I put a Hooker cat-back system with the Aerochamber muffler on my '88 Firebird. First, let me say that I LOVE the muffler. Hooker guaranteed me that there would be almost no resonance inside the car, and they were right. The sound is AWESOME-- outside of the car. Silent inside.

BUT....

After 4 years, the pipe passing over the axle rusted out. "No problem," I thought. "I'll just order a replacement piece." After all, I don't need a whole new system. Just one 2-foot piece of it. Everything else is still pretty much perfect.

NOT!

I wrote to Hooker to ask for the parts numbers for the individual pipes in the system. Here is the response I got from "Eric" at Hooker today--

My options--

1. Find a custom exhaust place that can mandrel-bend 3" pipes and weld on a flange to connect to the muffler (None within 300 miles of me). That means I'd have to pay not only for the pipe, but for their labor to custom fabricate and install it. I won't be able to do it myself.
2. Buy a complete new system.

I spent just short of $400 for this system. It's now $417 from Summit. For that kind of money, they should be able to supply replacement parts.

My advice-- When buying exhaust, ask the supplier if they provide replacement parts AFTER THE SALE. This leaves Hooker off of my list PERMANENTLY.

 

Thats why I look into Stainless Steel exhausts. I think thats why I might end up going with BORLA. Plus, BORLA's exhaust is rough sounding, nice RAWR to it.

 

Lot of resonance though. Which drives me nuts. I don't want to hear it that badly in the car when i'm not on it.

Know a guy with a Hooker aerochamber cat-back on his LT1 and its dead quiet at cruise, even with LT's, and ORY. Sounds amazing for a bolt on LT1.

 

I bought my TTA from the previous with a Hooker cat-back. Even though it is hardly driven, I wouldn't even look at anything but stainless steel cat-backs if I had to pick one. Especially for a street car. Unless you POR-15/20 it or something. Or just want something cheap to last a year or two.

The money you save on a non-stainless exhaust disappears when you need to buy 2 or 3 exhausts because they keep rusting. Even if Hooker came out with a modular exhaust like the SLP LoudMouth II (which is stainless, fwiw), but didn't make it stainless, I wouldn't even consider it on a street car.

I like the Hooker dual/dual tips though. I'm not a fan of the Borla tips at all.

 

You talking about the BORLA?

As for me and resonance...Im not to sure what that is but I dont mind noise or anything like that. I mean its the reason I am deleting my radio and everything out of my camaro. I dont mind the extra noise...I mean, wait until I get my cutouts from QTP, right after the headers lol.

 

The borla's are noisy compared to the aerochamber. The last one I heard had no tone to it, it was just loud. Same league as the SLP Loudmouth cat-back and i can't stand the way that sounds.

The aerochamber has no noise at all when the exhaust system is sealed. At cruise its very quiet both inside and out. When you get on it, the hooker makes a very nice sound inside teh car, and outside its very loud, I've heard it blocks away before. This is on a LT1 though. Shouldn't sound too different being that the LT1 still has an iron block, and a very similar cam profile to the L98. Aluminum heads will make a slight difference though.

 

Is this the piece right here...it would probably clamp right up.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

 

exactly just buy another intermediate pipe and make it work. it wouldnt be but maybe $25 - $30 to have a flange welded on to the i-pipe. The muffler is in the factory location so you shouldn't have a problem. Granted that's theoretical as I haven't done it.

 

Hey, thanks! I had found Dynomax's one-piece (cat to muffler) that I was going to get. But this is better. Certainly, I can make it work just fine. Just cut the flange off the old Hooker piece and weld it to this piece.

 

Thus the reason there are so many different products. Me, I'm building the car to be mainly a highway cruiser. I want to be able to enjoy the stereo at mild volume, while talking to my passenger without shouting. At most, when cruising I want to barely hear the exhaust, if at all. But when I put my foot in it, I want the ricers and Rustang boys to know they're near something serious. The Aerochamber muffler delivers exactly that.

Before I bought my system, I contacted every exhaust manufacturer I could think of-- Dynomax, Edelbrock, Borla, etc., etc., etc. Only Hooker guaranteed me little or no sound inside the car at cruise with the Aerochamber.

So, from now on, I'll buy Dynomax (Walker) replacement pieces, and hook them up to the Aerochamber muffler.

 

Here is what I would do.
From Summit you can order the Dynomax pipes induvudually,
The Over-Axle section in the 3" pipe (smooth mandrel bend) is #43248 and $65 or its $62 from Classic Industries.
If the Hooker Over-Axle and Intermediate Pipe (the part that goes from the Cat to the Axle) is seperate, this should slide on.
If the Hooker Over-Axle is one peice with the Intermediate section, then you will have to cut the O-A part off, and have it fitted.
Both ways you can also have the 3-bolt Hooker flange cut off and welded to the D.Max pipe OR have a section of 3" pipe welded to the end of the Muffler inlet and have it slip-fit there instead of bolt-on flange.
They also sell the Intermediate pipe in 3" #44063 and its $110 from Summit and $104 from Classic Ind. Both add an extra $6 oversize charge.
So you are not limit-less on what you can do. I would get these pipes or pipe and have my exhaust guy connect them in the best way for the application.
In my experience, the Dynomax Aluminumized Steel pipes last a good amount of time. I had the original DMax STurbo Cat-Back installed behind the 305 in 1996 and it lasted 10 years on the car in Florida. I still have the 2.5" intermediate and over-axle pipes (one peice) from the system. I am currently converting to a full 3" during my current resto work. IMO these would still last me some more years if I had a use for the 2.5" pipes.
Hope this info helps you out.

