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My catalytic convertor fun...


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Posted

Drove down interstate friday night to get my kids for the weekend. Coming back everyone started passing me and I was like WTF? Looked down and seen my speed was 50. Pulled off, looked things over. There was no missing and everything seemed fine. Revved it up and it sounded like it was fighting to do it. Leaned out my door and looked underneath while running. Very little exhaust coming out the back. Took the convertor off sat. morning and couldn't even blow 170 ibs. of air through it. 1 long bar and $6 later my cat is empty and it runs like a raped ape. Now I need to find some new mufflers. No cat with glasspacks doesn't sound very good. I like how loud it is though. The louder the better.

 

This is what came out of the cat...

 

CID__04-08-06_1215.jpg

Posted

That's the honeycomb stuff that sits in the cat, lots of tiny holes that get plugged up over time.

Posted

so is that like burnt up carbon buildup or what?

 

I remember when I was a kid our 81 Buick Century (6cyl) was running like shit so my dad smashed a hole in the cat and revved the crap out of it. But of little stones or something went all over the driveway ????

Posted

that's the ceramic stuff inside the cat which actually holds the catalyst ... if it's already fairly broken up, it may look like little stones I guess, but that's a better example of what the stuff should look like.

 

--Dave.

Posted

That's the honeycomb stuff that sits in the cat, lots of tiny holes that get plugged up over time.

 

Plugged up it was. Holy shit. First car I've ever had that the converter plugged up on. It isn't even the original exhaust from the car. From the engine to behind the converter is from my old 90 GP that was an engine donor. From behind the cat back is from the TGP.

Posted

i had the same thing happen to me in the camaro, sept the car just refused to go anymore for me, guess 160,000 was a prety good run for a stock cat. i gutted mine too, sure beats paying for a new cat.

Posted

crap, how hard is it to get off? Im assuming you have to cut it off. Mine has been rattling since I bought the car, and havent got around to either gettnig a new one, or gutting it. I'd like to just gut it for now, to get rid of the sound, but im not quite sure I know how...

Posted

I remember when I was a kid our 81 Buick Century (6cyl) was running like shit so my dad smashed a hole in the cat and revved the crap out of it. But of little stones or something went all over the driveway ????

Ah yes, the ole "pellet" style catalyst :lol: . Every car from 75 to the late 80's had those style of converters, and they were probably 3 times the size of today's "monolithic 3-way" converters. The one on my 80 Skylark had a removable plug that allowed you to dump the pellets out of it (maybe what you remembered was your dad popping the plug off of his "Sentry's" converter)...
Posted

crap, how hard is it to get off? Im assuming you have to cut it off. Mine has been rattling since I bought the car, and havent got around to either gettnig a new one, or gutting it. I'd like to just gut it for now, to get rid of the sound, but im not quite sure I know how...

 

 

I cut mine off a couple inches behind the cat and unbolted it from the manifold. Used a long pry bar to break everything up inside and just kept dumping it out as it broke up. Bolted it back on and used an exhaust coupler to put it back together behind the cat.

Posted

Thats a pretty slick little mod there dude. And of course it'll pass PA inspection too...lol

Posted

most well maintained cars will pass most emissions standards without a functioning catalytic converter, but the fed's still require them to be there for some dumbass reason, and Califorinia actually requires catalytic converters on diesel's too (talk about something gaurenteed to plug up)

 

When cat's were first devoleped, there were some serious problems with them, and overheating due to poorly tuned carb's - often causing the converters to glow nice cherry red, and starting cars on fire.

 

--Dave.

Posted

I cut mine off a couple inches behind the cat and unbolted it from the manifold. Used a long pry bar to break everything up inside and just kept dumping it out as it broke up. Bolted it back on and used an exhaust coupler to put it back together behind the cat.

 

got any pics? or a small explenation of the coupler? I'm pretty sure I know what you mean, but I may attempt this next weekend

Posted

 

got any pics? or a small explenation of the coupler? I'm pretty sure I know what you mean, but I may attempt this next weekend

 

 

I'll get pics. Napa actually didn't have the right size coupler so I actually bought a 15" piece of pipe and cut what I needed. I clamped mine for now. Doesn't leak so I'm happy. Total cost was $6 for the pipe and 2 clamps.

Posted

Total cost was $6 for the pipe and 2 clamps.

 

Figured out what I'm going to do now. how'd you cut it off?

Posted

how'd you cut it off?

 

 

Cordless sawzall. My favorite tool in the garage.[br]Posted on: April 11, 2006, 02:17:04 PM_________________________________________________

I bet that car is DAMN loud now...was before the cat was gone...lol

 

 

U have no idea. :twisted:[br]Posted on: April 11, 2006, 02:22:16 PM_________________________________________________

I bet that car is DAMN loud now...was before the cat was gone...lol

 

The resident ricer at work said it sounds bad. As in like shit. I started it for some other guys and they said it sounds bad too.

 

 

 

 

Badass that is. :twisted:

Posted

LOLZ. Are you going to put any glass packs on it or whatever??

 

 

That's what's on there now in place of mufflers. Straight pipe through two 12" glasspacks.[br]Posted on: April 12, 2006, 10:38:57 AM_________________________________________________

 

 

Heres a pic of where I cut and my splice.

 

4-17-06.jpg

Posted

 

That's what's on there now in place of mufflers. Straight pipe through two 12" glasspacks.[br]Posted on: April 12, 2006, 10:38:57 AM_________________________________________________

 

That's probably a good reason its so loud

Posted

Wow. That car actually doesn't look too bad on the underneath.

 

 

It's very close to being rust free on the body.

Posted

Well, yeah I know that much. haha.

 

I never really saw the underside of the car though.

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