For the past 7 years or so that I've been using Magnaflow round mufflers/resonators I think there is a solution to making these things last after all. Perhaps my frustration is a product of an inherent design flaw or a design intent other than what my friends and I have been using them for. This may be due to my own ignorance or lack of good council - who knows. I've found no other straight through muffler/resonator on the market that will fit the application and last, if I'm in the dark please enlighten me.

Problem: One year of use on any NA engine and the sound deadening abilities of the resonator is 50% depleted. By two years it is roughly 90% depleted. After a couple years you can guarantee its metamorphosis into another useful object - a bell, and a darn good one.

Yes these do supposedly have a "lifetime limited warranty", but do I really want to replace these things annually?

Solution:

Plasma torch an access window in the body and stuff (cram is more appropriate) stainless, scouring dish pads in the cavity.

Once full squeeze the access door closed and weld.

This cannot be expected to perform like a new unit, but I'll take it to the bank that it'll do more than a bell (or a couple of bells) in the exhaust stream and sure last a lot longer.

 

What does magnaflow put in there to begin with that doesn't last?

 

I removed some of the residual material when I cut this open, but couldn't identify everything, it did appear there is more than one type of material. I want to say there was some fiberglass in there, but can't be for certain.

 

funny, i've been heavy into researching this subject lately..

what i've found as far as packing for perforated core mufflers:

most common seems to be fiberglass of one type or the other. sometimes this will be layered in over stainless steel wool or fine mesh screen.

the next, stainless steel wool alone. i get the impression this usually comes in the higher grade/more expensive brands. this makes sense because it cost more and should last longer.

the other is basically the same as fiberglass (and some companies even refer to it as such) is basalt wool. a.k.a. rock wool, mineral wool, ... i swear there was one more, whatever! looks like brown or tan fiberglass and has a higher heat tolerance, which in turn allows it to last longer.

there was also a company that claimed they had "ceramic foam cubes" or something. could be, or could be cubed fiberglass...

OP: how many of those scrub pads did you end up buying to fill that canister?

 

It seems to take a bit of research to find any useful info regarding what you just posted. It seems to be even more difficult to find any resonators or mufflers dimensionally capable of being used as a resonator that are considered to be "better built"

The resonator I repacked was a 2.5" x 22" body. I did manage to get 11 pads in there with some effort, but with a larger access hole 13 or so may have been possible.

Unfortunately these are a lower grade stainless as they are somewhat attracted to a magnet, but we'll see what happens.

 

You're right about the names they can really cause confusions, I bought both rock wool and mineral wool And now, what is a ceramic foam cubes?

 

where did you find the rock wool and mineral wool?

i ended up ordering some "ceramic fiber blanket" for my project. think fiberglass insulation but made out of white ceramic instead of glass/silicone. seems the best place to find it is large clay and pottery suppliers. they sell it as kiln insulation, priced by the sq ft and sold 2 sq ft at a time (it comes in 2ft wide rolls.)


this video shows the extreme thermal properties of this material. awesome!

 

where did you find the rock wool and mineral wool?

i ended up ordering some "ceramic fiber blanket" for my project. think fiberglass insulation but made out of white ceramic instead of glass/silicone. seems the best place to find it is large clay and pottery suppliers. they sell it as kiln insulation, priced by the sq ft and sold 2 sq ft at a time (it comes in 2ft wide rolls.)

this video
this video shows the extreme thermal properties of this material. awesome!

 

If I would have known, that would be the way the go. Thanks for the info.