What's the Secret to a Quiet T?

[SurveyKing]

What is the secret to a quiet running T? I recently had notice that my friend's T was way quieter than mine, but he could not tell me why. Can someone enlighten us folks that would like to not hear so much noise coming from the exhaust pipe area? Even when I replaced my exhaust pipe and muffler on my 24 touring, there wasn't much difference. What am I missing?

[Mark Gregush]

Condition of engine.
Where the timer is set.
Coil condition.
Carburation.
What muffler and tail pipe are installed. It the nut drawing the tail pipe tight to the manifold?

[Norman Kling]

Is his muffler stock? Some are more quiet than others. Also, how is your nut holding the pipe to the manifold? If it is loose, you will get noise from that area and if too loose, could even cause a fire in the floorboards or the firewall. How is the exhaust manifold gaskets sealing? All these things can affect the noise. One way to keep it quiet is to leave it parked
Hope you find out the cause and are able to fix it.
Norm

[Erik Johnson]

My opinion from casual observation is that Model Ts that have stock mufflers with the cast iron ends and tailpipes sound different and are quieter than Model Ts with the later style stock mufflers with cast iron or stamped sheet metal ends that have no tailpipe.

[TXGOAT2]

The source or sources of the noise would need to be determined. If it is exhaust noise, then leaks are a likely issue. A muffler of poor quality or with a thin, rusted shell might be noisier than otherwise. Any internal muffler baffles would need to be in place. Leaky gaskets, cracked manifolds, and loose fasteners can all cause more noise.
Loose motor mounts, or excess running clearance in the engine/transmission/rear axle usually cause more and louder noise than is normal.
Loose or missing sheet metal items are another source.
Missing mats, upholstery, Top, etc often amplify noise.
Timing gears can make a lot of noise and still give good service.
A well-tuned engine will be quieter and smoother and give more power with less throttle than a poorly tuned one.
Fans can make excess noise for any of several reasons.

[Allen Banks]

I put felt tape along the sides of the floorboards. They used to squeal and rattle like crazy. Now it’s super quiet in the car.

[brendan.hoban]

1. Set the valve lash to 10 thou cold.
2. Nylon timing gear (no generator.)
3. Suremike balanced crankshaft
4. Tight manifold exhaust nut
5. Exhaust deflector.

I find that leaving the top down on a Touring also helps. My car is quiet.

[SurveyKing]

The noise I am experiencing comes from the exhaust pipe area or perhaps the muffler. Although it is not super loud as if something was seriously wrong, it is much louder than other cars. I have tightened the exhaust manifold nut and changed out my exhaust pipe and muffler purchased from the vendors. I made sure the surface on the exhaust manifold where it meshes with the pipe was good. I've replaced the exhaust pipe gaskets and rings then tightened the manifold clamps after it warmed up. Floorboards are not the issue as I have long since lined the edges with felt trim. What else am I missing?

[TXGOAT2]

A different muffler might be more to your liking. As mentioned above, a muffler with cast iron ends and a heavy gauge shell might be a good idea.
If you have a performance camshaft and/or high compression head, your engine might be somewhat louder than a stock one.
If the exhaust pipe is touching the frame or hogshead, that might increase noise. A short tailpipe might reduce noise. My car has a glasspack muffler, and is fairly quiet. I added a tailpipe about 14" long, and it made it quieter still.

[TWrenn]

Noise cancelling ear muffs!!

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

Double check your timing. A retarded spark can make for a sharp exhaust note.

[FundyTides]

I take out my hearing aids when I drive my T. World of difference

[babychadwick]

Wrap a wet towel around the muffler, if the muffler is the source you will know right away. I don't need to tell you to remove the towel before it gets hot right?

[Kaiser]

Secret revealed :

[Been Here Before]

Museum Quality Model T's are very, very quiet.

[John kuehn]

Museum quality Model T’s are restored to the point of perfection and probably haven’t been driven a lot on the roads of the T era. Those cars are quieter because they are built or restored better then Ford was building them until 1927. In other words they haven’t been broken in.

A quiet T will have had the engine balanced, and have tighter bodies, exhaust systems that don’t have leaks, a well tuned engine and usually not driven much. After thousands of miles they get a little looser and they need a little more up keep and maintenance. Just the way it is. A Model T isn’t a Rolls Royce that was individually built car that took weeks to put together at the factory. We sometimes forget that.

[TRDxB2]

Assuming normal engine running & just focusing on the muffler issues. Not exactly sure what muffler you have
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[m_p_dean@yahoo.com]

Mine's quietest when I don't start it. I will say that, even when running, it sounds pretty smooth.

[J1MGOLDEN]

Brendan nailed it!

That is the way they do it in Ohio!

I just had one rebuilt without the bigger crankshaft.

It is not only quieter, the engine runs cooler and has more power.

Those timing gears are shifted 7 degrees too!

[frontyboy]

Yoou guys have missed the most important solution to a noisy model t.

Put you wife or s/o in the passenger seat and while she is telling you all the wrong things you are doing while driving, you will tune her out, and at the same time you will not hear your model t. problem solved.!!

I prefer a bit of a noisy model t rather listen to the model t than her!!
just sayin'

frontyboy.

[John Codman]

Noise cancelling ear muffs!!

Ya beat me to it!

[Erik Barrett]

Don’t start it.

[jeffstag]

To what degree to aluminum pistons help vs cast iron ones for the noise situation?

[nicklm]

Our t has been changed to a stainless steel muffler. The exit for the tail pipe is down toward the road. This makes the sound louder because of the street returning the sound. It is obvious when we go over a steel grating on a bridge.
You may want to check and make the exhaust from the muffler go straight back if it is pointed down.
Nick

[Philip Lawrence]

I had a friend, now deceased that had a uncle who worked at a Ford dealer back in 1918. He told my friend that when new model T's came in they sounded like sewing machines. He also said six month's later those same model T's sounded like a bucket of bolts.

[Rich Eagle]

The same was said by Charlie, the local Harley dealer. He and his brother would go down to the rail yard to watch them unload the new Ts when they were kids. He said it was the sweetest sound ever but in a few weeks, they sounded like heck.
I like the sounds a T makes no matter how nice or how loud.
I have both.
Rich