ok, I finally got rid of my 68 so I now I have enough money to finish my 79 (ironic right?). Anyway, I got a 396 .60 over with all the add ons and right now I have dynomax full length headers running open. I got some hollowed cats that I'm going to put on and then I am still trying to decide on muffers/exhaust. I want something tame, but still wakes up when I stomp on it. Also, I found the cats online and I have no idea how they originally came in 1979. This probably sounds like a dumb question, but the cats go right on to the header right? They are just there for show anyways. What is a good choice on muffler? And no, I don't want flowmasters. I had them on my RS and really didn't care for them. I was thinking about going with sidepipes because they are cheap and easy, but after looking on ebay I can get a full exhaust pipe system for 140 w/o mufflers, so i was thinking about that. Any suggestions? Comments? It is really appreciated
-Cory

a cat can go anywhere between the header and the muffler i think(usually its about 12-18" or more back though)... also insted of running hollwed cats.. why not run hi-flow cats.. they wont take away HP ..and you wont have to pay the huge fines when a state cop pulls you over on a bad day...

pypes V-force mufflers sound nice.. and so do flowtech warlocks...

Cops can't ticket you for having hollowed cats unless they pull them off the car. I just need them for show to pass emissions in Az. High flow cats ain't cheap and I'm on a strict budget. There are other ways around emissions . One of my buddies just passed in his firebird by putting ethyl alchol in his tank and leaning his motor out a bit
-Cory

If your on a tight budget look at summit's house brand turbo mufflers for $15 each.

They are dynomax super turbo blems in a plane white box.

Nice mellow sound. Quiter than most new trucks at idle and low RPM, but wakes up and roars to life under full throttle.

My dad has a set on his firebird. I like how they sound. In fact i'm thinking about upgrading my exhaust from flowmasters to the summit turbo's, and an X pipe.

All the cops need to do to ticket you for cats is to whip out a pyrometer and see if the temperature increases after the cat. if it doesn't, hello ticket. Still, you'd have to come across a pretty tight-ass cop for that.

Cats should be as close to the engine as possible.

I like the dynomax ultra flows.

Even though they are non-functional, would you recommend that I install them right next to the header? Also, would you guys recommend dual straight pipes, or perhaps an X or H pipe?
-Cory

I have dynomax headers into V-force mufflers 3 inch. It sounds great and performs well. It was a custom job all welded and bent.

Tiger, is it annoyingly loud at idle? I live in an apartment and don't want to piss off the neighbors every time i come home at 3 in the morning

Ok, After reading about exhausts from previous posts on this board I am trying to determine what is better, True duals or a X pipe. My analysis has concluded that the X pipe is better, but just wanted to double check before I start buying shit. I know we've all been there...

an X-pipe is still a dual system, the X-actually balances the 2 cylinder banks exhaust pressure, which is better for making power. the 2 pipes don't intersect each other, there is a small port between them to allow for pressure balance. An H-pipe is an older form of that idea. But after R&D, turns out the X performs better than an H.

mine is true dual and to be honest it is pretty loud...probably would stay away from it if you live in an apartment

With the Big Block it would be hard to put on a good muffler that was quiet and doesn't choke-up the engine.

I'm sure most here would agree that you'll need a 2-1/2" pipe for the system.

The cats should go a few inches behind the collector of the headers. The original cat was the old pellet type and both banks of exhaust ran into 1-cat. I don't know if Arizona is picky but running dual cats may not be legal if the inspection requires the exhaust to be similar to stock. If AZ is this picky, then running dual cats would be worthless.

As for mufflers, some of the quietest I've heard were some of the MagnaFlow's. Don't really care for them but they do work for some.

Next I would sare are the Borla 304 stainless steel mufflers. These have stainless steel packing inside but the do have a nice deep tone when you get on the pedal.

After that I like the Flowtech Afterburner's. They have a nice deep tone but may resonate a bit if you don't run the tailpipes over the axle and out the back. Real nice deep tone overall.

My favorite are the Flowtech Terminator's. Reall nice deep tone but not "tinney" like Flowmasters. When you step on the pedal, they are deep and agressive. Love the sound of these behind a tight small block or my thumping big block!

I've started to hear more of the Pypes brand systems and they sound pretty good! Haven't felt who they handle big cubes or high horsepower but very clean and good sound too!

In all cases, the X-pipes help mellow out the tone at most engine speeds. Even if you use the old H-pipes that will help.

Hope this helps you out!