DarkBuddha

I think 2.5" would be fine and allow you something to grow into if you decide to upgrade heads, cam, etc., and it shouldn't be big enough to hurt efficiency or scavenging. Besides, you want loud, and typically a bigger pipe will be louder.

I'm surprised to hear your exhaust is loud if the mufflers are literally stock, but there are lots of things you can do. - If the exhaust doesn't have a crossover, install an X-pipe, which should tone down the exhaust and help minimize the drone. - Choose a turbo style muffler (not a chambered style) designed for quietness... most of the exhaust companies offer something of the sort. Add a second set of "resonators" to tone it down more if necessary. - Make sure the exhaust terminates in turn downs at valence. - Have the exhaust shop place the mufflers as far back as possible, and keep the pipe size under 2.25", probably 2" would be best for quietness. - If you're running headers, switch to stock type iron exhaust manifolds. - If you're running a "performance" cam, install a smaller grind. - I don't know which sound deadener you installed, but you may want to upgrade to something more effective like BeQuiet, Dynamat, or have the bottom of the car coated with one of the spray on sound deadeners (and I'm not talking about that bedliner spray or undercoating). - And if you're really serious about a quiet exhaust, convert to a stock single exhaust with the stock type manifolds. - And if you're really really serious, convert to a 6 cyl. Hope this helps.

You really haven't stated your budget or your goals for the car ultimately, which might help with getting recommendations. For example, if the current 302 is a place-holder until you can afford a stroker, 351, or a big block, then I'd make a very different recommendation than if it was your plan to keep the current 302 as long as possible. Also, it'd help to know how you plan to use the car, like if it's a daily driver, a weekend cruiser, an road course warrior, or a hardcore drag machine, so we can know if ground clearance is a primary concern, etc. My thought is that if you plan ahead, you can actually do an exhaust that will work for your current setup but set it up so that it will also fit your future goals as well. In any case, I'm going to assume your on a budget, the current 302 is in for the foreseeable future, you plan to drive your car on the street, and you want a meaty sound. In that case, I'd recommend a set of shorty headers (for ground clearance), an H-pipe (instead of an X-pipe), 2.5" duals out through a good set of chambered mufflers (for the big sound you want), exiting just past the rear valence. An X-pipe will reduce the "presence" and change the tone of the exhaust, and turn downs will reduce it's "presence" as well. BTW... Actually, I kinda disagree. Glasspacks have a very traditional sound, but it is not comparable to modern tuned mufflers from the likes of Borla, Magnaflow, or even Flowbasterds. And IMHO, they actually start to sound better as the packing blows out. The real trick about glasspacks is to run as long a tube as you can. The short ones act more as resonators than mufflers. Hope this helps.

Thanks a ton for the reply. I'm considering taking the entire deal from the Exploder, including the harness, computer, etc., but I need to double check and see if it's viable to adapt to the Mustang. I like the idea of OBD II for several reasons, but I'm not chained to it by any means, so a A9L conversion might be the better choice for ease of conversion. Anyway, thanks again, and hijack over.

Interesting this thread came up, since just today I was offered a running '99 Exploder 5.0 for $300, and I'm considering getting it for either my Mach or my Merkur. Forgive the slight hi-jack... I'm curious about what system you chose to use the EFI stuff? Did you swap the Exploder harness? Aftermarket harness? Custom? Did you use the Exploder ecu or go with some aftermarket standalone? Also, what is the word on the exhaust side of the GT40p heads? I know there are swap headers made for these heads, but I wonder if there are other headers that might work as well? Anyone know?

Mine:

WTF does "not my car to post" mean exactly? It's not as if we're talking about plagiarize-able material here. Would you take the same stance about posting pics you take on the street or at a show? Perhaps, but probably not. There is nothing in posting the pics of the car that should cause the owner harm or damage, especially since you're not attempting to use it for profitable reasons. Your hesitance to post the VIN on the other hand is quite understandable, but it would be productive to get the Marti report of the vehicle to help clarify and resolve this discussion. As for what part of my argument is "obvious and or (sic) non-sensical" is not obvious to me. If you're implying there is some ruse in my post, I promise you there is not. I'm not trying to be provocative or challenging, I was simply stating my perspective, where assertions made without support or proof are readily and promptly dismissed, as are those that make them until such point as they are able and willing to provide support or proof of their assertions. This is the way it works for people who operate in any field of consequence with integrity, though much of the world (and especially the internet) seems to be willing to forgo or simply avoid it outright. Post the car, don't post the car, I don't care. To be honest, in the great big scheme of things, the existence of such a car is fairly inconsequential. The guys stories are probably worth more than the car, whether they're true or not.

I haven't posted here in a while and was just perusing some of the recent threads when I found this one. I was going to reply with my doubts about the likelihood that a "Mach 1 Grande" was legit, but then I realized that it doesn't really matter without some real proof. Now if someone has pics and a copy of the VIN (to get a Marti report), then we can get to the bottom of it, otherwise it's just a stupid conversation being had by stupid people. But if, in fact, this car is legit, it is likely worth pursuing it and submitting it to one of the publications like Mustang Monthly. It would be an unusual and never-seen-before example. But for some reason, I highly doubt it would pass the fact-checking process. Besides, how many of us have heard someone say every sportsroof is a Mach 1, or every Coupe with a vinyl top is a Grande? I know I have... and by some folks that consider themselves very well informed and knowledgeable. They'll tell you that every Mach 1 was a 428 car and had a shaker hood. They'll tell you that they all got the front spoiler, sport slats, rear wing, and they're all worth $100k plus. Yep... and they'll tell you that the Shelby Mach 1s are the rarest and got 4:30 lockers. Keep your eyes out folks... that Shelby Mach 1 is out there. BTW, in any case, I do believe a vinyl top was available as an option on sportsroof Mustangs, so that wouldn't be something that necessarily made it a "Mach 1 Grande". Now lets see that VIN.

Congrats on all the progress Stephen! Very inspiring! Keep it rolling... oh, did you get my PM? Let me know...