I've had this one for a whole two days already so the first order of business was to hang it on our rack here at the Tin Shack Garage and slam on a 3" exhaust mod using leftover scrap bits from old projects;
The stock 3" Y-collector got a flush cut and a new flange welded on in order to accept a scrap hunk with a 3 bolt flange welded on already. That flange stub then got stitched to a straight piece followed by a recycled flowmaster that got the 2.5" inlet whacked off at the taper for a 3" inlet butt weld. We left the muff outlet alone so we could clamp it to the existing 2.5" tailpipe that was installed by prior owner since it was in solid shape. Finally, I spritzed it up in a haphazard fashion with some silver bbq paint to hold off the rust for a little while. Since the parts were mostly reclaimed, the total investment was the cost of a 3" collector gasket, a few clamps and half a can of spray paint! Fun stuff from the butcher shop!

 

cool except for the flowbomb that was the very FIRST thing removed from my '93
I HATE those mufflers. I could not wait to fire up the Sawzall for that one.

 

ohh and do yourself a favor; touch up that surface rust on that floor pan with something like POR 15 soon or it will be a Flinstone-mobile before you know it! wire brush the "loose" stuff off 1st and then put the POR on. that stuff is great

IL isn't kind to sheet metal they like road salt too much, just the thereat of a dusting of snow and out come the salt trucks...
I know I live in this miserable state too. What part are you from?

 

Yup, that's the next order of business, rust prevention. I live in the far north burbs of Chicago where they basically repave the roads with salt at the first thought of snow, sleet or ice. So yah, I'm basically screwed if I have to drive this in the winter, it will only take two or maybe three seasons and the cream puff with be cream rust .
I've already looked things over and blown the silt and crust out of the lower extremities, so next step is a preventative treatment of sorts. I think I'm going to have to get a winter beater though, I'm hoping to make this one last a while.

Oh, what's the hate for the flowmasters? Did you have that annoying droning or something? I have the same one on both of my Dakotas and love them, great sound at idle and wide-open but no issues at cruising. I think 90% of my love for these is because I keep the tailpipe, it seems to eliminate all of the annoyances without a major hit on power.

 

I love my Flowmaster, too. I can barely hear it inside the truck, but it sounds awesome outside. I also have tailpipes (and I still have my catastrophic converter), so that probably tames it a bit.

 

the cackle and the noise I just hate the "flowmaster sound" straight pipes have a better tone, volume notwithstanding/ i think straight pipes may even be a lil quieter
flowbombs do not "muffle" a damn thing they are more like "amplifiers"

I like my Magnaflow better my favorite sound is true duals and glasspacks like we just put on my son's '90 Dodge 3/4 ton nice mellow rumble
Some of the regular turbos sound decent

 

I think with exhaust noise, it's a love/hate thing, I don't like the glasspack sound, yet my buddy loves it. I've grown tired of open exhaust on Harleys, 90% being weak-kneed stockers just making a bunch of lousy racket, like everyone is a hot-rod-hero because they don't have baffles, wooptysh*t I say, like I want to hear open pipes on lawnmowers all day? No thanks.
But, if it's got a real camshaft and some real compression, I'm all ears though : )

 

yeah but the length and diameter of those pipes means alot too; I too hate the ear splitting straight piped Harleys. but a typical pickup truck has pipes 3-4 times longer and you dont sit 3 feet from the tails in a truck either. I am not sayin I'd run straight pipes on one just making comparison vs running a Flowbomb
though I have run straight pipe off of a cat before and been surprised at how that can sound... (I prefer the cat delete option though when possible) given a choice between a cat and a muffler Id rather have a muffler.