Muffler source?

12428 Views 36 Replies 14 Participants Last post by Shaggy, Dec 15, 2013

JSB Case

Discussion Starter · Feb 1, 2011

Hi guys,

The muffler on my 1974 Case 646 project is rusted through in a few places. I checked with Brian Hildreth and it is no longer available new.

I checked with a local fabrication shop to see if they could reskin my original or possibly even build a new one for me. They claimed that working on the in/out ports was possible, but the outer skin was out of the question.

Other than patiently waiting for one to surface on ebay, does anyone know of a possible source for a new, remanufactured or good used muffler? I would like it to look and sound as close to the original as possible.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

1 - 20 of 37 Posts

ArticIngerCase

· #2 · Feb 1, 2011

Not exactly sure what your muffler looks like, but here's a thread where drhulv re-skinned his on his 446. I assume that yours is similar.
http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=144991

mjodrey

· #3 · Feb 1, 2011

That's on here too I believe.

446 muffler

Maynard :canada:

Bart

· #4 · Feb 1, 2011

I think your best solution if to have one fabricated. The cost would probably be comparable to the cost of a new one through Ingersoll if they still sold them. I believe there is a thread on MTF detailing how someone built one from scratch. The other alternative would be to find a stock muffler that will fit the space and fabricate a Y to feed both headers into a single port on the muffler. Either way you're going to have to do some fabrication. I'm assuming the header pipes are still in good condition--if not there are places that sell short pieces of mandrel bent tubing that can be welded together to make most any shape of header.

JSB Case

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 1, 2011

I stopped in at a local Meineke shop this morning to see if they might have any ideas. The manager claims that they work with restorers of all types and have tons of aftermarket mufflers available to suit most needs. If I had the muffler with me, he could match it up by size and ports. I am excited about the possibility, but generally skeptical about whether he can find a good match.

I will keep you posted when I find out more.

Hydriv

· #6 · Feb 1, 2011

I wish you the best of luck but most muffler shops do not have tubing this small nor the dies needed for their bending machines to form small tubing. If this guy does have both, then you are most fortunate to find him.

JSB Case

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 1, 2011

Hydriv said:
I wish you the best of luck but most muffler shops do not have tubing this small nor the dies needed for their bending machines to form small tubing. If this guy does have both, then you are most fortunate to find him.

The exhaust pipes from the tractor are in really good shape. I think a good wire brush cleaning and hi-temp paint job should get them back in presentable condition.

The rust/rot was isolated to the muffler itself. If the Meineke man can come through as advertised, it should be a bolt on situation. (I'm not holding my breath though...)

Hydriv

· #8 · Feb 1, 2011

You might want to try removing the entire exhaust system as a unit, if it is still intact. And then take that to Meineke so he can see exactly what you are trying to accomplish.

JSB Case

Discussion Starter · #9 · Feb 1, 2011

Hydriv said:
You might want to try removing the entire exhaust system as a unit, if it is still intact. And then take that to Meineke so he can see exactly what you are trying to accomplish.

That is good advice. I actually couldn't get the pipes separated from the muffler (using gentle measures), so I brought the whole thing to him. I didn't want to do any damage to the pipes or any further damage to the muffler itself.

He is doing some research and should get back to me tomorrow.

JSB Case

Discussion Starter · #10 · Feb 10, 2011

2

Well...

The Meineke man was a total bust. He had nothing even close. So, I went back to the local fabrication shop and bought some stainless steel from him. 4" diameter pipe, flat stock and some pipe with the same ID as the exhaust OD.

After some cutting and grinding, I shaped the pieces that I needed to rough out the outside of the muffler. Then, cut out the original baffles/spark arrestors/muffler guts from the OEM muffler and brought everything back to the fab shop.

He welded everything together and put some finishing touches on it for me. I think it came out pretty good for no experience on my part. After all is said and done, I have 3 man hours and $90 in parts and labor costs invested into the muffler. I can't wait to see how it sounds.

I have to give some credit to Kcunningham on MTF, his restoration thread gave me the idea to give it a try. This really wasn't that difficult or expensive to accomplish. I am glad that I did a good portion of the work because the time that I spent would have added another $200 to the fab shop bill.

Thanks for the help guys.

