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favorite off the shelf exhaust package?

70sbudget

Jr. Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Messages
92
looking for a quiet, budget friendly package from manifold back for a 70 running a 95 5.0 roller cam.

quiet preferred, just a grocery getter at this point.

found a complete scott drake system on summit for 250.


lets hear your thoughts
 

JAFO

Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Messages
1,556
Loc.
Beaverdam
I bought a complete exhaust package from Duff's. Worst money I have ever spent. If I had a do over I would have taken my Bronco to an exhaust shop and have a nice system installed that fit better. I made it all work, but it was way more trouble and I think in the end I spent more money than I should have. I had to get some pipes bent at better angles and I hated the exhaust tone (way too loud, so loud I couldn't hear the radio) and ended up buying new mufflers from a muffler shop. I recommend not trying to get something off the shelf and take your truck to a reliable shop.
 

savage

Contributor
Bronco Nut
Joined
Apr 18, 2007
Messages
2,482
Loc.
Renton
X-2 on going to a muffler shop. What was good about the shop I went with is they worked with me on how I wanted it routed and what type of muffler and pipe material. I have bought systems for my 97 ford 460, which was a flowmaster system and 97 dodge Cummins which was a banks system. Both system fit great with no modification, they did not come cheap ,but you get what you pay for, when it comes to fit and finish.
 

hotrodtim68

Contributor
Full Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2010
Messages
306
Stock Exhaust.

Shelton Exhaust Manufacturing . They are a Classic Bronco Vendor. 765 301 6235. They make perfect fitting exhaust systems.:cool:
 

RADO

Jr. Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2016
Messages
138
Loc.
Phoenix
I bought a complete exhaust package from Duff's. Worst money I have ever spent. If I had a do over I would have taken my Bronco to an exhaust shop and have a nice system installed that fit better. I made it all work, but it was way more trouble and I think in the end I spent more money than I should have. I had to get some pipes bent at better angles and I hated the exhaust tone (way too loud, so loud I couldn't hear the radio) and ended up buying new mufflers from a muffler shop. I recommend not trying to get something off the shelf and take your truck to a reliable shop.

+1

I purchased a duff exhaust package to go with my duff long tube headers (love these!). Same story as JAFO, I didn't like the mufflers and decided to modify the kit to use existing flowmaster delta 50s. I couldn't get the pipe angles to fit my set-up quite right and the exhaust tips sat too low on my Bronco with a body lift. I took the Bronco to an exhaust shop, spent the same amount of money and got a really nice set-up with the correct bends. Only took them a couple hours to install too. I felt like a dummy!
 

Smedley

Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2004
Messages
918
Loc.
Snohomish
I just purchased a single exhaust kit from CJPonyParts. Haven't installed yet but will post as a I do. For $400 it was substantially cheaper than what local muffler shop quoted (about$700).

Will
 

JAFO

Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Messages
1,556
Loc.
Beaverdam
+1

I purchased a duff exhaust package to go with my duff long tube headers (love these!). Same story as JAFO, I didn't like the mufflers and decided to modify the kit to use existing flowmaster delta 50s. I couldn't get the pipe angles to fit my set-up quite right and the exhaust tips sat too low on my Bronco with a body lift. I took the Bronco to an exhaust shop, spent the same amount of money and got a really nice set-up with the correct bends. Only took them a couple hours to install too. I felt like a dummy!

I call it my 'Stupid Tax' when I spend money badly. Stole that line from the Dave Ramsey money show.
 

ryan97

Full Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2007
Messages
195
Loc.
Richmond
I was impressed with my Hedman Ceramic headers and bolt on dual exhaust kit. Fit fine, no install issues and sounds great. I did swap out the cherry bombs for flowmasters when I did the install
 

bronconut73

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
9,916
My Duff exhaust was installed by me 20+ years ago. Still great. Easy to install too. I only replaced their turbo mufflers about 7 or 8 years ago. Now running very quiet Flowmaster Delta 50's.

It is a cheap, do it yourself exhaust kit with almost mandrel quality bends.
Don't expect much from an exhaust kit. It will likely never rival a quality exhaust shop installation. It will not cost nearly as much either. Mine was going to be a temporary fix.....now 30 years later it is still there.
Many miles and many of those miles off road and my Duff exhaust is still going strong.
 
