Mooney

The stock exhaust on my 280zx just doesn't do it for me.
It needs some oomph. I don't want a fart cannon ricer sounding setup. But don't know where to start to look as far as manufacturers go. I just can't see a flowmaster on a a Datsun. Can someone point in a right direction here?
Thanks

Dorifto

DynoMax makes great mufflers - I have two on my Rx7, and they handle the abusive exhaust heat of a rotary just fine. They've held up for 9 years now. I believe Sebring makes a large selection of high-quality mufflers as well, but I couldn't tell you where to look for those aside from muffler shops.

Just thought I'd share with you my exhaust idea -
Ideally, I'd have a 6-2 header, 2-1 collector, and 2.5" piping all the way out - no cats - to a CherryBomb turbo muffler, with two 2.5" outlets. Those two outlets would have 24" long chrome tips that terminate as 3" angle cuts [like on Mustang GTs]. Of course, for emissions, I'd have everything flanged so I could bolt a cat onto it in order to pass the sniffer here.

Hope that turns you in the right direction, and possibly gives you an idea of your setup.

-Dave-O

duckyz

I have an 18" glass pack on mine and it's not too loud but it sounds really nice....NOT like a beer fart.

Mooney

I didn't think about that, I've got dynomax's on my stang now. They're a bit too quiet for it. But might be perfect for the Datsun.
Where'd you go about getting your 6-2 header?

Duckyz:
Glass packs, they get louder over time don't they? I've always heard they're just too loud. But thats usually coming from some old folk.

I don't want anything that says "HEY OVER HERE!!" As its just a stock car, nothing special. But would like to have something thats in a midrange tone; as the radio reception blows.

Dorifto

I don't have a 6-2 header yet, but I was looking at the Pacesetter header, possibly the MSA unit. I haven't compared prices recently, so I'm unsure of which at the moment.

As far as I know, glass packs don't necessarily get louder with time ... more like they get louder with abuse. I know on my old '79 Rx7, I had a glass pack on it for about a month ... the sheer heat of the rotary's exhaust melted the fiberglass packing inside the muffler, and echoed the exhaust note through a hollow tube. I know that if you get water in them they last about a month or two after that, then completely blow out on you. Don't just go by what I say though, I've had a rather crappy experience with glass packs.

Fast240Z

I also have a glasspack on my 240Z, with the glass actually melted out. It gives it a really nice high performance growl, and sounds just frickin mean up around 5000 rpm's. The glasspack draws attention though, especially when you're racing.

WildmaN

I like the Monza headers, they sound pretty nice. I have a set on my '83 Celica GTS. With a Dynomax muffler. It sounds great, got a nice deep tone. But when I get it in the RPM's. It has a nice roar to it! I want to get the same ones for my Z's. They have a nice tone, but not too frickin' loud like the normal ricers! No coffee cans here that is for sure!

assimilated420

my exhaust is stock with a 2.5" outlet flowmaster and to me it sounds just like i want it to.. it has some nice accelerating tone to it and the down note on is very pleasing.. and nice and throaty but doesn sound like its hackin up a hairball.. and it doesnt sound anything like these rice farting machines evryone has running around here... the down note is more of a low VVVvvvvvvv sound.. sounds pretty sweet to me but its all in what you prfer.. when i get inspected one last time my car will be exempt from emissions standards and im ripping off the cat and muffler so it will sound really loud.. but thats what i like =D

WildmaN

How is it you will be exempt at emissions? I am just curious, that would be cool if it was here in Mesa too. I heard they are trying to pass a law that if your car is 15 years or older, you won't have to go through emissions either!

apollo

i have always had my cars loud. with my Z at one time i had headers to a cherry bomb exiting just in front of the left rear wheel. omg i loved that setup. loud, very loud but awsome. the L28 in high rpms with that setup sounds gorgeous. but my luck as usual brought the cops to me with out even trying and i was sent to the state smog ref.
now i run the stock 2.6 pipe and a cat and a highflow muffler. Its quiet. but im just waiting till i change the colour to put something nice and loud back on there. its currently red, probably doesnt help with the law enforcement issue

