LTxDave

Looking to clean up my exhaust smell at idle on my 383 LT4. From my recent research, it appears that I want a metallic core converter. What have you used and are you happy with performance, sound, etc?

billschroeder5842

I use a mangnaflow cat on my 89. It is way less restrictive than the factory. I had a shop weld it in and put in the air tube.

grandspt

I have the ARH metal ceramic cats that came with their headers/X pipe kit.
I don't know if ARH sells the cats separately or without the X pipe.

GREGGPENN

Magnaflow x2....and yes, it needs to be metallic

Ceramic didn't last but a couple of months (in the belly). I tried adding a second belly converter -- in place of my original spintech muffler. The sound was as good as any muffler...though there was some low-rpm "drone". Luckily it DID "rot-out" (destroying the brick) quickly. When I removed it AND decided not to have any belly deadening/converting, the sound was great.

Dual Magnaflow metallic "bullets" that are attached (almost) directly to the headers on my 383 have lasted 25k-30k miles since 2010. Not the most miles for feedback...but I think they are a good choice for longevity.

ddahlgren

Magnaflow whatever they were selling around 2009 around 40k miles on it and fine.

dizwiz24

what year is your car, and what size cam ?

also are you sure o2 sensors are functioning.

idle smell issues on my 93 were worse with bosch heated o2s vs ac delco heated (usa-made) o2 sensors. But the idle smell is stll there with the ac delco (its just not as bad).

93 is batch fire speed density which makes for a nastier, smellier idle that you cant just tune it out

i have a 224/236 lloyd elliot cam 114 lsa by the way.

i was around a 1992 converted to holley fuel injection (sequential), and it had a 250 !! Intake duration cam that didnt smell at idle.

LTxDave

It's a 95, cam is 232/232 on 110. I could probably idle it up to 950-1000 rpm and get rid of more of the smell without cats, but it's apparently beyond my skill set to get it all gone. Talking to Tony Mamo, he was not surprised by the smell from the overlap. It's not. As bad as it was before, but its a enough to make me wonder if I smell like exhaust when I drive it to work. I bought another can for it, but I think I want to try the converters before going back into the engine.

aklim

I have a single cat which is a Random Tech one.

I don't follow. You are wondering if you smell like exhaust? IOW you don't know? Why bother spend more money then? Why waste time and money if you don't even smell it? I put a cat on because of the drone and the wife hates it. It quietened it down a little. Maybe someday I will get a Corsa and see if that is the answer. Why are you spending time and money on a problem YOU don't even see? If you are sitting behind the running car on your lawn chair all day long, I understand.

LTxDave

The exhaust smell is obvious. The part you quoted was me wondering if the smell sticks to my clothes, not me wondering if there was a problem. You don't have to sit behind the car to smell the exhaust.

aklim

Unless you are standing behind it for a bit, I have doubts it will stick to your clothes. If someone is standing close enough to sniff any residual, you are getting lucky anyway so......