Last edited:

Mikesimp70

Full Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2017
Messages
341
After reading many threads here, I bought Bronco Hut's 2 into 1 (and their headers) Going on the rolling chassis this week so Ill let you know.

I rolled down through this thread expecting to see it recommended. Nervous now!
 

bronconut73

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
9,916
The Hut's stuff is top notch, just expensive, worth it but expensive.
People often go with their headers to accommodate GT 40P heads.


High quality stuff. You will not be disappointed.
 

Jrdesigns

Jr. Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2015
Messages
125
Loc.
madison
i ordered Duff's flowmaster exhaust kit. I was hoping for plug and play but due to my ax15 conversion its gonna need some exhaust shop help.
 

Monster Mike

Sponsor/Vendor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
1,768
Wow...great timing for a thread like this to appear!

I apologize in advance but this is a windy post. there is a lot to cover so please take a bathroom break or grab your favorite drink and sit down before you get started ;D



I have just spent the last month working on the Duff 2.25" aluminized steel exhaust kits. We have had a few different companies build these kits for us in the past 20+ years. Other than a few guys on here, I have had very little negative feedback on the fit and finish of the kit. Not that your opinion doesn't count though! I decided after we bought a Bend-Pak bender that we would start making the exhaust systems in-house for the first time. I made copies of our current kit. Then, just to be sure all the bends and lengths were exactly like what we have been offering, I installed it on Hobby Horse, one of our EB's. I wanted to see what our customers were experiencing. Hobby has a 351W, the HD motor mounts that lift the motor a bit taller (3/8-1/2") and our long tube ceramic headers. She also has our 5.5" lift, 1" body lift, 36" tires and our long arms. The rest of the drive train is an AOD and a Dana 20 with a EB 9".

When we first designed these kits (the 1990's) we had some simple goals in mind. It had to be bolt on and it had to work with an EB that had a 302/351W and no body lift. From there a little tweaking was all it took to make our kit work. A lot has changed since we first debuted this kit and I realized that just the motors alone can offer 4 different deck heights when you factor a 302 vs a Windsor and a stock motor mount vs a HD motor mount. Then you get into all the different transmissions, body lift, long arms, anti wrap device, different transfer cases and extended wheel base. How could we possibly offer an exhaust kit that worked with all of that!? Well, we can't cover every configuration but most of them, i think we can.

When I put our exhaust kit on Hobby Horse, I found a possible clearance issue with the long arm frame brackets. I also noticed the intermediate pipes could take a little more bend in them. This allowed them to fit up to our headers at a more direct angle. From there, I found that I could move the mufflers so that they would work better with our Torque Tamer (our axle anti-wrap device) and be better protected from rocks crunching them. At this point, I thought why not just go over the entire system and see if we can make it even better.

To make sure that we had a variety of EB’s covered, I brought in one of our local customer’s rides. This way, I could “stare and compare” at two very different Bronco configurations to make sure that I didn’t screw up an already good thing. After all, the goal was to make it even better. The customer’s ride has a 302 w/ stock motor mounts/C4/Dana20/9", 2.5" suspension lift, no body lift, uncut with 29" tires. The 302 has stock EB exhaust manifolds. First I removed his exhaust then bolted up our stock exhaust manifold down pipes. The passenger side worked fine but the driver side had a different trajectory than our long tube headers. Before making any mods to that I then bolted up our exhaust kit. It bolted together OK, but I felt that it hung a bit low. It could stand a little more bend where the down pipe and intermediate pipe fit together. It also benefited from the same mods to work with our long arms and/or axle anti-wrap device. I could see if I bought this kit before several options and modifications were added to the Bronco and before the upgrade bug hit that this kit woud be more than suitable for most.

I have told customers that our kit is so simple you can bolt it on in your driveway with nothing but a drill and simple hand tools. I tried to keep that point in mind as I continued tweaking the system. I wanted to be sure that you could “upgrade as you go” and not have to worry about any of our parts not playing well with each other. I feel confident that we have achieved that goal. But, I am really looking for your feedback. It helps us create and improve our products and lets us know what you would like to see next.
It was a challenge that we believe will pay off and I hope that we have met the needs of the majority. Our original kit was a 4 piece design (not including mufflers). Our new kit is 6 pieces. The tail pipes are now 2 pieces. This makes the install easier and gives you 3 different options for how you want the tail pipes to exit: straight back, 65° angle out the side, or 90° angle out the side (both behind the tire). Also, for our wheeling guys, this makes the last part of the tail pipe (The one that could get crushed…ask us how we know!) an easily removable/replaceable piece (we plan to offer this piece by itself, just in case you need it or want to change it to a different style). We hope to soon offer a selection of exhaust tips as well. An added bonus in the design change is the shipping costs. We are now able to ship the system in a considerably smaller box. This will allow us to deliver at a lower total cost. That’s what we call a “win-win-win”!

