To resonate or not?

[PWB]

The poor abandoned exhaust resonator.

Any technical or note passion remaining for '60's / '70's resonators?

 

Anyone?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Thriller]

I surprised the exhaust shop by insisting they put them on the 1966 Wildcat. More cost, and likely more back pressure from a power perspective but so nice and quiet. 

 

[dei]

Not sure if I will go the cost of putting the whole system on my '58 Limited when she is ready to be back on the road or not.

The factory dual exhaust system uses two mufflers and four resonators... quiet for sure but...

[Smartin]

I am putting resonators back on the 67 Electra I'm working on.  The owner wants it as quiet as possible.  The Electra isn't meant to have a loud exhaust.  I suppose the Riviera could go either way.  If you like a good exhaust rumble, leave them out.  If you want quiet, put them on.

[EmTee]

When these were simply 'used cars' the resonators were routinely deleted once the the OEM units failed.  I think that I agree with Smartin; an Electra definetly 'yes' -- a Wildcat or Riviera, 50/50.  A previous owner deleted them on my '67 Riviera when they installed turbo-style mufflers.  It sounds good at idle, however there's a peaky drone that bugs me between 55 and 60 mph (of course...).  Right now I'm leaning toward OEM (including rersonators) when I replace the system.  I honestly don't think additional back pressure is an issue, as the resonators are practically the size of some OEM mufflers!  Sound-wise, I recall my best-friend's parents '67 (Goldie's clone) still sounded pretty sweet...

[dibarlaw]

I worked at the Oldsmobile and later a Buick dealer in the 1970s here in PA. with bi-annual inspection. If we did not get you for a muffler in the spring we got you for a resonator in the fall.  After the car was on the road for 3 years the (Olds 98s, Toronados, 442s, Buick Electras, Rivieras, Wildcats and GSs with dual exhaust) the cost for replacement exhaust components infuriated our customers.  Many eliminated the resonator if it could still pass PA inspection.

[60FlatTop]

2 hours ago, EmTee said:

I honestly don't think additional back pressure is an issue

 

It is comical how much that comes up on the Buick forum. My newer stuff have tachs and I rarely see much of a bump over 3200 RPM. Ever heard of a kid being diagnosed with behavior called an attention getting mechanism?

 

My '94 Impala has cats, factory mufflers, and resonators. When the light turns green at the start of the expressway it almost silently moves out at wide open throttle and when the manifold pressure drops the vacuum diaphragms silently shifts to full heat pouring out the dash openings. And I am gone, with a quiet smile.

[EmTee]

21 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

he manifold pressure drops the vacuum diaphragms silently shifts to full heat pouring out the dash openings.

 

No vacuum reservoir, (or is your foot too heavy)...? 

[60FlatTop]

It's a long straight. All the LT1 B-body cars do it on that stretch. The last track on The Music Man soundtrack is 76 Trombones. Put the CD in when the light is red and push the back button twice. Try to get the whistle just before the light turns green.

[Beemon]

They make turbo style resonators, too. If you're worried about flow, make sure the louvers are facing into the shell, not into the exhaust stream. Placement of the resonator is important, too, for noise cancellation. The closer to the engine the better, as the exhaust pulse begins to slow down as it nears the exhaust tip and doesn't disperse as much as when the exhaust flow is still mixing at the exhaust manifold. I made the mistake of sending my car to an exhaust shop that sold me on Magnaflow mufflers. They're cool at first, but after the honeymoon period, they are very annoying and very embarrassing, at least for a Buick in my opinion. 

[JZRIV]

I would never put them on unless planning to have judged at BCA show.

[old-tank]

They can always be added later.  Take a 200 mile highway trip riding in the back seat.

[JohnD1956]

3 minutes ago, old-tank said:

They can always be added later.  Take a 200 mile highway trip riding in the back seat.

 

Now that's a common sense approach.

[Frank DuVal]

Bernie, neither my 94 Caprice wagon or the 96 Roadmaster wagon do that at full throttle. Look for a vacuum leak in the heater controls, or a bad check valve on the reservoir.

Edited May 21, 2018 by Frank DuVal (see edit history)

[Frank DuVal]

Or you found the X-Files section of the Expressway!

[60FlatTop]

Two Roadmasters and the Impala have done it. WOT to just under 95. It's a rush. The warm air is just a gentle reminder.

 

If I had one now, that didn't do it, I would break it.

 

It would be like taking a mole off Marilyn.

 

The absence of flaw in beauty is itself a flaw.

[NTX5467]

On the '90s GM cars, the "lost vacuum/default mode" for the hvac is "floor and defroster" vents.  Even if the dash vents are selected.  It's more common than you might suspect, even with the cruise on, but this is probably another reason the hvac actuators came to be electric stepper motors rather than vacuum diaphrams.  Considering the power of the LT1 cars, no real need for that much WOT to get things done . . . unless you're grooving on the underhood symphony.

