Flowmaster American Thunder

[thehurricane69]

Ok guys, I'm 17 and I have a 94 GT 5.0 and I would like to put on a Flowmaster American Thunder 40 Series Exhaust System. Problem (sigh) my dad does not understand. He says there's no need as long as your car is running fine, all it does is give it a better sound. So I need someone, anyone, to explain the point of getting a new exhaust.

Also the guy at pep boys said he installed it himself and I can prolly do it too, doesn't it need welding?

 

[donjohn]

no welding necessary, you could install it yourself with some jackstands and a hacksaw... it's a little tough in areas but nothing you can't handle... use some wd40 on the rubber hangers FYI

oh, and show your dad my mustang exhaust page and show him my clip... that'll change his mind

 

[Car Nut]

That catback will change the sound a little, but not add much volume at all. All I ever notice on stangs with just Flows is that the sound is deeper, but not louder at all.

An aftermarket H or X pipe will change the volume. The H pipe will make it sound a bit deeper too, but the X will has a different sound altogether. With my setup (see sig below), my wife knows when I'm coming home as soon as I turn into the neighborhood (about 2 1/2 blocks from the house). You're dad might not care for that at all. I said all that to say that a mid-pipe makes the biggest difference.

Welding? Yes, maybe, but maybe not.

Does you dad like the way muscle cars sound from back in the day? Does he particularly like Mustangs? If yes to either questions, tell him you want your stang to sound like a true Mustang, rather than an overly compensated emissions friendly V8.

 

[flygilmore]

When I did mine, I did the off-road H pipe as well. Might as well do it right the first time. The h-pipe made a noticeable difference where the catback alone wouldn't. Great sound in my opinion, really freed up some breathing.

 

[86bluecobra]

Does you dad like the way muscle cars sound from back in the day? Does he particularly like Mustangs? If yes to either questions, tell him you want your stang to sound like a true Mustang, rather than an overly compensated emissions friendly V8.

I was going to suggest the same thing. Play on his childhood of being around cool sounding cars. do a father son project together. get to know eachother better. dad's like those things and are always looking for ways to do things with sons.

 

[Car Nut]

I was going to suggest the same thing. Play on his childhood of being around cool sounding cars. do a father son project together. get to know eachother better. dad's like those things and are always looking for ways to do things with sons.

Bingo. I was thinking of the cool sounding nostalgic thing, but you're dead on about the father/son combo.

What dad doesn't like to tinker with something AND have such a good reason to "need" more tools?

 

[91LX_5L]

The catback is awesome, your car will sound wicked. Tell him he will even think its worth it for the sound once you get it on, he will love it haha.

 

[mackey]

I had the same exact problem. I just brought it home though and there was nothing my dad could do about it. He loved it when it first started. Did it in the backyard on jacks. No weldong required.

 

[SeventyMach1]

Did it in the backyard on jacks.

Not recommended, BTW.






I remember doing my first exhaust while I was living at home. I had a V-6 Ranger. I wanted 40S DeltaFlow's on it so bad .... I had to do it. My mom didn't want me to ... but only because I was practically broke at the time & they were giving me gas $$. I had to leave for 2 weeks for my job. I got paid while gone. On the way home, I dropped by an exhaust shop & had them put on. My mom was mad at first ... but soon accepted the fact that I WAS going to tinker on my cars. My dad didn't care ... and liked the sound.

I'm not telling you to sneak around & do it ..... but it worked for me!

 

[donjohn]

Not recommended, BTW.

why do you say that? just wondering... b/c it's a royal PITA to do it on jacks

 

[GRGT1994]

I think it was because you should use jack stands on cement, not in a backyard.

I did mine, and it was the first modification I did to my car, with no wrenching experience. So it is definitely a beginner job needing almost no tools. Really easy to do. (just make sure you have the car properly supported on jackstands on a solid level service)

You will need a jack and 2 jack stands, wd40 or PB Blaster (use on rubber mounts and bolts), socket wrench set and a hack saw. A sawzall would help for cutting out the stock pipes but is not needed. You can install the system with clams for the time being. Then drive it to an exhaust shop to have them weld it up for like $50.

 

[urban96]

talk to some exhaust shops, sometimes if you order it from them theyll install for free/cheap. if not i dont think they would charge more then an hours labor (however much it is in your area). here its around $45 an hour

 

[SeventyMach1]

why do you say that? just wondering... b/c it's a royal PITA to do it on jacks

Nah. Because you said "jacks". Not "jack stands". I thought you were using like a floor jack only or something, lol.

But yeah ... you should do it on a concrete surface, too.

 

[red ink]

Are u wanting the exhaust for the better looking tailpipes or sound? You could just get an o/r h-pipe and put it on the stock catback for a MEAN sound. Might be cheaper too.

 

[88GT460]

the FM American Thunder Catback is kind of a pain to install honestly if you have never worked a catback before.

You'll need a Jack, and two jackstands and some standard sockets.. Don't let it wear ya down and you will figure out how it fits in there.