1.
The mounting flange to the exhaust manifold requires
two operations, as the size of the flange is such that
the material must be annealed after the first pass to
avoid rupturing the metal. Other mufflers on the market
only make one pass and the resulting flange is not large
enough to form an effective seal. It also vibrates loose
and leaks profusely. There are many fixes to this problem,
but the real solution is to make the flange to specifications.
2.
Our tubing is "mandrill bent." When tubing
is bent, it must be collapsed slightly on the inside of
the bend, in order to be forced around the bend. This
greatly reduces the cross-sectional area and restricts
the gas flow. Ford mandrill-bent all its muffler tail
and inlet pipes; we do the same. It requires taking the
conventionally bent tubing sections and placing them into
a die of the correct diameter and radius. While restricted
in the die on all sides, round steel balls are forced
through the inside of the tubing, bringing it back to
a full round shape by brute force. This is a very slow
process and greatly adds to the cost of making these pipes.
Today this process is only used for precision tubing applications
such as aircraft and medical requirements.
3.
We assemble the components of the muffler in a master
fixture. The parts are guaranteed to be properly aligned
and thus fit correctly to the frame and manifold.
4.
The tolerance called out on most of the drawings are
+/- 0.005 of an inch. This is about the diameter of a
human hair. We have quality systems in place to meet military
specifications to Mil 45208A. We make the muffler in same
environment as those parts so the quality is built
in.
5.
The mufflers are made from A-36 cold rolled steel &
304 stainless steel. We now provide the steel muffler
painted with flat black, high temperature paint. This
is allowed by judging standards used by both MAFCA and
MARC. Our stainless muffler is lightly polished, but can
be painted if used on a car to be judged.