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My 1966 Starfire currently has a non-original exhaust setup: While the exhaust manifolds are stock, the previous owner put some aftermarket mufflers under the car, in front of the rear axle at the original places but hanging down too much (see pic attached).
Doing so, he used too long hangers, and also decided to not use resonators but straight pipes behind the rear axle.
My questions:
Does anyone have some pictures of their exhaust setup to share?
Which mufflers (in front of rear axle) did you use?
In case you used resonators, which model can you recommend?
Which hangers do you use, and where do you mount them?
Did anyone install a stainless exhaust, and if so, which mufflers and resonators did you use?
I also would be very interested in audio files to check out the sound if you have any..
Sorry for the many questions, just looking to learn from you ;-)
Mufflers not installed well, too low
Shitty universal hanger, too long and not using the original mounting locations
Hi @Olds64 , in normal driving conditions they don't scrape, but when I have to go vore the bump into my garage, I need the installed highjackers to be a bit lifted. This is super annoying and the main reason why I search for Info about better solutions. See below a screenshot of the original hanger for the muffler, this is my main issue...
Screenshot from olds illustration handbook. I'm especially interested in the numbers 19 and 20 (gm#388050 and 388052). Didn't find anything at fusick, classicindustries and rockauto...
The problem is the half-fast generic aftermarket hangers that are holding the mufflers. They are too long, which is why the mufflers hang down so far. Unfortunately I'm not aware of any reproductions of the original hangers. Whoever installed that exhaust system took the lazy way out. There are a lot of aftermarket hangers that can be adapted to your car, but it takes someone who is willing to do it right. Unfortunately, raising the mufflers may cause the tailpipes to hit the floorboard if they were not installed correctly.
These are what the OEM muffler and tailpipe hangers look like. Note that they are a LOT shorter than the ones on your car. Yeah, this is from the 1967 PIM, but the 65-70 full size cars are all the same.
Gardner makes an extremely nice product. Your car isn't listed on their site but they do state to call if your application isn't listed. They are expen$$$$$ive but their quality is very, very good.
https://vikinginc.com/
They show this in their Catalog. It is the one for the location in your picture (view H in document).
you could try contacting them to see if they have them.
other wise it looks pretty simple to make.
https://vikinginc.com/
They show this in their Catalog. It is the one for the location in your picture (view H in document).
you could try contacting them to see if they have them.
other wise it looks pretty simple to make.
I have a very factory style 2.5” dual exhaust with resonators on my ‘66 Starfire. It sounds very quiet since I went with stock mufflers and resonators. It has a little growl when you stand on it, but it does not sound like a thumpy muscle car at all. I would call it docile at idle. Not much louder than a modern car. It still sounds like a V8, just not a real loud one. For that car, I really like that.
This is very much a personal taste thing. I wanted the car quiet but powerful enough. I probably gave up some horsepower and torque for a slightly more restrictive exhaust, but mostly I use the car around town and a bit on the freeway so I wanted something that would not beat me over the head with noise.
Be aware that over time water condensation in the mufflers and the resonators can cause them to rust out. On my regularly driven car, I think I’ve had to replace them twice in 25 years or so. Here in the U.S., I don’t think that’s too bad. One trick I’ve seen is to drill a small drip hole in the bottom rear of the resonators to allow water to drip out and perhaps have them rust more slowly. I’ve never tried that though.
I’ll see if I can put together an audio file along the way. I have a 98 convertible too, with a much rowdier cam (JM 18-20 or maybe 20-22) and it’s a lot louder at idle. I have the impression that exhaust noise has a lot to do with compression and cam choice as well as what’s in the pipes.
