You might be wondering what kind of person switches his 390-powered 1963 Thunderbird from a dual-exhaust system to a single-exhaust system, but the idea isn’t as crazy as it sounds, and my car (shown above) isn’t exactly as it seems in the image on the left.
That’s because in 1963, Ford installed a single-exhaust system on all Thunderbirds except the extremely rare triple-carbureted, 340-horsepower “M-Code” cars. In 1964, dual exhausts were once again standard on all Thunderbirds, making the 1963 model the only year (from 1955-66) with a single exhaust system. My copy of Thunderbird Restoration Guide 1958-66 by William Wonder claims that Z-Code four-barrel cars “came from the factory with a dual exhaust system as standard equipment…after approximately March or April of 1963,” but Thunderbird fans are in no way in agreement about this. In fact, my car was built in late May of 1963, and as you can see, it has a traditional single exhaust system. But what about those dual exhausts we saw in the opening picture?
They were all a ruse pieced together by a previous owner. The car had the transverse muffler it should have, and there was a tailpipe exiting the passenger side as was standard equipment on the 1963 models.
However, someone had installed a muffler with two outlets; therefore, the inlet pipe entered the muffler at a modified flange and exited on both sides of the muffler casing. I will say that my car seems to have a driver-side rear hanger that looks factory(ish), but that very well could have been added later.
There is nothing that screams “you’re a poser” like a fake dual-exhaust system, but I was willing to let it go because I try not to fix what isn’t broken. The problem was, however, that it was broken. The muffler had rust perforations, and it was starting to rattle because things were coming loose inside, making the car sound like it was missing and backfiring at various times on cold starts. Actually, it might have been backfiring a little bit; the inlet pipe didn’t even match up to the muffler because the outlet pipe was keeping it from doing so. Because of this misalignment, the flange gasket eventually blew out, causing a pretty fair exhaust leak. Needless to say, the car didn’t sound great.
Because I have ten cars, and that doesn’t happen to a middle-class guy if he habitually wastes money, I decided that my car would be returned to factory specification in the cause of ease and frugality. I pulled out the cutting wheel and reciprocating saw and hacked out the driver-side tailpipe and muffler.
I will say at this point that I really don’t like doing exhaust work. Everything’s rusty and heat-welded together, and it’s just a dirty job, kind of like changing transmission fluid.
The original exhaust system was 2 1/4″ in diameter, but whoever installed the tailpipes on my car used 2″ pipe after the muffler. Because of this, I had to find a muffler with a 19″ case, an offset 2 1/4″ inlet, and an offset 2″ outlet if I wanted to reuse the remaining exhaust system (which I did). That’s a big ask, but Summit Racing had this one in stock for $29. I drilled a 1/8″ hole on the outlet side to drain condensation because the old muffler’s lack of a weep hole may have contributed to its demise. Cars create an unreal amount of condensation in their exhaust systems.
The 2″ outlet matched up well to the tailpipe, so I welded it together all the way around.
Unfortunately, I had to use a connector for the inlet side, and they have a fairly loose fit. I tried to use a clamp to join the connector to the old inlet pipe, but it didn’t seal.
Because the old pipe was a little rusty, I pulled out the trusty cheap Harbor Freight flux-core MIG welder and welded it up as well as I could given the material I was working with. I didn’t have to use any new hangers, and I hit all the joints with some VHT high-temperature paint.
Now I have a single-exhaust system, but since I really had a single-exhaust system already, the car doesn’t sound any different. And since it’s almost impossible to find a truly quiet aftermarket muffler these days, it’s a little louder than I’d like, even though it’s much quieter than the old rusty, leaky muffler (and very quiet inside the car). I don’t love the chrome turndown, especially when there is only one of them, but it’s welded to the pipe, so I will live with it.
For about $40 in materials and a few hours under the car, I have a nice, quietish exhaust system that roughly matches what came off the line in Wixom 63 years ago. The best part? My T-Bird is no longer living a lie, and that’s not a bad thing at all.
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After 15 years of unmentionable hackery trying to patch up the exhaust on my ’65 Chrysler I replaced it all in 2021. I had duals on my Dart and never really liked the way it sounded so stayed with an original style single. Like you I wouldn’t mind it a little quieter, but it is much better than it was. New Yorkers had a resonator in the tailpipe, and I’ve thought about trying something like that, but really need to patch up some small holes in the trunk floor first to see how much that helps.
