Installing test pipe
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 367
Likes: 1
From: Shakopee Minnesota
Installing test pipe
On an '86 if I put a test pipe in instead of a cat, where am i supposed to put the hose looking thing that plugs into the cat? Here's what I'm looking at getting
As far as I know, here's the cat
As far as I know, here's the cat
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 13,922
Likes: 700
From: WI
Dang $80 for a pipe? You should be able to pick one up at a local muffler place for like ten bucks. You can either plumb the air tube in or leave it off, if you leave it off it will make some noise. The other choice is to gut or remove the air pump.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 473
Likes: 7
From: Houston Texas
Unless you just WANT to keep your cat for some reason just take it off, gut it out and put it back on.
That way if sometime later down the road they do emissions testing it will be in place-for show. And YES you can pass most state emissions test without a cat converter in place if your car is tuned up and running right!
Take it off, get a piece of pipe (or tire tool, or whatever) and a hammer and just gut it out!
Just break up all the stuff inside and put in a plastic bag to dispose of. I'd use gloves and not touch the chunks or breath in the dust.
Save your $80 bucks for beer!
That way if sometime later down the road they do emissions testing it will be in place-for show. And YES you can pass most state emissions test without a cat converter in place if your car is tuned up and running right!
Take it off, get a piece of pipe (or tire tool, or whatever) and a hammer and just gut it out!
Just break up all the stuff inside and put in a plastic bag to dispose of. I'd use gloves and not touch the chunks or breath in the dust.
Save your $80 bucks for beer!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 367
Likes: 1
From: Shakopee Minnesota
Unless you just WANT to keep your cat for some reason just take it off, gut it out and put it back on.
That way if sometime later down the road they do emissions testing it will be in place-for show. And YES you can pass most state emissions test without a cat converter in place if your car is tuned up and running right!
Take it off, get a piece of pipe (or tire tool, or whatever) and a hammer and just gut it out!
Just break up all the stuff inside and put in a plastic bag to dispose of. I'd use gloves and not touch the chunks or breath in the dust.
Save your $80 bucks for beer!
That way if sometime later down the road they do emissions testing it will be in place-for show. And YES you can pass most state emissions test without a cat converter in place if your car is tuned up and running right!
Take it off, get a piece of pipe (or tire tool, or whatever) and a hammer and just gut it out!
Just break up all the stuff inside and put in a plastic bag to dispose of. I'd use gloves and not touch the chunks or breath in the dust.
Save your $80 bucks for beer!
Racer
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 473
Likes: 7
From: Houston Texas
If you are talking about those heat shields on the outside of the cat you can cut them off also.
When you gut out the cat it will lower the temp so you don't really need the heat shields on the cat any more. They put those heat shields on the cat because a working cat gets so hot and if you park over dry grass or weeds you can set it on fire!
As long as you gut out the cat good it will run the same temp as your other exhaust pipes it's bolted up to.
Long ago on my '79 Z28 the cat was flat shaped and the catalyst was in beads/pellets-looked like rabbit pellets. There was a big allen screw on the cat you could just unscrew and blow out all the stuff and then screw the plug back in! It made it so nice to gut the cat without even removing it! Thanks GM!
When you gut out the cat it will lower the temp so you don't really need the heat shields on the cat any more. They put those heat shields on the cat because a working cat gets so hot and if you park over dry grass or weeds you can set it on fire!
As long as you gut out the cat good it will run the same temp as your other exhaust pipes it's bolted up to.
Long ago on my '79 Z28 the cat was flat shaped and the catalyst was in beads/pellets-looked like rabbit pellets. There was a big allen screw on the cat you could just unscrew and blow out all the stuff and then screw the plug back in! It made it so nice to gut the cat without even removing it! Thanks GM!
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 202
Likes: 1
From: boise id
i have passed idaho smog w/o any emmisions equipment @ 76ppm, with 220ppm being my max allowable. I have been doing a little reading up on catalytic convertors, and just today installed a magnaflow catalytic convertor, they only have about a 1hp loss, so if you wanted to make up that power take a big crap before you drive. The exhaust also sounds much better, as i have longtube headers, and muffler elims., got rid of that annoying popping noise on decel. anyways if you want more power just swap in a high flow cat and you will be ready to go, and be just a little less difficult for the enviornment.
