Open headers?

[Yellow76]

Ok i have a 76 chevy with a 350 in it and i was thinking of putting hooker headers on it then just runing them back behind the cab. Will it burn up my valves or will it be ok?O and what kind of carb would you recomend me putting on it.Thank

[powerdriver 1958]

What are you doing with it???

[Yellow76]

I just want something thats going to be fast and a daily driver

[texasfunk]

if daily driver, go with mufflers, i personally ran my truck without them for a while, it will drive you insane, if you want loud, go with some single chamber mufflers, or bullets, sound great, and loud

[smashingchuck]

Yeah you don't realize how inappropriate open exhaust is until you drive through your neighborhood at 6:00 AM to go to work....

[EyeH8the24]

X3 on the mufflers ....i have spin techs and they are just barley quiet enough to leave for work in the mornings ...i have to idle out..lol

[Adams74Chevy]

Originally Posted by texasfunk

if daily driver, go with mufflers, i personally ran my truck without them for a while, it will drive you insane, if you want loud, go with some single chamber mufflers, or bullets, sound great, and loud

+1

The novelty will wear off quick. Plus there are propably noise pollution/disturbing the peace type laws that may be in place in your area, why piss off neighbors and bring attention from the law. Play it safe and get something to tone it down a bit. Just MHO.

[kevinr1970]

IMO, open headers are just loud.
A good set of mufflers will have a "sound" to them that, although they may be loud, will sound good.

[1981C10LWB]

I had open headers for about 2 months. Didn't drive the truck much though, mostly just trying to get it road ready so I could drive down to the muffler shop. Just driving slowly around the neighborhood in the middle of a saturday, I had people opening thier blinds to see what the racket was. But for a daily driver, I wouldn't even consider open headers.

I ended up putting Hooker Maxflow mufflers on it, turned down before the axel. They are nice and quiet at cruising and idle (almost too quiet at idle though) but loud as all get out when you step on it. And they flow really nicely. Based my decision off a muffler test that a car magazine did, comparing noise at different rpm levels as well as dyno results.

Found the test, taken from another thread on here.

Originally Posted by pharmd

Here are muffler flow #'s and Sound #'s from a test that was done a while ago...I would have to echo this posters comments, magnaflow flows well, sounds good, is stainless, and is affordaby priced...any chambered muffler is going to give up some HP while being louder.

The results in HP order:
1.Flowtech Warlock (open) 374.2 hp/ 333.1 tq
2.Bassani Real Street 373.7 hp/ 333.8 tq
3.Hooker Maxflow 373.5 hp/ 333 tq
4.Borla XS 373.3 hp/ 332.6 tq
5.Magnaflow 372.8 / 332.5 tq
6.MAC 372.3 hp / 331.5 tq
7.Flowtech Afterburner 372.3 hp/ 330.1 tq
8.Hooker Aerochamber 372.1 hp/ 330.4 tq
9.Bassani 372 hp/ 333.5 tq
10.Spintech 371.6 hp/ 332.2 tq
11.Edelbrock Performer RPM 370.9 hp / 331.3 tq
12.Borla XR1 370 hp/ 334 tq
13.Flowtech Terminator 369.5 hp / 331.3 tq
14.Dynomax Ultra Flo 369.4 / 333.2 tq
15.Flowmaster 369.4 hp / 331.8 tq
16.Flowtech Warlock 366.3 hp / 325.3 tq
17.No muffs 365.2 hp / 330.1 tq

Sound Off in Quietest to Loudest (Decibels):

1.Borla XS, 80db at idle, 90db at 2,000 rpm, 110db at WOT.
2.Hooker Maxflow, 80db at idle, 90db at 2,000 rpm, 120db at WOT.
3.Magnaflow, 82db at idle, 91 at 2,000 rpm, 114db at WOT.
4.Flowmaster, 82db at idle, 93 at 2,000 rpm, 115db at WOT.
5.Flowtech Warlock, 83db at idle, 92 at 2,000 rpm, 112db at WOT.
6.Dynomax UltraFlo, 83db at idle, 94 at 2,000 rpm, 113db at WOT.
7.Borla XR1, 83db at idle, 96db at 2,000 rpm, 118db at WOT.
8.Bassani Street, 83db at idle, 96db at 2,000 rpm, 120db at WOT.
9.Edelbrock RPM, 84db at idle, 93db at 2,000 rpm, 118db at WOT.
10.Bassani Real Street, 84db at idle, 96db at 2,000 rpm, MAX. (120+db).
11.Flowtech Afterburner, 86db at idle, 94db at 2,000 rpm, 115db at WOT.
12.Flowtech Terminator, 86db at idle, 94db at 2,000 rpm, 119db at WOT.
13.Hooker Aerochamber, 87db at idle, 94db at 2,000 rpm, 114db at WOT.
14.SpinTech, 87db at idle, 97db at 2,000 rpm, 116db at WOT.
15.MAC, 87db at idle, 98db at 2,000 rpm, 119db at WOT.
16.No Muffler, 91db at idle, 103db at 2,000 rpm, MAX. (120+db).


http://forums.stangnet.com/archive/index.php/t-392314

The Hooker Maxflow made the best power while still being very quiet at idle/2000rpm, but nice and loud at WOT. The Bassani Real Street also made nice power without being too loud. Anybody have any feedback on these mufflers?