 

NTX5467

[NTX5467]

Resonators used to be only on "luxury brand" vehicles.  Maybe certain "everyday" cars, too.  But back when mufflers regularly rusted out every so often, the resonators probably did, too.  Short trips long enough to build condensate in the muffler and resonator, but not long enough for it to cook out of them, were the problem.  Drill a small hole in the rear/lowest part of the muffler/resonator so the condensate will drain (no, it won't sound like an exhaust leak).

 

Backpressure usually is not an issue at normal rpm/speeds.  Where it will happen is toward the top of each gear at WOT, just before the automatic shift takes place.  Otherwise, very little backpressure.

 

On our '66 Newport, we opted for the "resonator eliminator" rear pipe.  Made not significant difference in the sound of the exhaust.  Other vehicles might be different.  Basically, IF the basic muffler is reasonably quiet at cruise, that's really all you need to have.

 

One of my uncles had a '65 Olds 88 2-dr hardtop.  Most of the Olds exhausts back then were louder (outside and inside the car) than many other cars.  A trait of Olds Power image?

 

When I was running a "Test tube" on my '77 Camaro (with the cat back Z/28 exhaust under it), it was loud at cruise (all of about 2000rpm at 60mph.  I wanted something quieter.  I looked in the Walker Exhaust catalog I had.  Seems the '71 Dodge Challenger R/T used a resonator that was under the rear seat area, plus two round mufflers at the rear of the car.  The dimensions of the resonator fit what I needed to replace the test tube with.  I got a catalytic converter "fit kit" and put the muffler under the car.  Instant quiet, but still nice!  When I looked at them before installation, they had the normal muffler oval shape for the case.  The center pipe was "straight through" with the slits going into the case, rather than into the main air flow through the resonator.  I wondered if it would quieten it very much, BUT it did.  The two factory "mjufflers" were really the resonators used under the rear seat of the '69 Camaro dual exhaust cars, according to the Walker Exhaust catalog.  I later put an aftermarket honeycomb monolith replacement converter under the car.

 

So much of the sound issues can depend upon the basic design of the exhaust system, to aim for a particular "sound", PLUS the allow of the steel the pipe is made from.

 

Personally, IF the resonator is near the rear of the system, deleting it might not make THAT much difference in the exhaust sound.

 

NTX5467

[NTX5467]

Perhaps, in the case of the '58 Buicks, with the "excesses" in other areas (chrome and number of chrome items in the grille) of the vehicle's design, IF "more Is better" and such increases the status of the luxury vehicle, then might the four resonators be something in that orientation, too?

 

NTX5467

[Pete Phillips]

If anybody needs one, I have several NOS Buick resonators with Buick part numbers on them, from about 1965 to mid-1970s, dual or single exhaust. $35 each, plus the postage will probably be about that much, too. Send me the diameter of your tail pipe so I can match it properly.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Leonard, TX

[EmTee]

22 hours ago, Pete Phillips said:

I have several NOS Buick resonators with Buick part numbers on them, from about 1965 to mid-1970s, dual or single exhaust.

 

So, that's where they went! 

[TxBuicks]

Bernie, my 1991 Roadmaster Wagon does the same thing with the hot air out the vents when accelerating.  And I'm with you; it is an odd character of the car and I would miss it if it didn't happen.

[Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel]

Dang Pete, I bought mine for way too much!  

I've put resonators back on all Wildcat exhausts.

I want factory quiet on them.  Plenty of loud cars in my garage too.

T

[Roouster]

Hi Pete! A fellow member of the Buick Electra 225 club sent me your way. By any chance do you have any resonators left? My tail pipe is 2 1/4 inches. Thanks! Dave

[Barney Eaton]

Every resonator I have seen (off a car) is a straight thru device, much like a glass pack.   I have never cut one apart but I would almost bet that the factory units have no glass or steel packing, just air chambers. 

since they are straight thru,  there should be little restriction.   So if you want your vehicle to be quiet,  and it is not a show car,  glass packs will work...and they are available in many different pipe sizes and lengths. 

You can also change the sound by changing the size both in diameter and length.... the problem is there is no reference data that tells you what size and length to get different sounds.   It is all trial and error.  

[NTX5467]

Glass packs come in different colors, too!  Red or Purple, depending upon brand.  But could probably be painted high-heat silver/gray to match the pipe.

 

What might be just an air chamber can make a lot of difference in the exhaust loudness, by observation.  But by the end of the car, not much, from experience.

 

NTX5467

[Y-JobFan]

I always search out NOS ones, nothing like the sound of a Buick like it came from the factory