There are a few challenges we still hope to tackle. Currently, our exhaust kit will not work with an NP 205 or Atlas transfer case. Our long tube headers do not work with a C6 (and I don't know if our exhaust kit would work with a C6 if you did manifolds…but it might). Our exhaust kit could work with shorty headers, but we haven’t built a down pipe to connect it yet. I think it’s something we should do because a lot of you buy shorty headers. Any feedback? What do you guys think?

While we are on the subject of exhaust…I would like to talk about mufflers and the difference they can make in sound and performance. We offer Cherry Bomb, Flow Master, and AP (others by special order with enough lead time). The Cherry Bomb mufflers are offered in two levels: Vortex (mild sound, without resonance at highway speeds, had them several years on Silver) and Pro (a bit louder, but more “throaty”; awesome on Hobby). The Flow Master is a 40 series and is similar to the Vortex and has that well known Flow Master sound. I love the sound of the Pro's, but I like aggressive sounding exhaust. The customer we installed our new exhaust on went with the Turbo's (by AP, the quietest of our mufflers). Turbos are just a touch louder than stock V8 exhaust with stock manifolds. Vortex and Pros are really great sounding, especially with our long tube headers. I haven't got a chance to test the Pros on the freeway, but with the AOD I don't think there will be a drone issue. The Vortex are an awesome muffler if you run a C4 on the freeway. They have never bothered me at 2800-3000 RPM.

On a final, exhausting note (thanks for staying with me this far!), I want to let you guys know that we took measures to make our long tube headers seal better at the collector. The flange is now welded to the end of the collector and the reducer cone also has a flange welded to it. This makes the flange more rigid and that prevents any warping of the gasket (which can lead to a leak). We also replaced the gaskets for both the head flange and collector flange. We now include premium, multi layered steel (MLS) gaskets with no increase in the retail price. We also found changed the way that we build our reducer (the part that adapts the header to the exhaust pipes). Our collector is 2.5” and our exhaust is 2.25". The reducer is now a full 2.25”, as well.

What does the future hold for our exhaust? With the new Bend-Pak bender we can expand our product line and do custom orders. 2" or 2.5", stainless, 2 into 1, down pipes to connect shortie headers to our exhaust kit. if you can dream it we can more than likely build it. We would like the chance to quote it for you. Just remember we are a production facility and custom orders are something we have to work into the manufacturing schedule. I enjoy working together with you guys and would love to offer more new and innovative products in the future.

I know I know...this post is worthless w/o pics! %)

*The new exhaust kits are made but I still have to get the instruction sheet finished and lots and lots of key strokes to get it all in our computer system so the packaging guy can box them properly, the salesman can sell them properly and the shipper can ship them properly. I should have that all done by 11-15-17*
 
Last edited:

Joe473

Sr. Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
950
Wow...great timing for a thread like this to appear!

I apologize in advance but this is a windy post. there is a lot to cover so please take a bathroom break or grab your favorite drink and sit down before you get started ;D



I have just spent the last month working on the Duff 2.25" aluminized steel exhaust kits. We have had a few different companies build these kits for us in the past 20+ years. Other than a few guys on here, I have had very little negative feedback on the fit and finish of the kit. Not that your opinion doesn't count though! I decided after we bought a Bend-Pak bender that we would start making the exhaust systems in-house for the first time. I made copies of our current kit. Then, just to be sure all the bends and lengths were exactly like what we have been offering, I installed it on Hobby Horse, one of our EB's. I wanted to see what our customers were experiencing. Hobby has a 351W, the HD motor mounts that lift the motor a bit taller (3/8-1/2") and our long tube ceramic headers. She also has our 5.5" lift, 1" body lift, 36" tires and our long arms. The rest of the drive train is an AOD and a Dana 20 with a EB 9".

