3.8 exhaust

[3XBrownCutty]

have any of you guys put in a flowmaster 80 series muffler in a regal?

if so what modifying did you have to do, and around how much was the total cost for the whole installation of the muffler and two pipes straight out the back, (if that is what you did)

just looking for an approximation of the price so i can save up. thanks

 

[3XBrownCutty]

nobody?

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

No one really screws with the V6 powertrain in the non turbo cars. There is not much you can do that makes any real difference in a car that takes 20+ seconds to hit 60mph. Just consider that your car has less hp than a base model 1995 Nissan Sentra ( which takes 11-12 seconds to hit 60), and weighs half a ton more. Most of us save up for a swap instead of beating a dead horse.

 

[3XBrownCutty]

I will be a senior this year in high school, and i have to save up for college, pay for my own insurance policy, and pay for my own gas all thanks to my sister and her speeding ticket (that doubled my parents rates, as she was on their policy) so my parents trust me in no way with my interest in older fast cars. im pouring my heart, soul and all my spare time and $ into this car, so i'm in no way going to risk damaging it or totaling it due to wreckless driving. it has to get me from A to B, it will in style, but unfortunately not in power. so i'm in a pickle and unfortunately cannot afford a v8. hopefully i can tuck this car away in storage or something when i need a newer car. my dads friend did this with his 69 RS Convertible that he still has, and needs to restore today. so i'm just trying to make the best of what i have, hoping to get this stupid v6 to sound better. sorry if i sound like an a$$, but this is reality, and i have to live with it and save the v8 swaps for after college when i have a solid job and cashflow. this dead horse is still runnin'! (unfortunately with a v6 🙁 )

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Trust me, I know where you are coming from. I tried to hop up a AMC 232 L6 while I was in High School, with mixed results. I managed to waste a lot of money to still have a slow car.

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

Ive kinda got the same problem, My car my parents gave me is a 2000malibu with a v6, its an ok car, its got a few mods to it, but its just not worth putting my hard earned money into, I luckily got my grandpa to donate me a regal outta his junk yard and a 350 that may possibly run, Im not sure how Im gunna afford to do anything though, I turn 16 in two weeks and I dont know how Im gunna pay for gas , even with a v6, My insurence is real low, my parents are paying for most of it, but still I will only make MAYBE $50 a week if I work my *ss off, thats about one tank of gas. Ive got a buick to fund and a malibu to feul up and insurence to pay, Im stressing out...lol idk what im gunna do when I finish the buick about insurence.

( that kinda sounds like Im a spoiled brat but the bu cost my dad 800 bucks and he drove it for 3 years and the regal was free to my grandpa along with the motor)

 

[3XBrownCutty]

thanks for the suppourt guys, thinking now, i will probably leave it as is, maybe a chrome tip (not a cheesy one though, a weld on)

i have my work cut out for me though, she smokes, and the rear main seal, oil pan, and pan gasket will need attention soon. stuck with a v6, at least its only 80 bucks a month for insurance :wink:

 

[bourbon]

I just did a $30 thrush glass pack on my 3.8L regal and it sounds great! but i didnt do it for performance just needed something small to fit under the car. you can see pics of it on my thread in the lowrider/customs section

 

[dan2286]

I really dont like the sound of a v6 with a performance muffler, especially flowmasters. It definately wont make a noticeable difference in power. I dont know how this would work but, I have always liked the tone that my factory exhaust has on my 2000 Grand Prix. Maybe try finding one of those type cars in a junkyard with a good exhaust system and hack off the muffler and use that.

 

[229MonteHO]

It's a matter of taste, that's for sure. I've heard a Flowmaster on a 4.1 V6 in a Delta 88, and I thought it sounded a bit off. I did run an '81 Monte Carlo with a 229 V6, and mainly because the old muffler rotted away at the inlet, I put on a dynomax Super Turbo muffler. It had a deeper tone under acceleration, but not over the top, and fairly quiet at idle and cruise speeds.

Are you doing this for performance reasons, of more for the sound/looks? As several on here have pointed out, there aren't many that modify the V6 cars simple for the fact that:

1) It won't be as fast as a V8
2) The parts are more expensive in general than, say, building a Chevy 350.

I like to play with them for the simple fact that people generally don't mess with them. Plus, even if not as fast as a V8, I like to look at the puzzled look on people's faces when I tell 'em it's a V6. Even better when you tell 'em it's the CHEVY V6 and they look at you like you have two heads!

With what you mentioned, though, I'd attend to the smoking and leaks and such before going too nuts with it. But if it were me, I'd go for it with a Super Turbo, then a hi flow cat (or gutted or removed depending on how legal), and maybe a K&N and a good set of wires and a good cap and rotor. You may only get another 25 hp or so, but when you only have 110 to begin with anything helps! 😀

My two cents, for what it's worth.

Cheers,
Aaron