Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

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Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

December 10, 2013, 04:54:06 PM

I am currently running a stock 5.0 engine with the Y pipe (cat hollowed out) and a pair of IMCO 72443's (clones of Flowmaster 42443's) with dumps before the rear axle. I am getting a nice sound but it's still not what I was hoping for.

Is the problem the sound of the lers I chose ? Or will better headers like Hedman's 88380's and an off road 2.5" h pipe change the sound of the exhaust at all ? If I change the headers will that require other mods ?
I also do not know which headers will fit better...shorties or long tube ?

Any help or info would be much appreciated. This is a project I plan to take on in the spring time, but im just trying to get as much info and recommendations as I can.

Thanks

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #1 – December 10, 2013, 07:28:53 PM

Any kind of headers will require an H-pipe. The pipe is too small on the y and the s have a way wrong stud spacing. The H-pipe will also require mid pipes to fit the s at the back and feed into the lers. I know from experience that if you have 2" ler inlets still, stock Mark VII mid pipes (and you'll have to buy s, too) will be exactly the right length AND will seal against the ball on the back of a 2.5" H-pipe. If you have large inlets, get Mustang mids and use some straight tubing to make them long enough to reach the lers.
And get rid of the dumps, man. They're unsafe, ESPECIALLY with hollow/no cats. At rest, all that uncatalyzed exhaust is pooling under your car. A submarine with a screen door is still sealed against air leaks better than an 80's car, even ours. You don't want that getting inside the car where you have to breathe it. Just sayin', your health and stuff.

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #2 – December 10, 2013, 08:07:37 PM

So this H Pipe will directly fit the Tbird, or will I need any extenders ? http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cto-4179

What about the lers ? I would think the 44';s would sound great, but these are clones. I was told by several people that they are the same design.
The Tbird has 2" pipes, and I am wondering if that is too restrictive.

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #3 – December 10, 2013, 08:28:58 PM

That H-pipe will fit directly, but you will still need pipes and s to reach the lers (Walker 31885 s, 42852 and 42853 mid pipes). At your level, 2" dual cat-back is just fine. I'm running a 2.5" H with a 2" dual cat-back with dynomax super turbo's all behind an HO cammed Explorer engine, and I almost break into the 13's. I think I'm maxing out my 19# injectors. But you're not possibly going to restrict a stock 5.0 with stock E6 heads and a 50mm TB by running 2" duals behind a 2.5" H. You will, however, need to slightly adjust the lower bracket of your column shift to clear the H-pipe, and you'll need extenders for your oxygen sensors (or just a pair of new ones for a Mark VII or Mustang). Since the headers won't have a place for them, they'll have to be moved to the H-pipe, without extenders (at minimum) they won't reach.

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #4 – December 10, 2013, 08:32:46 PM

My Y pipe has no cat, or it's hollowed out. Isnt that the same concept as having an X pipe ? Im thinking maybe of just getting a pair of Walker tails to exit out the back. Not sure if im crazy about the turndowns at the rear axle.
It sounds like too much work to add new headers and an h pipe. Im not looking to race anyone, just want a better exhaust tone.

What is the difference between the stock 5.0 headers, and say, a pair of Hedmans or BBK ?

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #5 – December 10, 2013, 09:57:24 PM

Knocking the substrate out of the y-pipe won't improve flow, as that's not the restriction in that particular unit. And an X-pipe is a completely different concept. The X-pipe uses expansion waves to aid cylinder scavenging similar to an H-pipe, but with a different profile. As for the question of difference, stock you don't have headers, you have cast manifolds. They're small, heavy, and restrictive (more so than the E6 heads), where actual headers are light, have large outlets and are made of tubing bent in such a way as to protect maximum flow. If you're just looking for a sound, it would help to know what you're looking for in a sound.

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #6 – December 10, 2013, 10:27:34 PM

I have noticed improved power and sound since I hollowed out the cat, and added the K&N air filter. Im just looking for a more aggressive rumble or growl to the exhaust.

If I change the headers, what else needs to be changed besides the pipes ?

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #7 – December 10, 2013, 10:33:28 PM

If you are looking for a set of stock mustang headers, I've a set I'd sell ya to further your cause..

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #8 – December 10, 2013, 10:40:41 PM

With a stock cam, you won't get much more than slightly increased volume with headers only. It takes a cam with some added lift, duration, and overlap to get the lope sound that some people get such a hard on for. I've also seen many 14 second cars that sounded mean as hell with a mucho choppy exhaust note, but were slower than a 10 year old stock Honda Civic.

Myself, I'd rather spend money on go fast rather than sound good. With quality exhaust parts however, you'll get a good exhaust tone. I like mine mellow, and throaty, not where it sounds like rotten glasspacks with big holes rusted in 'em..

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #9 – December 10, 2013, 10:48:26 PM

If you add headers, you'll need an H-pipe, which will cause you to need extended oxygen sensors. To get from the H-pipe to the lers, you need mid pipes and s. That's the whole upgrade path. Everything except the lers. Make sure you use header gaskets from the company that made the headers. I found that out the hard way with my BBK's.

You're not going to get the "growl" with a single exhaust. (y-pipe in => single => y-pipe out is still single exhaust, just with lots of useless weight like an extra ler and tail added and no extra flow). Maybe you could just shoot for loud. Loud is aggressive.

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #10 – December 11, 2013, 07:33:58 PM

Quote from: TheFoeYouKnow;425467

If you add headers, you'll need an H-pipe,

This isn't entirely true. yes, it would help with flow, but it isn't a necessity. My old 88 Sport had stock mustang headers and the stock t-bird y-pipe when I bought it. the holes in the s on the y-pipe had been slotted slightly, but it does work and will seal just fine. ALTHOUGH, you WILL have to have o2 sensor bungs welded into the y-pipe, which makes it almost pointless to keep the y-pipe. I did upgrade to a 2.5" h-pipe when I came across a smokin deal on one, but what it had worked...

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #11 – December 11, 2013, 10:41:29 PM

So is my 5.0 EFI enigine the same as the stock '88 Mustang engine, or did the Mustangs have better headers ??

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #12 – December 11, 2013, 10:47:40 PM

Mustangs have "better" heads, upper intake (lower is identical), cam, and headers. those items combined with a different ECU and 19lb injectors make for a roughly 65hp difference (150 vs 215)

the stock mustang headers are better than your stock manifolds, but not by much.

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #13 – December 11, 2013, 11:30:23 PM

So why couldn't I just add an "h pipe" to my stock engine to go to the flowmaster 44's, maybe some tails, and just be happy with that ? I don't think headers are gonna change much of the sound that I have. I would probably need to upgrade the engine entirely (cam, push rods, etc...) and don't really have time or $$'s for that stuff.

If I knew of an off road H pipe, or one without cats, that would fit directy I would buy it, but it seems that the "Catco 4179" or the Mark VII pipe has catalytic converters, and probably not high-flow ones.

Exhaust upgrade for 1988 Tbird Sport ?

Reply #14 – December 11, 2013, 11:36:27 PM

any h-pipe that will fit a 5.0 fox body will fit your thunderbird, with or without headers