exhaust advise

[Franks]

i have a 92 k1500 without cats and im needing to replace the exhaust. i would like to know yalls advise on what i should run, pipe, muffler and if i should dump them or run out the back. im new to the older trucks and needing budget friendly. i just want good sound

 

[Jerryred94silvy]

Budget friendly you say?.....

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Well then look no further than the “Oreilly’s special”. Dirt cheap, great sound and no welding required! Just clamp those bad boys down and you’re good to go.

This is my actual exhaust system. It was cheap and easy and it works and I didn’t have to pay someone to weld it lol. I did end up adding some length to it so I could hang it in the factory location. And it just dumps right there under the bed.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

Maybe not quite so budget friendly but, on my 88 5.7L, I run Summit Racing shorty headers, JBA mandrel bent "Y" pipe (2-1/4 to 3"), Thunderbolt 3" high flow Cat, and this Borla 3" straight through muffler - sounds great and with changing my 3-chamber muffler to this one I probably gained a few ponies too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060EI9XK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[kennythewelder]

There are a lot of varables to conceder. If all you want is sound, then flow masters masters are a good choice, but if you want performance, the flow masters are garbage. Any muffler that you can look straight threw will out perform any other muffler, hands down. What was posted above may sound OK and perform better than OE, but not much. Here is a video I posted some time back that explains exhaust flow. It was done by an exhaust engineer. Its about 30 mins long, but well worth watching.

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[kennythewelder]

Now to answer your question. A free flowing exhaust system will always out perform a system that has restrictions. I have 2 old school glass packs, and true duals out the back. You can see how small the mufflers are in the pic. They look like just a bigger pipe.

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[Franks]

im wanting a good deep tone without the dreaded crackle. should i put the cat back on? magnaflow exhaust? i just wanna make sure its right before i spend money and i figure you guys would have the most knowledge

 

[kennythewelder]

im wanting a good deep tone without the dreaded crackle. should i put the cat back on? magnaflow exhaust? i just wanna make sure its right before i spend money and i figure you guys would have the most knowledge

What sounds good to you, may not sound good to me. Not sure what you call crackle. When I had my 93, 4.3L, I put on a flow master. I was very happy with the sound, and it did out perform the OE muffler. Some time later, I gutted the cat. The sound changed a little, but not much. A bigger exhaust pipe, will give a different sound. Deeper and louder, and will also help with performance at higher RPMs. The larger pipe, will echo somewhat, and this will give a deeper tone. Im all about performance, so I like a free flowing exhaust system. With that sound will come. The heads, cam, and headers also play a part in what the engine sounds like.

 

[kennythewelder]

Your best bet may be to bring your truck to a custom muffler shop, and talk to them there. If nothing else, you can get a ball park price, and gain some knowledge.

 

[Franks]

Your best bet may be to bring your truck to a custom muffler shop, and talk to them there. If nothing else, you can get a ball park price, and gain some knowledge.

thats what i may do. if i can find someone that will work on it without cats

 

[kennythewelder]

thats what i may do. if i can find someone that will work on it without cats

IDK about where you live, but around here, they wont take off your cats without replacing them, but if there all ready off, they will work on it. Being a certified welder, I did all my own work, but to get to the top side of the exhaust pipe where it goes into the muffler, I just could not reach there from on the ground. I took it to a custom muffler shop, and had them weld the tops that I couldnt reach. I think he charged me $20. Its just so much easier when you have a lift to drive the truck on, and your not laying on the ground on your back.