SOUND OFF
Making your light truck sound right.
I guess the quandary is that I want a truck to sound like a truck--not the open-header, high lift, thumper-cam sound--just a throaty resonance stitching down the highway instead of the whoosh of warm air most modern vehicles spew. The sound of a tuned exhaust system is as important as the correct wheels or paint job and the sound of a Flowmaster muffler is a mellow tone that I wanted for my GMC.
Flowmaster supplied its American Thunder PN 17435 which fits 1999 to 2006 Chevy and GMC 1500-series standard cabs with the short-bed 119-inch wheelbase. The kit is complete from the rear of the factory catalytic converter to the end of the stainless Flowmaster-stamped exhaust tips. |
This “dual” exhaust conversion is a lot easier if you have access to a lift. If you are going to thrash it in your driveway, please use the correct jack stands to support your truck and avoid those annoying trips to the hospital. Make sure you let your vehicle cool. The most difficult part of the swap is fussing with the factory rubber hangers. Add plenty of white grease to make the hanger stubs on the pipes slide in easily. For better results, spray penetrating oil (WD-40, etc.) on the clamps and the hangers and let it sit overnight. We found our lift at Flip’s Performance Concepts (Van Nuys, CA), an authorized installation center for Flowmaster Mufflers.
This project should take the average DIY-er about two hours. Access to a lift rack will shave a half-hour. If things need to be notched, like the aftermarket hitch, the old rule comes to mind… “Measure three times – cut it once.” The new Flowmaster system has a mellow resonance and now the GMC sounds as a truck should. The entire kit ranges from $370 to $475 (plus shipping). The install at Flip’s cost $150. Ninety minutes later we were out blasting weeds.
To remove the factory system, pry the exhaust pipe hangers out of their rubber mounts and remove the two bolts that join the system with the catalytic converter. If you have limited access to the underside, you may want to use a Sawzall or hack saw to split the pipe into smaller pieces for easier removal. |
Once the factory system is loose, snake it over the third member and around the shock absorber and brake lines.