Originally Posted by EyeH8the24

X3 on the mufflers ....i have spin techs and they are just barley quiet enough to leave for work in the mornings ...i have to idle out..lol

BTW, How are you liking those spintechs? After seeing this video on youtube, I'm kinda wishing I had noticed them when I was shoping for mufflers!

YouTube - 1971 454 Monte Carlo with 3"...

[3r!c84]

my friend had that on his car he had a 400sb with 3in header and redused to 2.5 going like 2 foot out the header and it sounded like sh!t.for a drag car its ok but for a DD no way

[babyJay]

How the heck do ya plan to pass smog inpections? I wouldn't recommend it for daily driving, as the others have said.

[Neon Beach]

Originally Posted by smashingchuck

Yeah you don't realize how inappropriate open exhaust is until you drive through your neighborhood at 6:00 AM to go to work....

Inappropriate and most likely illegal.

[xs-style]

Open headers drive ya nuts after a while. Ive been looking around for someone to bend the full exhaust system for my 'vette for a while now. I put headers on over the winter. I drove it tons more last summer as opposed to this one, just because of the noise. As for burnt valves Ive always been told that open headers wont bother them. Now running with no headers or manifolds, now that cooks the valves.

with open headers its to loud... dangit Ive gotten to old

ps: If anyone knows someone in western nc that woudlnt mind running a system for me... lol

[EyeH8the24]

i love the spin techs..nothing else around sounds even close...and when the loud pedal is down they make some sweet sounds!

[dammitmitchell]

you are in california.. period.. no where in california would the hippies and all the save the enviro people let that last for long...

[C-10 simplex]

1) RE: "the burnt valve issue" This is a good question; What does everyone think about it? i personally believe it is hogwash, but then again, i'm not a natural engine person. Also, what is the real reason why some tractors, trucks and even bracket dragsters i've seen have flaps/flappers on the headers or exhaust stacks?

2) Another reason why open headers might not be cool:
You want the exhaust to exit out, away from the truck. Not to hang around underneath it. This could put you in danger of carbon monoxide poisoning---NOT A GOOD THING. Probably the best way is to have the pipes go all the way to the back bumper.

i've suffered CoX poisoning and it's not good, believe me.

i'm not against open headers by any means (unless i'm trying to sleep), but i've tried it before and it's very nerve racking. Also, i live in a populated area so it's nerve racking for that reason also.

If you really like Open headers then more power to you and by all means proceed but just remember the carbon monoxide factor---it might get to you and you might not know it until it's too late.

[flamingbig10]

it sounds like he want's to run straight pipes

[383Ram]

Originally Posted by C-10 simplex

1) RE: "the burnt valve issue" This is a good question; What does everyone think about it? i personally believe it is hogwash, but then again, i'm not a natural engine person. Also, what is the real reason why some tractors, trucks and even bracket dragsters i've seen have flaps/flappers on the headers or exhaust stacks?

2) Another reason why open headers might not be cool:
You want the exhaust to exit out, away from the truck. Not to hang around underneath it. This could put you in danger of carbon monoxide poisoning---NOT A GOOD THING. Probably the best way is to have the pipes go all the way to the back bumper.

i've suffered CoX poisoning and it's not good, believe me.

i'm not against open headers by any means (unless i'm trying to sleep), but i've tried it before and it's very nerve racking. Also, i live in a populated area so it's nerve racking for that reason also.

If you really like Open headers then more power to you and by all means proceed but just remember the carbon monoxide factor---it might get to you and you might not know it until it's too late.

The flappers are called rain caps and thats exactly what they do on tractors and large trucks---keep the rain out. The drag guys use the to keep debris from falling in when the engine is not running---you know, like the little kid running around dropping french fries down the headers---or in a real case, they are working on the engine and say something like a carb jet they are handleing falls in---or just general dust and airborne debris that floats around the pits and will settle down in the header tubes and possibly any open cylinders.----stuff like that.

Some good points you brought up here

Getting exhaust out from under a vehicle is very important---especially in a truck--even more so with a slider rear window. The people who run stuff on the street andsay put mufflers that end at the rear axle and put turndowns on it are just asking for CoX poisioning. Put a short spout thaat least gets it out to the side of the vehicle or just run some proper tailpipes.

I agree about the noise. I ONCE ran open headers on the street and ONCE at the track---it was so distracting and nerve racking to me i never didit again. I just built systems that would flow almost as good as open headers. I would neve think of running around driving that way with open headers and i never thought it was a good idea. I certianly dont want to be woken up or even if i am up want to hear that type of racket. If you were my neighbor and di that id punch you square in the face, LOL. I'll take even a single chamber type muffler---just something to dampen and lessen the noise over listening to that crap of open headers. Give me a good sounding loud system anyday---although these days i must be getting older is i prefer quieter systems.

And most of all as stated elswhere---your in California. Good luck with trying to get away with that.