Not sure if I should post this here or in the tech section, but I guess I'll put it here. I had my '87 Colony Park out a few weeks ago and thought I had detected it running just a bit louder than usual. I had tried to convince myself it was nothing except my imagination, but as I'm sure as is the case with all of you, I'm so hooked into my wagon that I always detect if the slightest little thing is out of kilter. Well, sure enough I drove it last night and by the end of my 30 mile trek, there was no doubt that the exhaust had developed a hole and it certainly wasn't going to get any better on its own. About two blocks from the house, I stopped at a light, powered down the driver's window to listen and decided, "You know what, I like it louder"! After all, the 5.0 is an American V-8 and who doesn't love the throaty rumble most of them give out. My question, is this; the engine has 92000 miles on it and if I put anything on there except the stock set up, could it possibly do any harm to it? Will the electronic ignition or the computer that runs it, (obviously you can see mechanics is not my forte), have to be adjusted to have it run correctly with the more free flowing exhaust? After hearing the Tiki wagon with its flowmasters, that's the way I'm leaning. Do you think flowmasters could be retrofitted to an '87? Do you think the difference in sound would be worth the additional expense of just replacing it normally? Nobody I know would be able to give me more knowledgable and correct advice than all you guys and gals, so I'm very much looking forward to your responses. Thanks alot.
The only thing that will hurt it by running a free flowing exhaust will be you. Loving the sound so much, you might get a little rowdy on it off and on. My 92 Roadmaster had 160K on it. I gutted the cat, added a Thrush Ultra Welded and cut off the rear resonator. She sounded AWESOME and it woke the sleeping giant right up! I gain mileage (well if i was not standing on it just to hear the pipe talk) and the power increase was just astounding! So no, you will not hurt the car, you will gain power and mileage(if you can control your right foot). I say go for it, Stock quiet exhaust SUCKS! Its a V8, let lt be one.
First, if these cars were ordered with the towing or performance package, they came with duals, and an extra 10 horse. Go to 2 1/4 pipes and flowmasters, you gain another 10 or so. Go with an x cross over either way. Add long tube headers, and gain a further 10 horse. All in all, you will gain roughly 7 to 9 mpg. No mods are needed to the computer and what not.
I would think, like California, any change aft of the catalytic converter is certainly OK. I'm not sure about NY but Ca will not allow any changes to exhaust forward of the cat. So, if you have two in to one cat then you may be limited to a cat back system. If NY has not limitations on a 92 then you can go for true duals but the computer will not understand the missing rear cat so I would recommend a dual cat back system. You should go in to you tube as there are many videos with various exhausts including Gibson, Magnaflow, Flowmaster and the like. Then you can judge for youself which one sounds best for you. Personally I like a subtle rumble at idle and more noise at full throttle. However, with the wrong set up you could get a heavy drone at highway speeds that will drive you nuts. The problem is you can't try a setup out then change you mind. Back in the day I had a 70 Cougar with a 351 with true duals and the mufflers were a pair of 24" Glass Packs. It sounded great and had no highway resonance.
These cars are factory equipped with dual cats, one on the tail of each manifold. In a single system, there is a Y pipe. Factory duals used an H pipe. The computer will adapt just fine between the single and the dual. It was calibrated that way because they could come either way.
Firt off, you need to know if you have true dual exhaust. If you have true dual exhaust, you will have to buy 2 Mufflers. There are many options, as stated. The cheapest will probably be glass packs. My buddy has a 68 Mustang with Glass packs. They are just about straight pipe. That thing is flat out loud. My personal preferance is Flowmaster, but they are also on the more expensive end of the spectrum. For best performance and mileage gain (IF YOU CAN KEEP YOUR FOOT OUT OF IT) is a full on exhaust system with headers, X-pipe, mufflers and larger diameter pipe. If you just want the nice throaty sound, then all you need to do is replace the Muffler(s). If you can, put the car on a lift and inspect the exhaust system. If one of the mufflers is rusted out, there is a chance the rest of the system may be in bad/rusty shape. If the entire sytem needs replaced, now would be the time to go for a full on header to tail pipe install. The cost of having a more performance oriented system installed, rather than factory is going to cost you a bit more. But if you are going to put out the money, you might as well get what you want. Internal combustion engines work on a simple principle: the easier it is to get air in and exhaust out (less restriction) the easier it is for the engine to work and therefore it is more efficiant and by default more powerful. I like the suggestion of checking out youtube for examples. Everyones preferance is different, so find something you like and start shopping around. Good luck with your search and keep us posted.
I've got Flowmaster 40's on my Caprice and my Colony Park. They were given to me, because my Uncle said they weren't 'loud enough.' I'm not about loud, I'm about tone, and I think they give a good V8 sound without my car sounding obnoxious. Every wanna-be redneck in this town is running glass-packs on his 1990's lifted Silverado.
Excellent! I knew I'd get great advice from everybody's experience. Thanks so much for your thoughts. SF, no it doesn't have duals, just a single. Haven't gotten under the car to check it out yet, I would assume it only has one cat since it's only got one tailpipe. It was a pretty basic Colony Park. Vinyl interior instead of leather, (even though it's an LS), AM FM Stereo with no tape player but it did come with the cast aluminum wheels, which in my mind, are a must. To be honest, I don't much care about the price of whatever exhaust I put on there. A few years back when I had money, I lent a young man I had kind of taken under my wing at the Ford dealership, a lot of money so he could get set up in his own repair garage. He's now married with a baby and still owes me a goodly sum. His garage is doing alright, but he's not getting rich yet. So, I bring the CP and the Taurus X there for all my repairs and maintenance and then deduct the bill from what he owes. It works out well since I don't have to lay out any cash, though admittedly, it would be nice to get the money back for sure. After reading all your ideas, I'm leaning towards the flowmasters. I'm not looking for dragster loud, but I am looking for a nice throaty rumble. Blackfoot, I fear you are correct in that any gas mileage increase is going to be eliminated by my right foot. The other night when it was so loud, I already found myself driving it more aggresively than I ever have! It sounded great! Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes.