WildmaN

No they love red, that is for sure. I got pulled over quite frequently before I painted my '81 blue and silver. It used to be a cimarron burgundy color. Cops loved that, and always tryed to bust me! It would make them mad, that they had to let me go! I didn't get bothered as much after I painted it. Of course here and there I still did get messed with! Of course they judge me for my long hair, and driving a sportscar! They don't say it, but I know 9 out of 10 that is what they are thinking. I am not stupid that is for sure!

jfairladyz

My muffler fell off so I replace it with one of those dual tips that replaces the muffler itself. It sounds pretty mean. Loud though, but I like it. It's still better than no muffler.

flightforlife07

hey I was looking for exhausts and I was wondering if te 81-83 monza kit will fit on a 1980, because they don't have a seperate catagory for 79-80 so I was just wondering I'm thinking about buying one in a couple days...

DoTheDrew888

I think it comes out of the back on the opposite side, not positive though.

flightforlife07

will it still work though if I just make it come out the same side as the 81

DoTheDrew888

Im not sure, call MSA or VB and ask.

lww

Yes, the 1979 to 1981 came out on the passenger side and the 1982 to 1983 came out on the driver's side.

On my '80 ZX I trimmed the lower valence to run the exhaust out on the driver's side too.

The 79 to 81 exhaust runs back on the driver side all the way to the rear and then behind the rear valence, it takes a 90* turn to the passenger side and another 90* turn out the back creating two 90* bends in an otherwise straight pipe for no apparent reason other than it makes the pipe longer and therefore somewhat quitier.

It definitely adds restriction though.

What you'll have to do is trim the lower valence to let the exhaust exit on the driver's side. You'll be left with an open hole in the lower valence on the passenger side where the exhaust used to come out.

WildmaN

Hey lww: I have to disagree because my '81's exhaust manifold is on the driver's side all the way to the back just like my '82. Of course my '81 has headers, and my '82 don't. But that will change sometime.

lww

I assume your 81's exhaust is stock? Is the 81 a turbo? I assume it's not since it has a header.

Is there an opening on the passenger side of the rear valence on your 81?

I suspect that when the previous owner installed the header, they also installed a new exhaust and had it exit on the drivers side rather than put in the two 90* bends to come out on the passenger's side.

WildmaN

If it was new it sure looks original to me. It looks like the stock pipes, cat muffler everything. If they bothered even putting headers on him. They should have put something better than stock exhaust pipe and parts. If they were going that route. They look old and and dirty, and of course they are hanging by a thread. Plus they are quite rusted, and are all welded like from factory it looks to me.

Anyway on the valance I have no clue about that. I am pretty sure the pipe go all the way back from the front on the driver's side. Just like my '82, same thing. As for my '81 no he is not a turbo. I wish I had a turbo, and then there is times I am glad I don't have one. They seem to be more a PITA, that it is not worth messing with. But that is another thread I suppose.

lww

You are right, that would be pretty stupid to invest in a header and attach it to the stock 1.75" exhaust pipe.

Next time you get out, check the back of the car and see if there's a cutout under the rear bumper on the passenger side.

If there is, then someone at some time changed the exhaust to exit on the driver side.

jfairladyz

You're right lww, the 81's dumped on the passenger side. NA's anyways. I believe the turbo dumped driver side though. I cut mine off on the driver side because the rest was so badly rusted it was just dumping under the car and coming up in through the hatch. I cut it off just behind the muffler and put a tip on. Then the whole muffler fell out so I had a pipe put in and just put on the resonated dual tip with no muffler. Sounds mean.

lww

Yup, that's why I asked if the '81 was a turbo. There were a lot of little 'improvments' that were driven by the '81 turbo that were carried over on the '82-'83 NA's like the working hood vents and exhaust exiting on the drivers side.

The turbo's are much more susceptible to the back pressure from the 90* bends in the NA exhaust and then I'm sure the bean counters figured they could save some money by eliminating 5 feet of pipe X 50,000 cars = a lot of freakin pipe that didn't need to be bent/used.