NORS Muffler
 

Just found and bought a Model A muffler assembly. I suspect it is a NORS Midas unit as it has a thin coating of what looks like gold paint and was found in a Midas shop. It is tapered like the original and has the number H4H301 impressed in the casing. Can anyone confirm that this would be a Midas unit and if it would have a sound comparable to the original? By the way, did you hear about the guy who discovered that he had the Midas touch? Everything he touched turned into a muffler LOL

Re: NORS Muffler
 

this help?

Re: NORS Muffler
 

Thanks Gary. I'll measure mine and see how it compares. Are any of the ones in the photo the same measurements as the original? How old is this info. I doubt if any $50 facsimiles are on the market today. Amazing info! Surprising what is out there if you ask.

Re: NORS Muffler
 

The midas mufffler sounds nothing like the original. It is louder, as it does not have the baffleing like the original. They also produce more back pressure than the originals and therefor produce more heat in the floor and the engine.
I use Aries mufflers, and will not use a midas.

Re: NORS Muffler
 

What's your opinion on the "round type"? I have one of those that I bought years ago from an auto parts store.

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This link shows the backpressure chart http://amuffler.com/backpressure.html

Bob

Re: NORS Muffler
 

The Midas or "$50 facsimile" type mufflers are still floating around out there. I bought a new and unused one from a fellow last year at a swap meet. He had 6-7 of them and soon after I left another guy bought the whole remaining lot of them.

Does anybody know how these could be modified to lessen the back pressure?

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The best way I know is to throw it away and pony up for the more expensive, properly made unit from Aries.

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I have an Aries on one of my 5 A's. It makes the world of difference. Although that car has a great motor as well, the sweet music from the tailpipe is beautiful. As I wear out the exhaust systems on the other cars, they will get replaced with an Aries. Jeff

Re: NORS Muffler
 

I first mark both ends so I can return to original alignment of the parts . I use a three inch cut off wheel on my die grinder and cut through the welds that attach the end cones . The end cones slip over the tapered center part of the muffler . I use care to avoid cutting through both layers of metal when I cut through the welds . Only cutting through the welds allow the end cones to slip back in place over the tapered center section . This holds the end cones in place for rewelding . Just inside the big end of the center section is a partition that closes the big end of the center section . this partition has holes that are maybe 5/16 diameter drilled around the circumfrence of the partition . I drill more holes between the holes untill the holes run together , this allows the partition to be removed . I then install a round stone on the die grinder and grind smooth the jagged edge that was left after removing the front partition . I then proceed to the rear of the tapered center section and repeat the operation to remove the small end partition . This gives an empty center section that will allow the hot gasses a straight through path . I then slip the end cones back in place over the tapered center section. Take care to align the marks before welding the muffler back together . . If the person doing the job is a reasonablly good welder, nobody will ever notice that the muffler has been gutted . I gas weld mine with a 1/16 diameter mild steel welding rod . When I reinstall the muffler I usually install a heat shield for added heat reduction on the passenger side floor . For even better flow and back pressure reduction , larger diameter head and tail pipes can be bent into shape and welded on . The gutted muffler is very little louder than before and nobody has even noticed it . This setup if properly don should perform as good as the Aries . I consider the muffler mods to give an improvement in performance .

Re: NORS Muffler
 

I have done that in a rough and ready way.
I expect the construction of different brands of muffler will vary but with the one I had, I cut the tail pipe almost off and bent it aside. (Almost off so I didn't loose alignment) I then made a hole (5/8") in the baffle half way along the inner pipe and welded the tail pipe back in place. The result was still that Model A chortle we all know but with a little more "authority".
To avoid pushing the baffle out completely, I made a pilot hole with a .22 rifle!:eek: Then I drove a piece of 5/8" rod sharpened to a square point though the hole after shaking the bullet out through the engine pipe.

Re: NORS Muffler
 

I doubt that I've ever heard the sound of an original Ford muffler and doubt that many are still around . Over the years most of the mufflers that I've had came from JC Whitney . Being as I've never heard an original muffler I can't really compare the sounds . All of the replacement mufflers that I've seen in the past nearly sixty years have been bare metal . None have been painted gold and I've got to wonder if Midas made any of them . The less expensive mufflers are still around but most model A vendors no longer handle them . A guy that I know told me that he bought one from some model A vendor for $150 dollars but I don't remember the name of the place . I bought several of the low cost mufflers for around thirty dollars each from an exhaust pipe salesman a few years ago . I can gut and use these mufflers in my cars . I should have over a lifetime supply , depending on how many more model A's that I build . I've had the low cost mufflers to last forty years. My daughter was bad about backing over stumps or they would have lasted longer . They all look pretty much the same . I figure that most if not all of the low cost mufflers in the past 55 years have been made by the same place. There have been at least a couple of stainles steel mufflers like the Beaver and Aries mufflers but they were expensive . JC whitney offered a round glass pack muffler in the sixties . I figure that most of the tapered mufflers used on model A's were the low priced mufflers . I remember when JC Whitney sold them for around $7.95 each . Before that I just ran straight pipes if I ran anything at all .

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This chart should be handy for believers in back pressure mythology:)

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Yikes! All done in your suburban garage, I suppose? What did you tell the police when they rocked up? :D:D:D

Reading this straight after Purdy’s detailed post was a crack up!! But thanks to you both for sharing your methods in useful detail. I guess it verifies that there’s more than one way to skin a cat!

Re: NORS Muffler
 

Lots of interesting info. Thanks to everyone who contributed. I appears that what I have is a $50.00 Facsimile Midas muffler. Coincidentally, that's just what I paid for it. I think I got my moneys worth as I could use it as is or modify it as suggested. For now. I'll leave the round type muffler on the car. It appears from the chart that it will perform very like an Aries.

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So I was in a hurry!!!:D

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Scuffing an old crummy exhaust system with 80 Grit Emery Cloth & Spraying it with "CAST-BLAST" makes it look like NEW!!
Sumbody mentioned the ROUND Mufflers---Looks like something that should be HIDDEN, under a DIVCO Milk Truck!!!
Bill Picky

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Back in the 90s I had some pipes bent to match the shape of the model A exhaust pipes . I bought a twenty dollar straight through glass pack muffler and welded the pipes to it . I installed this setup on Gus , my rusty june 29 tudor . The glass pack didn't have the model A sound, but was much quiter. The straight through design of the glass pack muffler greatly reduced back pressure and gave a slight power boost over the unmodified fifty dollar tapered design muffler . If original appearance isn't a big concern , this is another possibility .

Re: NORS Muffler
 

If having pipes bent to shape is too expensive, The pipes off the old muffler can be sawed off and welded or clamped to a glass pack muffler . just another thought .

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Even in Chiefs' day, they did all kinds of stuff, to make their "OWN" sound. They'd mock it up & off to the Blacksmith, for welding!
Bill Roar