When we first designed these kits (the 1990's) we had some simple goals in mind. It had to be bolt on and it had to work with an EB that had a 302/351W and no body lift. From there a little tweaking was all it took to make our kit work. A lot has changed since we first debuted this kit and I realized that just the motors alone can offer 4 different deck heights when you factor a 302 vs a Windsor and a stock motor mount vs a HD motor mount. Then you get into all the different transmissions, body lift, long arms, anti wrap device, different transfer cases and extended wheel base. How could we possibly offer an exhaust kit that worked with all of that!? Well, we can't cover every configuration but most of them, i think we can.

When I put our exhaust kit on Hobby Horse, I found a possible clearance issue with the long arm frame brackets. I also noticed the intermediate pipes could take a little more bend in them. This allowed them to fit up to our headers at a more direct angle. From there, I found that I could move the mufflers so that they would work better with our Torque Tamer (our axle anti-wrap device) and be better protected from rocks crunching them. At this point, I thought why not just go over the entire system and see if we can make it even better.

To make sure that we had a variety of EB’s covered, I brought in one of our local customer’s rides. This way, I could “stare and compare” at two very different Bronco configurations to make sure that I didn’t screw up an already good thing. After all, the goal was to make it even better. The customer’s ride has a 302 w/ stock motor mounts/C4/Dana20/9", 2.5" suspension lift, no body lift, uncut with 29" tires. The 302 has stock EB exhaust manifolds. First I removed his exhaust then bolted up our stock exhaust manifold down pipes. The passenger side worked fine but the driver side had a different trajectory than our long tube headers. Before making any mods to that I then bolted up our exhaust kit. It bolted together OK, but I felt that it hung a bit low. It could stand a little more bend where the down pipe and intermediate pipe fit together. It also benefited from the same mods to work with our long arms and/or axle anti-wrap device. I could see if I bought this kit before several options and modifications were added to the Bronco and before the upgrade bug hit that this kit woud be more than suitable for most.

I have told customers that our kit is so simple you can bolt it on in your driveway with nothing but a drill and simple hand tools. I tried to keep that point in mind as I continued tweaking the system. I wanted to be sure that you could “upgrade as you go” and not have to worry about any of our parts not playing well with each other. I feel confident that we have achieved that goal. But, I am really looking for your feedback. It helps us create and improve our products and lets us know what you would like to see next.
It was a challenge that we believe will pay off and I hope that we have met the needs of the majority. Our original kit was a 4 piece design (not including mufflers). Our new kit is 6 pieces. The tail pipes are now 2 pieces. This makes the install easier and gives you 3 different options for how you want the tail pipes to exit: straight back, 65° angle out the side, or 90° angle out the side (both behind the tire). Also, for our wheeling guys, this makes the last part of the tail pipe (The one that could get crushed…ask us how we know!) an easily removable/replaceable piece (we plan to offer this piece by itself, just in case you need it or want to change it to a different style). We hope to soon offer a selection of exhaust tips as well. An added bonus in the design change is the shipping costs. We are now able to ship the system in a considerably smaller box. This will allow us to deliver at a lower total cost. That’s what we call a “win-win-win”!

There are a few challenges we still hope to tackle. Currently, our exhaust kit will not work with an NP 205 or Atlas transfer case. Our long tube headers do not work with a C6 (and I don't know if our exhaust kit would work with a C6 if you did manifolds…but it might). Our exhaust kit could work with shorty headers, but we haven’t built a down pipe to connect it yet. I think it’s something we should do because a lot of you buy shorty headers. Any feedback? What do you guys think?

While we are on the subject of exhaust…I would like to talk about mufflers and the difference they can make in sound and performance. We offer Cherry Bomb, Flow Master, and AP (others by special order with enough lead time). The Cherry Bomb mufflers are offered in two levels: Vortex (mild sound, without resonance at highway speeds, had them several years on Silver) and Pro (a bit louder, but more “throaty”; awesome on Hobby). The Flow Master is a 40 series and is similar to the Vortex and has that well known Flow Master sound. I love the sound of the Pro's, but I like aggressive sounding exhaust. The customer we installed our new exhaust on went with the Turbo's (by AP, the quietest of our mufflers). Turbos are just a touch louder than stock V8 exhaust with stock manifolds. Vortex and Pros are really great sounding, especially with our long tube headers. I haven't got a chance to test the Pros on the freeway, but with the AOD I don't think there will be a drone issue. The Vortex are an awesome muffler if you run a C4 on the freeway. They have never bothered me at 2800-3000 RPM.