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Casedriven

· #11 · Feb 10, 2011

Here is some muffler wrap that might be of some use when repairing or fabricating mufflers also-E-Bay item #130483847979.Kevin

Hydriv

· #12 · Feb 10, 2011

I have heard mostly bad stories about muffler wrap. Some people say that the wrap traps moisture and accelerates the rotting out of exhaust systems. Does anyone have any first-hand experience on this issue?

JSB Case

Discussion Starter · #13 · Feb 10, 2011

I plan on a coat of high temp paint and install. The metal that I used on the muffler is at least twice the thickness of the original and it is stainless. Tempurature is typically not an issue where the muffler is mounted either. It should last a very long time as is, so I'll probably pass on the wrap.

dryrun

· #14 · Feb 10, 2011

JSB, excellent job on muffler. A little grinding and blending on the outside weld beads, and any one who sees it will impressed. Although, I have seen a lot of worse looking welds come from OEMs.
Again, good job and the stainless is a good pick.

Regards, George

beaker

· #15 · Feb 11, 2011

Skip the paint. I think you should grind and sand er smooth and polish! Will keep heat from radiating to the engine and sheetmetal too.

Greg

· #16 · Feb 11, 2011

Awesome job on the muffler and I wouldn't use any wrap what so ever.. If you have room add another heat deflector to dissipate the heat.

mhahn

· #17 · Jun 16, 2011

This is a great muffler and a good solution to a new muffler for the 646. My own 646 has a hacked exhaust system, muffler and plumbing so I need to do the same as you. Could you provide some dimensions of the stock you used and the sizes of the components that went in to the muffler? I have nothing to work from so could use some starting positions.

Thanks

Mark

JSB Case said:
Well...

The Meineke man was a total bust. He had nothing even close. So, I went back to the local fabrication shop and bought some stainless steel from him. 4" diameter pipe, flat stock and some pipe with the same ID as the exhaust OD.

After some cutting and grinding, I shaped the pieces that I needed to rough out the outside of the muffler. Then, cut out the original baffles/spark arrestors/muffler guts from the OEM muffler and brought everything back to the fab shop.

He welded everything together and put some finishing touches on it for me. I think it came out pretty good for no experience on my part. After all is said and done, I have 3 man hours and $90 in parts and labor costs invested into the muffler. I can't wait to see how it sounds.

I have to give some credit to Kcunningham on MTF, his restoration thread gave me the idea to give it a try. This really wasn't that difficult or expensive to accomplish. I am glad that I did a good portion of the work because the time that I spent would have added another $200 to the fab shop bill.

Thanks for the help guys.

JSB Case

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jun 17, 2011

mhahn said:
This is a great muffler and a good solution to a new muffler for the 646. My own 646 has a hacked exhaust system, muffler and plumbing so I need to do the same as you. Could you provide some dimensions of the stock you used and the sizes of the components that went in to the muffler? I have nothing to work from so could use some starting positions.

Thanks

Mark

Thanks for the compliments. The muffler dimensions might depend on the year of your 646. I have two 1974 646's and the muffler diameter is 4" and the length is 6". (My brother has a 1975 646 and the muffler is much longer.) I used a 6" length of 4" stainless pipe for the body and three pieces of 6" long 1 1/4" stainless pipe to make the in/out ports. A small sheet of 1/8" (I can't remember the size for sure) stainless is needed to make the top and bottom.

The original muffler had holes drilled into the in/out port pipes to make the baffle. I drilled holes in the bottom 3" of the pipes (The sections of pipe that extend inside the muffler body) to mimic the original baffles.

The hardest part for me was making the top and bottom plates. I'm not the greatest fabricator, so cutting the holes to fit the in/out ports and the 4" muffler body took a few tries. The project is actually pretty easy to do, and if you have a welder it will be pretty inexpensive too.

Good luck and I hope this helps. :thumbsup:

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mhahn

· #19 · Jul 14, 2011

Thanks for posting the dimensions. It helps a great deal. I am about to order the materials and then talk to my neighbor with a welder to see if I can trade some welding work.

Mark

CASE 220/4

· #20 · Jul 15, 2011

Nice job. Do you have any pics of what the inside of the muffler looks like? I am in the middle of repairing on the Kohler muffler I have here now. I would like to make a stainless one from scratch down the road.

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