Yes, that’s more flex pipe holding the Y pipe together. I’m sure it wasn’t the original one, but probably went back to the ’80s
Did you buy an exhaust kit, Dan?
Yes, I went with Waldrons. They are close enough that I could go and pick it up. Without the shipping cost it was not much more than getting a shop to do it. No complaints about the fit, the only major modification I had to do was bending the tailpipe a little to clear the trailer hitch the previous owner added.
I didn’t know that Waldron’s was in Michigan; I’ve heard good things about them (aside from their wait times). Good to know.
Aaron, nice work and your Bullet sounds sweet! There’s nothing like laying under an old car and getting bathed in a shower of rusty bits. My 67 LeSabre had a factory single system that was converted to a stainless steel dual set up before I started the body off restoration. That made removal & re-installation so much easier. Not so on my son’s MGB!
I wouldn’t even touch my wife’s Honda CRV out of a fear of snapping an exhaust manifold stud.
Thank you! I actually very seldom do exhaust work, but I’ve been doing it a bunch lately. I remember having to replace the oil pan on my old ’98 Escort ZX2, and I took it over to the exhaust shop to have them loosen the head pipe at the manifold. If a stud snapped, I didn’t want to have to deal with it!
Wonder why the t-bird went to a single exhaust for 1963 then back again to duals? Seems like a dubious cost savings measure.
Were duals optional after 1966? I don’t recall ever seeing a t-bird with single exhaust until the debut of the catalytic converter in 1975.
I have no idea why they did, but I did a quick check and it looks like duals were still standard in 1967. Maybe Ford figured that because Cadillacs had a standard single exhaust for 1963 that it was OK for the T-Bird? No idea.
Interesting and educational .
Back then Ford was all about quietude, my self I prefer a low rumble .
-Nate
Interesting! What really caught my attention is the words “transverse exhaust”. My 1965 Riviera, that I briefly owned many years ago, had one. I’d never seen one before, or since, until now. A rare affection of senior PLCs from the sixties?
Mine blew a hole the size of a baseball the first time I gave the spurs to the largely out of tune engine. At least the condensation would now drain well! Another sign that as a college student I didn’t have the resources to deal with an aged luxury car.
I couldn’t recall if the my Riviera was a dual set up, a Google search says it was.
Yep, a transverse muffler and dual exhausts were standard on first-generation Rivieras; here’s my ’63. I had my exhaust system bent at a local shop, but the original muffler was HUGE! Also, first-generation Mustangs used a transverse muffler, as does my ’74 Firebird, so there are a few more examples.
Third and fourth generation Camaros and Firebirds had transverse mufflers too, even in the high performance models
I recall that muffler seeming huge! When the hole blew and the exhaust note, um, changed, I had cause of course to take a look. An estimate at a muffler shop, that also wanted to dig into my suspension, was cause to grab the gold chain around my neck!
Glad you found a solution you could live with. Beautiful cars are demanding mistresses.
What’s up with the two other old, rides that showed up in the one pic? Works, in progress?
They’re running, driving cars, my ’65 Mustang and my ’53 Buick Special. I have a lot of cars, but the Mustang’s a family heirloom that I’ve been working on for over 35 years (since I was a kid), and I’ve had the Special for over 20 years now. I’ve written about all 10 of my cars and many I’ve sold on here over the years if you’re ever really, really bored. 🙂
Yes, I have worked on my share of exhaust systems and hated every one. As for the sound you got, when you get a muffler from a place called Summit Racing, I think you have to expect that it will not be whisper quiet. 🙂
Single systems on expensive, big-engine cars seems to have been a trend around that time. Both my 63 Cadillac and my 64 Imperial used single systems – something that surprised me.
Cadillac proudly proclaimed that “corrosive acids, the chief cause of muffler failure, are evaporated more quickly in a single system,” which they claimed “assures double the muffler life.”
Really. No need to mention that it was half the cost of a dual system.
Those big 472 Cadillac engines with the single exhaust created some serious pressure. I recall seeing one that was parked on a gravel driveway create an impressive spray of gravel upon start up.