Ok, imagine you have a bone stock '87. Now imagine you are still finding your way in the Corvette jungle of stuff. For exhaust there's magnaflow, corsa, borla and who knows what else. I often read about "cat back", but that seems to be generic to exhaust, Corsa cat back, Magnaflow cat back, etc. What is a cat back?
Now, imagine you're going to buy an exhaust for this '87, which one and why, what would you expect to pay?

 

cat back = everything from the cats back to the tips.

 

O. K. Dale I have a 1989 which is basically the same as your 1987. A catback is simply the rear y-pipe and the 2 mufflers. You can spend from $275 to over $1000 on that. I wanted to keep my stock look and improve power and sound so I bought a Magnaflow system from Corvette Central. It's aluminized, not stainless, but is wide open with a balance tube on the Y pipe. It sells for $299 plus ship. I also replaced my main cat with a Magnaflow. You might as well do it all at once. The bolt on cats with air tube are around $150. I also deleted my pre-cats and left the stock O2 sensor. You can do the whole deal for a little over $500 and it makes a big difference.

 

Pre cats are small catalytic converters that are on the y pipe that goes between the exhaust manifold and the main catalytic converter. There is one on each side. Here are some -
pics from an 86:
Front Y pipe with precats:


Catalytic converter:

Rear Y pipe back to mufflers:


On an 87 I used to own I bought a catless front Y, a Magnaflow high-flow cat, a rear Y pipe with a crossover and Magnaflow mufflers. I also bought a new O2 sensor as the car had around 50K on it and I figured it was due. The car sounded great and the seat of the pants dyno felt like it had more power.

 

Or if you live in a non-smog state like me (ohio residency) then you can just take it to a shop have them cut right behind your manifolds, run straight dual tubing back put in an x-pipe or in my case have them make you an H pipe and then back into your choice of mufflers. In my case a set of magnaflows. My car is supprisingly quiet "considering" what is done under it. I did all that for $225. Or if you have the money go with a set of long tube headers and do the exact same thing and pick you up some extra ponies. From just what I have done my seat of the pants dyno is VERY pleased for CHEAP

JMO

Semper Fi

 

Bud, don't want to burst your bubble, but the true magnaflow system is $549.00, and that does not include the hi-flow cat...
Check here: http://www.hottexhaust.com/detail.asp?product_id=15658
includes all for $549.00 sweet system, i have on my 87 already...

 

No problem Bud, my bubble is intact, this is a true OEM replacement Magnaflow system. Magnaflow is even stamped on the sheet metal.
www.corvettecentral.com part # 324120

BTW how is your Hedman "Elite" install coming?

 

This is interesting and new to me. A Y pipe? So the dual exhaust is really a single exhaust? Seems to me that if you Y to a single pipe, that's a major restriction. Does anyone convert to real dual exhaust? I wonder how much that would help, if it would be worth it?

 

Cheap is good, but I don't want to be too cheap. I'm in Ohio so I can do some of what you say. But, I want it to be reasonable. My old neighbors would have problems if I rattle their windows! I guess headers would be a good idea. I wonder if it's reasonable to do one, say, the exhaust, and come back later and do headers?

Hey, thanks for your service. Hope all is well. Give them hell.

 

People do convert to "true dual" exhaust However, the set-up on your car has plenty of exhaust capacity. The restriction is in the stock headers, the stock cats and the stock mufflers. You can stay with the stock configuration and remove a lot of that restriction with a cat-back and a hi-flow main cat. If you can delete the pre-cats in your area, so much the better. The main cat does most of the true pollution control in the exhaust. I'm not really a big tree hugger, but from a practical standpoint why screw up the environment more than we have to.

 

I'm not over the top on what I want to do, if it will breathe well enough with the configuration that is there, just modded, that works for me. If I could get the car to about 300hp, I think that would be enough to make me happy. Heck, if the snow would melt and I could drive it as is, I'd be happy!
I'm with you. Not a big tree hugger, or enviro ****, but why foul things up any more than you have to.

 

Yea, called them on that one, and its stamped but not a true magnaflow system... seems they have a deal with magna ....

on the Headers: got the mimi starter (getting ready to install) have all parts (bolts, wire boots, heated O2, SS collector reducer, 6' SS 2.5" pipe, gaskets (percy dead soft), dead soft header gaskets. Took to shop to measure to make the custom Y pipe and waiting on that.
Just finished the C5 Z06 brake upgrade and it does look sweet and stops on a dime.
Hope to start the actural header install next weekend... I'll pic as i go..