On a final, exhausting note (thanks for staying with me this far!), I want to let you guys know that we took measures to make our long tube headers seal better at the collector. The flange is now welded to the end of the collector and the reducer cone also has a flange welded to it. This makes the flange more rigid and that prevents any warping of the gasket (which can lead to a leak). We also replaced the gaskets for both the head flange and collector flange. We now include premium, multi layered steel (MLS) gaskets with no increase in the retail price. We also found changed the way that we build our reducer (the part that adapts the header to the exhaust pipes). Our collector is 2.5” and our exhaust is 2.25". The reducer is now a full 2.25”, as well.

What does the future hold for our exhaust? With the new Bend-Pak bender we can expand our product line and do custom orders. 2" or 2.5", stainless, 2 into 1, down pipes to connect shortie headers to our exhaust kit. if you can dream it we can more than likely build it. We would like the chance to quote it for you. Just remember we are a production facility and custom orders are something we have to work into the manufacturing schedule. I enjoy working together with you guys and would love to offer more new and innovative products in the future.

I know I know...this post is worthless w/o pics! %)
Great post Mike, I like the option of stainless vs regular. Start with manifolds and your headers. I would love to see a 2 into 1 system for BC headers at some point!!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 

Monster Mike

Sponsor/Vendor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
1,768
Great post Mike, I like the option of stainless vs regular. Start with manifolds and your headers. I would love to see a 2 into 1 system for BC headers at some point!!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Thanks Joe!

If you're in need of one right now, here is an exhaust system that bolts right up to the BC headers and its already 2 into 1.

https://bcbroncos.com/shop/engine/e...-muffler-save-when-purchase-for-early-bronco/

Not sure what our 2 into 1 kit would bolt up to. Probably whatever shorty header is available out there that works well with most applications that we could sell as well? We definitely will base our 2-1 design around a 205 and atlas transfer case. Honestly though I'm getting ahead of myself here. There is so much other stuff on my plate right now. :p

We also would like to help guys with exhaust who buy our 4 link. Now that we are offering a sway bar system that works with our 4 link it would be nice to also offer an exhaust kit that works with both of those too. :cool:
 
Last edited:

bronconut73

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
9,916
Thanks Joe!

If you're in need of one right now, here is an exhaust system that bolts right up to the BC headers and its already 2 into 1.

https://bcbroncos.com/shop/engine/e...-muffler-save-when-purchase-for-early-bronco/

Not sure what our 2 into 1 kit would bolt up to. Probably whatever shorty header is available out there that works well with most applications that we could sell as well. We definitely will base our 2-1 design around a 205 and atlas transfer case. Honestly though I'm getting ahead of myself here. There is so much other stuff on my plate right now. :p

We also would like to help guys with exhaust who buy our 4 link. Now that we are offering a sway bar system that works with our 4 link it would be nice to also offer an exhaust kit that works with both of those too. :cool:




That will be a really cool exhaust kit because it is always tough to run exhaust through a 4 link.
I think it may open up your new 4 link kit and sway bar to more buyers....I like it A LOT....all your new Duff stuff always gets my Bronco energy flowing...lol
 

Monster Mike

Sponsor/Vendor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
1,768
That will be a really cool exhaust kit because it is always tough to run exhaust through a 4 link.
I think it may open up your new 4 link kit and sway bar to more buyers....I like it A LOT....all your new Duff stuff always gets my Bronco energy flowing...lol

Speaking of a 4 link, I am a big fan of leaf springs and I feel they work well for most of us. With that being said it would be cool to offer a 4 link that utilizes a lot of the components we already offer but is not as robust and geared more towards street driving. Not sure if it will pan out but its on the list to try. There are still very few EB's that do hard wheeling in comparison to how many EB's are on the road and being built that dont see more than a mild trail. These guys may like the option of a Duff "street version" 4 link that wouldn't need a 2" body lift and have the option of a sway bar and exhaust kit. :cool:

oops sorry if this is considered a hi jack!
 
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