Hello everyone

I have an 02 Dakota. It’s got the 3.9L Magnum V6, manual 5sp trans with the extended cab, and about 148,000 miles on the clock.

It busted an exhaust manifold stud (I think for the 2nd time) so I’m planning to gut the whole exhaust system and upgrade to cat-forward performance headers, and have somebody mandrel-bend me a custom, straight dual exhaust, in the ultimate hope of squeaking a wee bit more power out of the old dog.

Wondering if anyone has done such a thing, 1st of all?

I don’t want it to be too loud but don’t mind a bit of noise- so I’m wondering what mufflers would work best?

Also, can I, should I put rated studs in the block, like grade 8 or higher?

I have another question about the steering but will make a 2nd thread so as not to cloud the issue.

Thanks in advance!
Tom

 

Not for a V6, hardly seems worth the time. But, make sure you don't go too large on the diameter. For a 3.9 topping out in the 6000RPM range, dual 1.75 or a single 2.25 would be as large as I'd go and really I wouldn't bother with duals. You can always split it after the axle if you just want the look.

V6s are also kind of hard to pick a good muffler for because they will always sound off. However, my go-to muffler on just about anything I don't mind a little noise on is a Chambered Classic crimped tube muffler. It is a repro of the factory muffler for a lot of factory muscle cars from the late 60s to early 70s. A single 2.25, as long as you can make fit, would probably sound OK. If it's too loud, a 1ft glasspack after the axle and right in front of the tip will cut volume without changing the tone. If cost is a concern, the longest 2.5in (not 2.25, but still run a single 2.25 pipe) glasspack you can get would work fine. It will have a deep tone, and the length will cut crackle. I liked them back when I had to save for stuff. I will say this on mufflers though - there's a thousand of them and they all have their fans. Everyone also has their own opinion on what sounds best, but nobody's opinion matters except your own. The best thing to do is find a V6 you like the sound of, and ask the owner what's on it.