smitty

n. a type of automobile muffler known for its (powerful or resonant) sound. Subjects: United States, Automobiles & Transportation

Etymological Note: Probably from the “Smithy” muffler brand.

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Citations: 1965 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisc.) (May 11) (in classifieds): For Sale. Smitty muffler, $2. 1997 Usenet: rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang (Nov. 16) “Re: What are Glasspacks”: Before there were turbo and turbo-style mufflers, performance mufflers were limited to two types: steel-packs (the famous Smitty’s) and glasspacks. 1997 [will@epix.net] Usenet: rec.outdoors.rv-travel (Dec. 29) “Re: Banks Power Pak”: A hot-rodder in my youth, I put duals and Smitty’s (early name for low-restriction glasspack mufflers) on virtually everything I drove. 1998 [dckj!@erols.com] Usenet: rec.autos.rod-n-custom (Jan. 8) “Re: soup up ideas for all”: I particularly like the sound of a $15 glasspack! You really don’t get to hear them very often anymore. It would be different. But as long as we’ve got a period theme going, why not some “smitty’s”? 1999 [Tencubed@webtv.net (Mike Niemela)] Usenet: rec.outdoors.rv-travel (Apr. 3) “Re: Banks exaust systems”: My prefered method of quieting an engine is to use a short “turbo” type muffler just behind the engine. This is followed by a crossover pipe connecting the two banks together and then a “smitty” to bring the remaining tone down. 2001 Ellen Barry @ Old Orchard Beach, Maine Boston Globe (Aug. 12) “Carrying On The Cruising Tradition, Customized For The 21St Century In Maine Town, Summer Is Also The Season Of ‘Repetitive Driving’” p. B1: If you had a car, and it sounded nice, and it was low to the ground. The ideal would be the Smitty muffler. The guys were going after the Smitty sound in that day. 2004 Mark Davis Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Ga.) (June 24) “Hey, Daddy-O, dig those terms”: A smitty, he e-mailed, was a “particularly loud, virtually straight-through muffler used by many hot rodders.“

Posted 11 Aug 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

try hooking up 2 Smitty"s steel packs to a “502 “chevy—theres only one sound like it in the World “WOW”

by jim McPhail 21 Jan 06, 1213 GMT

Where do I get Smitty’s steelpack mufflers? The longest ones made. I have two of the glasspack Smithy’s. They do not sound like the old steelpacks.
Thank you, Al Brooks e-mail almidge@comcast.net

by Al Brooks 04 Nov 06, 0301 GMT

Out here in the wild and wooly west-of-the Mississippi we preferred, for the most part to simply call them steel-packs and glass-packs. Out here a similar distortion of brand names(2)occurred similar to the (S)smitty phenom. They were deep-tones and mellow-tones, both were definite brand names. I believe Belond used the Deep-Tone name. By the mid ‘50s Belond was considered one of the primier makers of straight-thru mufflers as well as complete dual systems. I knew that the term smitty meant a type of muffler to some people in some areas but out here it meant a brand of many seen in catalogs and at an occasional store that chose to stock them. Will be sending more comments about inputs of [dckj!@erols.—], Ellen Barry @Old Orchard Beach and Jim Mc Phail 21Jan’06.

by LEROY BRANDT 07 Mar 07, 0257 GMT

I too am trying to find “deep tone” Smithy mufflers. I had them on my ‘36 Ford in 1950 my ‘40 Merc in 1952 and finally on my ‘47 Merc in 1955. They were very deep and throaty rapping only when you backed off. They were as recognizable as one would recognize a Harley from other bikes. They were in fact, steel packs. Smithy also offered “bullet” tip extensions. The sound was incredible. They never failed to turn heads! I would like to find a pair of each for my “48 Merc today in 2008

by Rich Overton 01 Jul 08, 0240 GMT

I had Smittys on my 51 merc. Smitty was a brand name. It was filled with SAND!. That’s why it sounded like it did! I have a pair of Speakers that are sand filled to take out sound discoloration. They are still good after 40 years!The sand is what does the trick!

by Buddy 17 Aug 08, 0419 GMT

The actual brand name of these mufflers was Smithy’s, not Smitty’s. They are still made by PerTronic Inc.

by Don 15 Oct 08, 1147 GMT

Good show, Bob. I think you have pretty much completed the circle on the usage and of the word “smitty”. Your knowledge on this plus the comments of those above prove exactly the definition at the top of this discussion including the Etymological(whatever that is) Note which right then and there stated the probability that the “smitty” usage probably was derived from the Smithy brand.
Although it was mispronounced, misspelled and used in more limited areas of the country it could go into a category containing other brand names that became accepted misnomer names for TYPES of things. Examples: crescent wrench, frigidaire, vise grips.
Actually, now that I try to think of more examples it seems to be a pretty exclusive club.
“Smitty” has long been used as a nick-name for anyone named Smith so it is understandable that it would be used as a nick-name for a “Smithy” brand muffler and then used as a generic name for mufflers similar to it.

by LEROY 21 Oct 08, 0814 GMT