Strange question about Cherry Bombs

[Loa]

Hello,

Just got myself a 1974 Charger in pretty rough shape (which is what I wanted). The only thing that bothers me is that one of the previous owners put cherry bombs on it (don't know which type: mufflers or the pipes).

They are ridiculously loud. I'm planning on taking them out eventually, but before I decide exactly what exhaust I want for the car, is there a way to dampen them down?

Thanks

Loa

[ws23rt]

A potato in the exhaust tips.  Sorry it's been a long time since I heard the term/brand "cherry bomb".
BTW welcome to the site.

The question about what muffler is best is sorta like asking what color do you like?  If the "cherry bombs" are too loud they need to be replaced. To attempt to add something like --potatoes- - after them to make them shut up is something I have never heard of.

[Loa]

Thanks for the potato tip!  :-)

I won't put one in there, but my neighbours might! It's in a shop (the seller's) getting some metal work done, but as soon as I get it I'll check to see which type it is. Hopefully it's the pipe type, which should save me the trouble of buying mufflers as well.

[ws23rt]

Thanks for the potato tip!  :-)

I won't put one in there, but my neighbours might! It's in a shop (the seller's) getting some metal work done, but as soon as I get it I'll check to see which type it is. Hopefully it's the pipe type, which should save me the trouble of buying mufflers as well.

They could be just completely rusted out inside and be nothing more than no muffler at all.

You came to a great place for assistance with your charger.---This is a nice group with much knowledge.  Kinda like the neighbor everyone wishes lived next door.

[XH29N0G]

Probably the best way to do this is to change the exhaust system, but it is also possible to put on a second set of bullet mufflers (behind the rear axle) like resonators.

I did this after a set of straight through mufflers using round mufflers and it helped.  It was also something I could do. 

[ws23rt]

I put myself in the drivers seat of this car.--- I assume it runs and is very loud.  To add something after the mufflers to get by (for a time?) is work that is not much different than just replacing the problem mufflers.
Keeping it simple and practical will save time and money which can be used else where.

[71_Charger_R/T]

but before I decide exactly what exhaust I want for the car, is there a way to dampen them down?

Thanks

Loa

It's only a temporary "fix" but you can stuff a couple of wads of steel wool in the tail pipes, then drill a couple of holes near the end of the tail pipe, (perpendicular to each other) that you can run some wire or nails in a criss-cross fashion to hold the steel wool in.  You'll be amazed at how much it'll tone it down!  My brother did this a couple of times back in the day when he got a fix-it ticket for loud pipes.  After he went to the cop shop and they were happy that it was "fixed" and quiet enough for them, he'd get a few blocks away, pull the retaining pins out and rev the engine. BAROOOOOM! BARROOOOM! it'd be low restriction again.   

[Loa]

Hello,

I will most change the exhaust system eventually, but in the meantime there are other things that have to be done on that car, and my budget is rather tight. If the cherry bombs are the mufflers themselves, I may try the steel wool trick!

Thanks!

[XH29N0G]

Going the economical way makes sense.

I have two questions.

Have you done a systematic check for exhaust leaks?  When I picked up my car from the place that restored it, it was very loud and a large part of it was in the exhaust system before the mufflers. 

My second question relates to what engine you have in the car because that might make a difference.
.

[68X426]

I may try the steel wool trick!

Just do it.  No other easy fix. 

Be very certain that the material is stainless steel wool, or even better, copper wool if you can find some.  The regular steel will turn to rust in about 3 days and you'll be (very loudly) blowing red-brown crap out the tailpipe on day 4.  Test the stainless with a magnet to be sure it's not plain steel (magnets don't work on stainless. that's what you want).

[red79]

For a permanent fix, you'll have to either swap the current mufflers with quieter ones, or add resonators as mentioned above. Thea's no scenario where you take out the cherry bombs and the system just gets quieter... Cherry bombs are just a noisy type of straight muffler, a long tube surrounded by fiberglass.

[Loa]

Have you done a systematic check for exhaust leaks?

