How to make a '74 1.8L sound less like a VW bug, Would this necessitate a muffler change? Muffler modification? Exhaust tip? Options

[mjsdt914]

Looking to improve the sound of my '74 1.8L ... make is less like a VW Bug ((

[Van B]

Oh well, to me it looks easier than my 996. I had pretty good results with my adventure there too.

A lot of piece meal parts and as the final tune I added the mesh stainless. That was a game changer for the sound. More laminar and a cleaner tone. At +7K RPM it legit reminds me of two Triumph superbikes... but that's mostly because I here the left exit more predominantly than the right. Never heard it from outside the car, but I've heard compliments from those who have (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

[wonkipop]

Oh well, to me it looks easier than my 996. I had pretty good results with my adventure there too.

A lot of piece meal parts and as the final tune I added the mesh stainless. That was a game changer for the sound. More laminar and a cleaner tone. At +7K RPM it legit reminds me of two Triumph superbikes... but that's mostly because I here the left exit more predominantly than the right. Never heard it from outside the car, but I've heard compliments from those who have (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

very sexy.

nice stuff. whatever ends on your 914 will be pretty interesting then.

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you got me looking at things with your remarks pairing 1 - 4 with 2 - 3 in primaries.

something happened with type 4 mufflers where VW stopped doing that inside the muffler as per type 1 and 3.

.. type 4 mufflers feed 1-2 and 3-4 into either side of the muffler and then into a central chamber without the cross over pairing.

i've got the old muffler from mine when i bought it in 89. its either the muffler from new (unlikely i think) or a late 70s/early 80s vw replacement. tempted to take it to the workshop and cut it open. i only kept it for reference to modify the kombi muffler i had.

looking through VW classic germany catalogues confirmed that one of the muffler variants for 411/412, the bus with the type 4 and the 914 up to mid 73 is exactly the same VW part #. only after mid 73 when the 914 goes to single muffler without a central exit tail pipe/hot dog does the part # vary from VW ones.
the explanation for that is simple? the VW ones go to a rhs exit tailpipe and the 914 sticks with lhs. they modify the muffler by welding on the inlet pipe flanges upside down.

we definitely have stock mufflers on 914s that do not create the beetle/type 3 sound.
or even the 356 sound. i am pretty sure that the 356 has the same layout as a beetle muffler but with far less restriction. i was looking at a muffler off a speedster in the workshop yesterday. it is an old german original muffler. its big. a lot bigger than a beetle muffler in diameter. pretty sure it does the 1-4 and 2-3 pairing internally like a beetle muffler did.

i downloaded the TUV approval docs from the dansk europe website for the bus/411/412 muffler. had a cross section. the doc covers the 914 version i assume. i expect to find this inside my old original muffler when i cut it open----but you never know? i'm curious now as to why they altered their philosophy on muffler design with the type 4.