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I'd appreciate any ideas on a proper-sounding muffler for my 34 Eight. The original Kepich SS muffler sounded like a B-24, the Hibernia replacement not much quieter. Quiet enough at idle, noisy as all get-out at road speed. Note that the Eights did not use a separate resonator or dual-chambler muffler like the Super 8s and Twelves. Waldron's best suggestion some years back was to weld a series of glasspacks in series and wrap them with a shell. I've looked at the original Packard drawings available at Borla East but they only show the exterior dimensions with no details on the internals. I don't have the original dimensions at hand but it cylindrical, about 4-1/4 in diameter and use of a larger diameter is restricted by the muffler clamp.

"I don't have the original dimensions at hand but it cylindrical, about 4-1/4 in diameter and use of a larger diameter is restricted by the muffler clamp."

I don't quite understand that statement. The muffler is held in place by a muffler clamp????

Does the quieter muffler u need have to be oem specs on size for showing or can it be any muffler that will fit and is quiet???

Thanks for your interest. There is an upper half of a muffler clamp attached to hanging support bracket attached to the frame which is formed to match the diameter of the muffler, thus a muffler larger than 4-1/4 inch diameter cannot be mounted without modifying the clamping arrangement, which I'm not willing to do. A couple of inches shorter or longer could be tolerated. I'd prefer a factory-correct muffler as to size and sound; authenticity is important to me to a point, but I'm not really into the judging scene.

There are exhaust pipe baffles that are available usualy at motor cycle shops. The insert into the end of the pipe. Maybe one of those could be used to quite the muffler u already have. It's been a number of years since i bought any of those baffles but i'm guessing they are still available. Maybe insert one of the baffles into the mugffler outlet itself or just the end of the tail pipe for a test.

Keith - Pic of the bracket on a '34 muffler.

Dave - Pic of the old broken in half muffler off Wade's '34, can see some detail of the internal structure.

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Since the muffler u have now is rather small dia and loud at higher rpm then most likely it is an Ag. muffler for MF, Allis Chalmers, John Beam or the like tractors. Check with an Ag dealer to see if they have an extra quiet muffler for urban applications.

I tried to buy one for my Ferguson TO20 a few years ago and was told it was quiet but it is not. I guess they handed me the wrong one. More modern Ag. equipment probably has better choices and availability and quality.

That's a LONG muffler!!! Maybe 2wo Ag. mufflers end to end mite work to that length and be quieter. Problem with Ag. equipment replacement parts is that they are usualy very short life.

Mal, thanks very much for the views of the old muffler, any chance of better internal detail photos? Of course only interested if you believe it was an original or OEM-replacement unit.

Also the photo of the restored chassis will give PackardV8 a better idea of the muffler hangar that I tried to describe to him. Picture worth 1000 words pervails still.

There is one thing rather odd about the pic of the muffler hanger that Mal posted:

I see no (or very little) rubber insulation from the frame. In all exhaust applications i've seen both domestic and foriegn there is a long piece of NOT COMPRESSED rubber between the exhaust members and the frame. Otherwise a lot of vibration will Xfer into the frame and will be real noisy.

If you look closely you may just be able to see that the hanging muffler clamp is suspended on a strap of fabric reinforced rubber,thus insulating the hangar from the frame bracket. Not particularly easy to see in that picture though.