-What type and size muffler did you go with?
Went from factory 2" SPF (perforated core wrapped in steel wool) to a 3" Stainless Specialties (perforated core wrapped in ceramic blanket material).
351W punched and stroked to 392 with very healthy Comp hydraulic roller cam.
-Which way do you have the louvers of the muffler facing (toward or away from the flow of the exhaust)?
They are unidirectional with their perforated core.
-Do you experience the infamous flapping noise upon deceleration? If so, please describe the issue and what you think can be done to avoid this.
Yes. And I find it annoying. A better transition from the collector into the mufler section would probably fix this. See my gallery for a drawing of how I would accomplish this.
-How loud are your pipes (i.e., sound good, loud but still good, too loud)?
They have gotten louder with age. My guess is that the ceramic blanket material gets clogged up with exhaust soot and that is why. Overall they still sound quite good, but I'd like to get back to a "tighter" sound at some point (I feel they have lost that edge since new). WOT will still wake up every cop within 1/2 mile of my location.
-How much HP and TQ do you estimate you gained by switching to less restrictive pipes?
Have no idea. Probably lost a little torque as a result though. Car still drives like a scalded dog.
-If you had it to do all over again, what—if anything—would you do differently with the pipes?
Given the cubic inches, would have compromised a bit and gone slightly smaller with either 2.5" or 2.75" inner core. I also would have spent more money on the transition portion and the factory collector to smooth it all. Someday I will throw more money at it, but keeping what I have for now.
-Dean