Hi,
as I am living and driving my 1937 80c Roadmaster in Germany, spares supply is always a special challenge, as you can imagine. Thinking about replacing my entire exhaust system, shipment cost from the US become somewhat prohibitive.

Other people told me, that any muffler of about the right shape and made for engines of this size would be ok and the pipes can be bent locally. Well, the muffler looks unusually long and slim, so it may be impossible to find one anyway.

I am really looking for a smooth ride with as little engine noise as possible, so I am looking for a good solution and not necessarily the cheapest.

a) is it true that you can use a generic muffler?

b) is it true that soft steel is lower noise than stainless steel?

c) if I have to bite the bullet and get this shipped to Europe, what would be a good and recommendable source for exhaust pipes and muffler? (fit, low noise, durability)?

Thanks a lot for your advice,

Chris

I can't tell you for sure about a 1937 but my 1953 did not sound right when I put an aftermarket muffler (short one)on it. I replaced this with an aftermarket long muffler (almost as long as the GM original) and it still sounded wrong. I then splurged the $59.00 (1963 money) for an original GM muffler and lnever regretted it. The car then had the correct soft Buick straight eight moan when you stepped on it.
If you can find one get the original.

When I purchased my 1937 Buick coupe it had a after market Midas Muffler on it installed in the 1980's. It was real quiet but caused a lot of backpressure and effected my acceleration and top end speed. So I installed a cheap glass pack. It's louder but at least it will keep up with traffic now. You should talk to your local muffler shop. They might have a suitable replacement for a big truck, generator, or tractor.

I bought a mild steel muffler from Kanter (Kanter.com) for my 1938 Special, perfect fit and good quality.Cost me $275.

When I look in their catalog, it says my exhaust will fit all Buicks from 1920-53 except dual carb...

Hi all,

thanks a lot for your replys, I was out of country - hence my late reaction. As far as I know, Kanter doesn´t sell any mufflers anymore. At least I haven´t found any in their online catalog.
Anyway, there is plenty of coice as it seems.
Did anybody have some experience with Waldron´s?

Chris

I believe they'd be a great choice. I haven't done business with them myself but others here have and I have only heard good!

Dear Chris:
I've used and recommended Waldron's for about 30 years. I have one of their systems on my 1939 Roadmaster, which would be almost identical to your 1937 80C. The pipes are identical to original, as is the muffler.
When I bought my 1938 Special about 8 years ago, the exhaust sstem was a mess, the muffler was from a Deere tractor and sounded like it. A few bucks with Burton (that's his first name) and it looks, sounds, and runs right. I would not hesitate to recommend him to you and everyone else on this thread.
Regards, Dave Corbin

Hi there,
thanks again for all good recommendations. The Waldron´s muffler is in now and I have to say that manufacturing quality is very good, excellent fit and very tight. The sound however is more of a 60s V8, a bit rough and coarse, not like you would expect from a low compression long stroke straight 8. So I am thinking of a secondary muffler as I rather prefer the quiet whisper.
Has anybody got experience or a recommendation for that?

Thanks again for all your valuable knowledge and advise.

Christian