Not yet. The car is still in the seller's possession: he's doing a bunch of metal work before I get it. First thing I'll when I get my hands on it is to put it on a lift with my mechanic and inspect everything underneath.

My second question relates to what engine you have in the car because that might make a difference.

It's a 1972 340.

I'll check to make sure my wool is stainless.

There's no scenario where you take out the cherry bombs and the system just gets quieter...

From what I've seen on the net, there are two types of cherry bombs: pipes or mufflers. Removing the pipes and putting a regular pipe to the mufflers would certainly quiet them down. There are what looks like regular mufflers on the car. Anyway, I'm not sure how they're set-up yet.

Loa

[red79]

From what I've seen on the net, there are two types of cherry bombs: pipes or mufflers. Removing the pipes and putting a regular pipe to the mufflers would certainly quiet them down. There are what looks like regular mufflers on the car.

If you have the tube style of cherry bomb behind another muffler, removing it certainly won't make anything quieter. If you have a cherry bomb branded oval muffler, it will have to be swapped out.

[440]

Drive it till the cops tell you it's too loud.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Sounds like it has glasspacks on it. How quiet do you want it?

[XH29N0G]

I'll bet those mufflers are the cherry bombs your seller described (was writing as the other posts came in so some of this repeats).  My understanding is the 'pipe-like' cherry bombs are also mufflers.  If you had both cherry bomb mufflers and the mufflers in the pipes, it would quiet the exhaust more rather than make it louder (as pointed out above).

Your system may just be loud because the cherry bomb mufflers have a design that is just plain loud.  It also may be that they are no longer working as they should.  

WS23Rt has made a good point.  If the issue is the mufflers, the cheapest and most effective long term way to fix this is probably to replace what you have with something that quiets more effectively.

If noise is your concern, when you have it on a lift, I would check to see that the exhaust system is welded, and welded correctly. The exhaust system on my car was welded, but had a lot of pin hole leaks, as well as header-collector-gasket and header-head-gasket leaks.   I had to find the leaks one after the other.  Fixing the big ones made the small ones more obvious.  Fixing those leaks made more of a difference to the decibel level than putting on the set of bullet (round) mufflers I described above.

Muffler design also can have a big effect on sound. If you have not done so already, look around the web at sites for various muffler companies like dynomax or magnaflow to see the different designs.  My understanding is that the exhaust system does not need to be loud to flow efficiently.  

I don't believe the steel wool is the long term solution you want, so my recommendation is to decide on what you can afford when you inspect the exhaust system more closely.

[Loa]

If noise is your concern, when you have it on a lift, I would check to see that the exhaust system is welded, and welded correctly.

I'll have a look as soon as I can, but wanted to explore options before getting the car from the seller (1 month).

Drive it till the cops tell you it's too loud.

Or until my neighbours lynch me.   I live in a very small and very quiet town (except for damn snowmobiles during the winter).

Sounds like it has glasspacks on it. How quiet do you want it?

I don't want a quiet car, but this is ridiculous. I also have a '73 Challenger with a 340 and run-of-the-mill mufflers on it and I just love the sound and volume.

Currently the Charger sounds like it's a runaway gun fight. Some people may like that. Perhaps it's because I'm too old for that, but I find it ludicrous.

Thanks for the inputs!

P.S. I will get a new pair of mufflers but don't know when they'll fit in my budget.

[HeavyFuel]

By far the best cherry bomb for your pipe....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjd01Cup8yw

[PlainfieldCharger]

By far the best cherry bomb for your pipe....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjd01Cup8yw

I would have to say the first time I heard this song was in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Where Have I been the last 30 years...

[Troy]

Cherry Bombs get quieter the longer they are. For example, a 12" will be almost open but a 24" might be reasonable. They are cheap, add a second set to what you have. But in all reality, you can buy a Summit Super Turbo muffler for about $40 each so you may just want to replace them on the first try.

Troy

[Loa]

Summit Super Turbo muffler for about $40 each

Ya, I might go for something like this. I live in Quebec (Canada) though, and I don't know how long shipping is from Summit.

I'll bookmark them, thanks for the tip.

Loa