posted 06-17-2002 10:28 PM                  

If you want loud, do straight pipes with no equalizer, maybe with short glass packs. I once had a '69 Olds 442 bored to about 440 with 3/4 race cam, headers, short Purple Hornies and weed sprayers that you could hear going through the gears about 5 miles away. After some discussion with the law officers I toned it down with an equalizer tube and replacing the glass packs with Corvair Monza Turbo mufflers. Equalizer tubes between the two sides of the system greatly reduces the sharp-pitched rap, and we are waiting to hear Mike Gallagher's new system with glass packs and equalizers fore and aft.

The Borla is a single muffler combining exhaust from both sides and it and other after market systems have baffles tuned for a deep sound and max flow. If you really want to get sophisticated, headers and exhaust can be designed for max performance at a specific rpm range, but I've never heard one in action.

A major key to sound is how you drive. Donna can go across town without much rumble. I have a tendency to open it full bore at higher rpm in lower gears, especially going through underpasses and uphill--makes the Kat howl! In a tunnel it is awsome if you hit it right.