2.8V6 Looking for deep exhaust tones, need ideas

[J_D43]

As the title says, im getting ready to run some new exhaust on my 85 with the 2.8 v6 and im wanting to get the deepest tone i can out of this smaller v6 while avoiding raspy or high pitched tones. Just wanted to see if anyone had any experience or ideas on what setup i should run

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

A V8

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

A V8

In all honesty, nothing you can do to the exhaust will make it sound like a v-8, so if that’s what you’re hoping for, only a v-8 makes v-8 noises.

That said, personally I prefer the sound of a 2.25 or 2.5” exhaust, high flow aftermarket cat and a Flowmaster 40/super 44/super 50 for the Ford v-6, seems to sound the best if you want a little aggressive. Headers also help. My 5.0 has a Magnaflow crossover muffler and dual exhaust with headers so I know what nice v-8 noises sound like, lol.

Don’t use a Flowmaster 10 series. Punk at the exhaust shop insisted on it for my Choptop and it annoys me, but not enough yet to buy a replacement yet, which will probably be a 40 series like what has been on it and like how I had wanted.

 

[J_D43]

A V8

Haha yeah maybe one day

 

[J_D43]

In all honesty, nothing you can do to the exhaust will make it sound like a v-8, so if that’s what you’re hoping for, only a v-8 makes v-8 noises.

That said, personally I prefer the sound of a 2.25 or 2.5” exhaust, high flow aftermarket cat and a Flowmaster 40/super 44/super 50 for the Ford v-6, seems to sound the best if you want a little aggressive. Headers also help. My 5.0 has a Magnaflow crossover muffler and dual exhaust with headers so I know what nice v-8 noises sound like, lol.

Don’t use a Flowmaster 10 series. Punk at the exhaust shop insisted on it for my Choptop and it annoys me, but not enough yet to buy a replacement yet, which will probably be a 40 series like what has been on it and like how I had wanted.

Definitely not expecting it to sound like a v8, I just know next to nothing about mufflers and i want to make sure I'm not buying something that's going to make my exhaust sound like a bag of marbles being violently shaken in a paint can

I've heard quite a few people suggest the super 44's for these smaller V6's as you said

 

[JoshT]

I don't like loud exhaust, but do like a deep mellow tone.

When I got it, my 84 2.8L had long tube headers (plus Holley 4bbl and Offy courtesy of my dad many years prior), but was in bad need of a new exhaust. Carried it to a local old-school muffler shop, they installed 2.25" dual exhaust with generic turbo mufflers, over the axle and existing rear corners of the bed. I couldn't have asked for a better sound or volume level.

I really wish I still had a video of it running with sound, but pretty sure I lost the one I did have to Fhotopucket going paid.

When I put the F-100 on the road several years ago, I had a similar system installed on it, except for 2.5" exhaust and shorty headers to clear the 4x4 bits. IMO it sounds better there, but that's a 360 FE V8, so not a fair comparison.

 

[J_D43]

I don't like loud exhaust, but do like a deep mellow tone.

When I got it, my 84 2.8L had long tube headers (plus Holley 4bbl and Offy courtesy of my dad many years prior), but was in bad need of a new exhaust. Carried it to a local old-school muffler shop, they installed 2.25" dual exhaust with generic turbo mufflers, over the axle and existing rear corners of the bed. I couldn't have asked for a better sound or volume level.

I really wish I still had a video of it running with sound, but pretty sure I lost the one I did have to Fhotopucket going paid.

When I put the F-100 on the road several years ago, I had a similar system installed on it, except for 2.5" exhaust and shorty headers to clear the 4x4 bits. IMO it sounds better there, but that's a 360 FE V8, so not a fair comparison.

It seems like we both enjoy the same sound, i'm definitely between super 44's or a 50 delta flow. I honestly think im leaning towards the delta flow just to make sure there isn't any rasp

Im with you there, the nice thing was about the squarebody i had with a 350 small block was that you could toss most anything behind it and it would sound good, as is with most V8's

 

[JoshT]

The mufflers I was running on both were literally generic turbo mufflers. No name stuff that the exhaust shops kept on the shelf. Probably Walker or something.

I think the latest shop put Magnaflows on the 99 V8 swap truck. Honestly, louder than I like. Not bad sound, just too much volume. I suspect part of that may be that it exits too close to the cab. I suspect that going over the axle and exiting at the back would help, but they said no room for it with then current suspension config (very much lowered).

 

[Curious Hound]

Deep notes come from bigger cylinders. Same way a bass drum has deeper notes than a tom-tom or a snare. Adding a resonator can help get rid of some frequencies and reduce drone. Larger diameter pipes may help give lower notes. But that can only go so far with small cylinders. Plus, pipe diameter can affect performance - some mumbo jumbo about exhaust velocity and scavenging. You don't want to go too big. You can google best exhaust pipe diameter for different engine sizes. It's an art with a lot of give and take and sound isn't necessarily where you want to put your priority.