Are Glass Pack Cherry Bombs illegal?

[71400lb]

Are Glass Pack Cherry Bombs illegal in upstate New York, or in any other state for that matter?

Anyone know what they'd cost installed, plus labor typically?

And another dumb question from a newby, but the Cherry Bombs would replace my existing muffler, or do they act like resonators after the mufflers?

Thanks,
Rick
1971 Cheyenne C/20
400 CSB/4 bbl Quadrajet
400 TH
3.73 HO52
Dual Exhaust

[toddtheodd]

Glass packs are legal in Texas and Kansas. I don't know about other states since I've only lived in Texas and Kansas.
They replace the muffler.

[gabet40]

from what ive heard CA is the most strict when it comes to illegal exhaust. and as far as i know, as long as u can pass smog, anything is legal. then again we dont have to pass smog so we can put whatever the h*ll we want on it, right?
by the way i found magnaflows (another glasspack) online for $65/ea., just in case ur interested

[highboy_04]

glass packs arent illegal in kansas. i've lived here all my life and had a bunch of cars with glass packs. the exhaust shop installed them for me and i've bought them from the parts store. steve.

[stickshift_or_walk]

Glasspacks aren't by definition illegal anywhere. It's the noise they can produce that is offensive to the local authorities.

You can put a set of 36" glasspacks on 2" pipe and never get a ticket for noise, no matter what you do. Or, you could run 16" glasspacks on 2.25" pipe for two years like I did with no problems, then sell the truck to your nephew who gets a ticket the second day he drives it.

It's all a matter of the sound glasspacks make (which by the way, I think is the absolute best way to go), which is a combination of head/manifold design, exhaust gas volume/volatility, pipe and muffler diameter, muffler length, and most of all, movement of the driver's right foot.

I used to shock and amaze other high school motorheads 'cause I could tell whether the out-of-sight glasspacks were on a Mopar, F**d, or Chevy SB or BB. Kind of a hobby.

Or you could run the next best thing...straight pipes... . I had a buddy that ran them on his truck for 3 years, not even a warning.

Oh well, back to work...SSOW

[71 Blazer CST man]

No they'r not illegal, Noice&sound polution is though, and that's where they could get ya.

gabet - you're right about CA's smog laws etc, but hey you're also right about how it dont matter since our trucks arent 73 or more recent, so who cares! If it's not too loud (hahah) then we can legally run straight pipes!

I think cut outs(electronic) are the way to go, and as soon as i have money like that to throw around, i will!

[71400lb]

Well, this would be on a relatively stock 400 Chevy small block(came out of a 72 Nova), rebuilt .30 over, towing Comp Cam, aluminzed exhaust manifolds(after market),4 bbl Quadrajet carb...it's got Flowmasters on there now, would I notice that big of a diffrerence with the Cherry Bomb Glass Packs?

Rick

[stickshift_or_walk]

Originally Posted by 71400lb

Anyone know what they'd cost installed, plus labor typically?

And another dumb question from a newby, but the Cherry Bombs would replace my existing muffler, or do they act like resonators after the mufflers?

Oh yeah...forgot. Around here, the mufflers are about $20-$40, plus another $20 or so per muffler to install on existing pipe. I recently got a quote of $200 for a manifold - back system installed, with chrome tips.

They are designed to replace existing mufflers. You could use a short one as a resonator, I guess. Maybe someone here has done or seen it.

SSOW

[71 Blazer CST man]

What kind of flows, 40 series or something else?

[gabet40]

Rick-
i dont think you would notice a very big difference because youre runnin manifold instead of headers.
but once you free up the flow at the head, then youd be able to notice a change in the flow at the muffler. the most evident change was while crusin on the freeway, my engine seemed to cruise at a slightly lower speed and be a little more responsive, however if you love the flowmaster sound i dont think these minor differences are very relevant. my .02¢

[stickshift_or_walk]

Originally Posted by 71 Blazer CST man

I think cut outs(electronic) are the way to go, and as soon as i have money like that to throw around, i will!

71 Blazer - Here's my idea. Get the manual cable operated cutouts, and hook them to one of the now-unused shift levers at the bottom of the steering column. Then when you want to get on it, drop the 4spd a gear, and drop the column shift lever to open 'er up!

Just a thought I've been playing with...SSOW

[71400lb]

Hmmm, not sure on the Series Flowmaster he put on, but they've got a nice deep idle, but while driving, it almost sounds like a "diesel truck"! He set the truck up for towing(smoother idle towing cam, tranny cooler, added trailer brake unit, Reese hitch)... I'd prefer the snappy-poppy rumble of the Cherry Bombs though.(like when you punch the gas real quick and let up right away, that after-rumble sound).

Thanks for all the feedback.

Rick

[71 Blazer CST man]

gabet said it and i noticed when you did too, but dont know why i didnt comment on it , guess i didnt catch it right away-

aluminzed exhaust manifolds(after market)

Get some Headers!!!!!!