 

I read that Hooker "Max Flow", which looks similar to a Aerochamber, flows much better. But, I don't think it's available on a complete cat back system.
I have a Aerochamber on my Iroc now, but I'm thinking of replacing it with the Max Flow. Do you think it would make much difference? I also heard, installing a good Magnaflow muffler, which flows as well as a straight pipe.

 

I have an Aerochamber on an LS1 with LT's and no cats. I find the muffler to be way too loud on accel. It is raspy as well, but I need to install an xpipe tho to help with that.

 

Hooker doesn't offer the Max Flow muffler in a crossflow configuration. (F-body style) Reguardless of brand, the crossflow design doesn't flow too well compared to conventional mufflers.

 

Old Phart, You could use the max flow (basically a glorified resonator), but it would have to be a single outlet exhaust. If you can get the tail pipe for a 3rd gen flowmaster force II catback with a single exit, you can run the max flow. I have the force II and bought one to replace my 30 series because its too restrictive. I think the PN on my tail pipe is still readible. I can post it if you want.

 

I know the thread has gotten old, but I appreciate the responses. I'll get a Dynomax pipe to replace the rotten one.
I really like the Aerochamber sound. It doesn't seem raspy to me. Definitely not like a Flowmaster. (Yuck!) Maybe the bigger displacement makes a deeper tone. Anyway, the Aerochamber doesn't resonate (much) inside the car. That's the reason I picked it.

I've decided that when the Aerochamber dies one day, I'll go back to my old favourite. A glaspack that used to be called the Walker "Blue Swinger." But when Walker became DynoMax and then bought Thrush, it became the greatly improved Thrush Glaspack. Same muffler, different name now. I like the "classic" glaspack sound, it's totally straight-through with no louvres or baffles, and it gives absolutely zero resonance inside the car.

I like to listen to the stereo and talk to my passenger without shouting, both at the same time.

Anyway, thanks again!

 

I installed my Hooker catback four years go this summer. No rust--but the car isn't drive in weather. I like the set-up because, as has been mentioned, there's not much interior noise--except at WOT and then the snarl is nasty.

JamesC

 

why do you need to get a flange welded on to make that new piece of pipe fit? why not just use 2 walker band clamps? then if you ever need to take it apart, it comes right apart. i think the clamps are around 12 bucks each, and you can install them yourself.

 

When purchased as part of a cat-back kit, the Aerochamber muffler has a flange fitting on it to connect to the over-axle pipe. That's the flange he's talking about.

When I get the Dynomax replacement pipes, I'll cut the flange off the old Hooker pipe and weld it onto the Dynomax replacement.

 

I've been looking to replace my Flowmaster cat-back with this set-up (never mind the sig, I need to change it), but nowhere can I find a single-in dual-out aerochamber muffler. DO they not make them or am I looking in the wrong place?

 

Apparently you're looking in the wrong place. Here are the links for both available from Summit--

The one sold as part of the cat-back system, with 3" flange inlet, 2-1/2" outlets (the only part they sell separately), # 21729HKR --
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1∂=HOK%2D21729HKR&N=700+4294923429+4294922711+4294922710+400390+4294908216+4294908198+4294925005+4294840140+115&autoview=sku

2-1/4" () slip-fit inlet, 2-1/2" outlets # 21720HKR--
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1∂=HOK%2D21720HKR&N=700+4294923429+4294922711+4294922710+400390+4294908216+4294908198+4294925005+4294840140+115&autoview=sku

And finally, the whole cat-back system (at a new lower price!) # 16820HKR--
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1∂=HOK%2D16820HKR&N=700+115&autoview=sku

The 21720 is obviously made as an OEM replacement "show-off" muffler. The sound and the look of the real thing, that clamps to the original 2-1/4" exhaust.

 

You could probably cut that flange right off if you wanted to slip the muffler on, however since the case wont be exactly the same dimensions as the flowmaster, it wouldnt line up right. You will need to have an exhaust shop connect it to the flowmaster I-pipe, and then modify your tips to hang right with the new muffler. Shouldnt be more than $200 worth of work.

 

Yes, I was definitely looking in the wrong place! lol thanks

 

I'll have to look up the part number for my Hooker cat-back. I bought it a few years before I ever installed it, but it's actually been on my car for around 6 years.

I paid something like $259 for it from Summit and it is stainless steel. The aero-chamber muffler has been great.

The only thing about the system I didn't like was the tips. They are just chrome plated steel and they rusted pretty quick.


Looking at Summit and the Hooker Catalog, it looks like Hooker has changed their materials on their exhaust systems. Most are now listed as aluminized steel, with polished stainless steel tips. That stinks.

 

Dynomax offers a 3" intermediate pipe and 3" over-axle pipe that should dump in the right place to use your hooker muffler. It's about $150-ish for the two parts. I used them in my custom catback and they fit nicely.

 

mine has a nice tone until you realy wring it out then it gets a little raspy but, granted it's on a 305 and i have headers and y-pipe too.

as for interior noise it's not bad at all i had a 2 1/4 flowmaster 40 dual out on my old 305 tbi car and it was much louder resonance using factory logs.

heres a sound clip of my exhaust right at ground level out the back on the new iroc, it realy doesn't sound bad at all on the interior and my doors don't seal for **** so i can't imagine it being bad.


http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y71...urrent=008.flv

doh this post was inreference to the borlas afformentioned btw