them 
during the entire operation), then sandblast the muffler cans and pipes and 
paint them with black exhaust paint. :>)

Mike