I had 2.5 from the headers back, untill at a garage (on a tune up)some one dropped a spark plug into the spot wherre the 4 smaller tubes(on the header) come together and join. Guess they THOUGHT it fell through to the ground... Started it up, heated up and expanded...plug fell deeper...turned off, cooled down - Cracked the f**! out of the joint/welds. As it turned out because of this the garage bought me brand new headers!!! and it turned out you could say ,better. They hooked me up with 3" headers....but i still have these damn 2.5 pipes i need to deal with now!!!

[Longhorn Man]

Many states and cities have a law that says something like no vehical should have excessive noise from the exhaust...or something close to that.
The problem is...define excessive. Excessive to you or me is one thing, but to some one like my dad (who is a real PITA on this subject) if he can here the engine from more than 10 feet away or so, then that is excessive in his opinion...and he was a cop...writing out many tickets in a small red neck town in north western Ohio (Kenton) for almost 10 years. (granted it was a mayer's court town) Also, in a small town just south of here (Grove City) when I was in high school, they were givin out tickets to trucks with 250 and 292 inlines that had glass packs. (!!!)
The only thing i can find that may actually save some one's ass in this situation in court, is the federal noise act, which I think was 1972...look in the door jamb of any Semi, there is a sticker stating that it complies with said act. I have yet to find any solid info on what it says or what was permited before that...but if there was no noise act before, then our rides should fall under that grand father clause.
That is the one thing to remember though...excessive to the cop and judge is not the same way you define excessive...and they are the ones that will make your life h*ll.
I say run them and don't rev it up at every light...I pop my truck out of gear most of the time when passing by a cop, I don't want the BS hassle of getting pulled over, even though I am pulled over once a week or so for seat belt. (I have it on...they just can't see it)

[toddtheodd]

I have the same problem Longhorn Man. There are a few stupid rookie cops that think I "have" to upgrade my truck and put in shoulder belts.
They keep ticketing me, and I keep getting them voided at the court house.
You'd think the court would tell the cop to leave me the *&#@ alone!

[68w/sbc406]

i think you can take your ride to DEQ and have them do a db check on it. i have seen hondas failed not for smog but for noise. those are the guys that are running 2.5" off of a header into a 16" cherry bomb (sounds like butt if you ask me) but some of my friends put 2 or three chamber flows on there hondas and put a glass pack in for a resonator and it quiets them down but still has the flow noise.

Originally Posted by stickshift_or_walk

They are designed to replace existing mufflers. You could use a short one as a resonator, I guess. Maybe someone here has done or seen it.

SSOW

i personally would invest in a set of headers and keep the flows, but if you are going to go the glass pack route then i would suggest the magnaflow over a cherry bomb. i had both on my 250I6 and the magnaflow sounded alot better. as everyone says just my $.02

[Longhorn Man]

Todd, ask the next cop if you have to install a catilitic converter and 5 MPH bumpers...then ask where you can buy an air bag and who can install it.
I have done this once (very tactfully) and the young officer saw the light.

[cochran63]

My dad drove a truck for a year with straight duals with echo tips for about a year. It was loud. This is OT but did my 63 c-10 come with seatbelts? and if it did do i have to put some in it?

[blazer1971]

Cherry bombs are about the cheapest muffler you can buy. They do snap crackle and pop when you let off it. Ran them for yrs and liked the noise. Just don't flaunt it around the the police. Also ran open headers for about a year and I too would slip it into nuetral when the man was around. Couldn't help myself just like the sounds of open headers.

[krazy_texan]

if you live in Texas, you can do like i did, i have 3 inch pipes exiting out in front of the rear wheels and i have 12 inch glasspacks in it, you talk about loud, i love it and have never been pulled over for it, i have been pulled over for the seat belt thing, and for speeding and other bs reasons like not using a blinker but never for the pipes, i even had a neighbor call the cops on me one time because i came home at about 3am in the truck and it woke her up but they told her that there was nothing they could do unless i was hot rodding it, which i was not.

[highboy_04]

cochran. i believe in 63 seat belts were an option. so if your truck wasnt factory with them you dont have to have them. goodluck. steve

[Robert1970C20rstbukt]

I have the stock exhaust pipe setup on mine, with a 2.5" CherryBomb in place of the stock muffler. It sounds cool, but I'm gonna put duals on when I get the time, and $$$.

[bisquik65]

Here where i am in western n.c. there is no inspection. You can run straight pipes if you can stand the noise. I have glasspacks on my 80 3/4 4x4 burb. and when you tow a car up the mountain you cannot hear yourself think. But is sound great.

[Longhorn Man]

I looked through the red book (since I have no specific info on the 60 - 66 trucks) and it implies that the seat belts became standard in 1966 in the light duty trucks.
Your best bet to make 100% sure would to call GM at 1- 800-222-1020 and ask for a 1963 C-10 restoration packet. (have your VIN handy and expect to wait a good 10 - 20 min on the phone) Some have had problems with the packets coming in the mail, but personally I have recieved every one I have ordered. This packet will describe all the options and all the standard features on your truck...plus it is considered a dated document and in many cases taken as proof in legal situations (so I am told by a few cops I know).
Oh, these packets are free.