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My wannabe DIY muffler

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34nineteen

34nineteen

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 6, 2015
Messages
4,485
Location
Kolache Factory
Since LF Industries of Leola, PA never replied to my sponsorship request for a Hell Fire v4.0 Racing Super Turbo muffler, I had to go back to the drawing board.

So, I have cut up, gutted and cleaned out what was left of an XB9 muffler.
The goal is basically to make a homage to the ever so popular Drummer with dual exhaust outlets.

The question is, what should I wrap the perforated core with?

Stainless steel wool
Or
Ceramic Wool

I found a place that makes exhaust grade versions of both. I know stainless steel wool is the old hot rodders trick and is the material of choice for Porter mufflers which I think sound very nice. However, that technology is getting close to 100! years old and may give the ceramic wool a shot.

Has anyone worked with both? Mike lowery offered to send me a bunch of magnesium chips to pack it with, but said it may run a bit hot? Hmmm...

Ok... discuss. Go!
 
Try titanium shavings, I hear that its an experience you won't forget! JK

Honestly I'd just pack in regular stuff. Drummers get nicely quiet with a deep rumble to them. The huge exhaust pulses of the high compression twin beat the material up but $12 a year for new stuff seems reasonable to me.
 
Cooter said:
Try titanium shavings, I hear that its an experience you won't forget! JK

Honestly I'd just pack in regular stuff. Drummers get nicely quiet with a deep rumble to them. The huge exhaust pulses of the high compression twin beat the material up but $12 a year for new stuff seems reasonable to me.
Click to expand...

The problem is that with what I have to work with at this point, the packing will not be serviceable. That is why I am going to lean towards something more durable than fiberglass. Porters packed with steel wool have been popular for awhile on domestic hot rods, and are damn near bullet proof. I was leaning that way until I discovered the whole ceramic wool thing. One issue to the steel wool setup is that it transfers heat to the outside of the muffler body and can make the pipe run hot, and the pipes are usually heavy. The ceramic wool appears to be more heat resistant, lighter and probably sounds similar to the 'glass packed muffler.

For me, Drummers tend to resonate in my helmet and give me a headache. I'm hoping that redirecting the exhaust flow and splitting it into two outlets will reduce/eliminate that. Kevin built me a "db-killer" for my old Drummer, and it did work to an extent, but not to the point I needed. I'm not saying the Drummer is a bad pipe. Its a great looking and well put together pipe, and Kevin is a good guy. It just wasn't for me.
 
https://steelwooldirect.com/ss-fiber-mat/

This product seems interesting, they might be a good point of contact to ask what they recommend at least. They have a range of products and even a website chat window. I dont have personal experience with any muffler packing except a 2 stroke fmf repack kit but thats just fiiberglass in a bag.
 
konarider94 said:
https://steelwooldirect.com/ss-fiber-mat/

This product seems interesting, they might be a good point of contact to ask what they recommend at least. They have a range of products and even a website chat window. I dont have personal experience with any muffler packing except a 2 stroke fmf repack kit but thats just fiiberglass in a bag.
Click to expand...

This is who I am going to buy from.


Why would I want to ask the manufacturer about their own product when I have this handy forum? I thought that was the rule of working on motorcycles. Lol
 
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This is what I understood was going on inside of a Hawk. I also heard there was a plate welded in ahead of the exhaust outlet, so the exhaust couldnt go straight out.


https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?30858-inside-of-the-hawk-exhaust


Note: I am not knocking Hawk. I'm sure he has tons of happy customers and I hear he's a great guy. I'm just posting this as a reference point to his design. Basically an open can with a "baffle plate" at the end. I've heard the Special Ops pipe was a similar design and it did fairly well in the old XB shootout. Unfortunately, the Hawk wasn't in the test. It was before my time, so maybe the Hawk wasnt around at that time? Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
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34nineteen said:
This is who I am going to buy from.


Why would I want to ask the manufacturer about their own product when I have this handy forum? I thought that was the rule of working on motorcycles. Lol
Click to expand...

Yea that wouldn't make sense at all. Better go to facebook and ask for opinions there.

34nineteen said:
This is what I understood was going on inside of a Hawk. I also heard there was a plate welded in ahead of the exhaust outlet, so the exhaust couldnt go straight out.


https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?30858-inside-of-the-hawk-exhaust


Note: I am not knocking Hawk. I'm sure he has tons of happy customers and I hear he's a great guy. I'm just posting this as a reference point to his design. Basically an open can with a "baffle plate" at the end. I've heard the Special Ops pipe was a similar design and it did fairly well in the old XB shootout. Unfortunately, the Hawk wasn't in the test. It was before my time, so maybe the Hawk wasnt around at that time? Correct me if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

Man people actually threatened me after that one...pretty crazy. I actually sent that to jdaniels when he was asking around about the hawk. I wonder if the picture he posted was in progress and he didnt show it gutted before welding back together.
 
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