82VettCE

Can anyone tell me the best way to gut a catalytic converter? I was thinking of gutting the on my stock exhaust (1982 Corvette). I have the converter off the car sitting on my work bench. Nothing wrong with the converter other than it being the original one installed on the car (32 years old).

Didn’t know if this would cause any issues? Or any disadvantages? I also spoke with the local muffler shop and they said they can make me a “by-pass tube”, but with this option I will not be able to connect the air line and didn’t know if this would cause any issues.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

mrvette

A steel bar and a hammer is the usual approach, just make sure you don't damage the exterior....not the easiest job in the world, but take your time....a 3 lbs hand sledge is the best....

terry82

you need a good strong metal rod .push it into the center of cat .then take a good size hammer tap on the end and the nasty stuff should fall out .will take 5 to 10 minutes.well worth the effort.the old cats were very bad .the new ones are a lot better.

1977L48

i used a cement drill on the ones ive gutted in the past, makes for very short work

Frank_Nesta

Your muffler shop could build the by pass tube with air line fitting. The advantage? A little less weight and maybe better flow.

zwede

Or you could get a modern replacement cat. Unless you have extensive engine mods a modern cat flows so well there is no power loss at all.

mrvette

That's funny in that a buddy has a 10 cyl Dodge p/u with twin cats...they both rattled like a can full of marbles, so we put in pipes, and tossed them aside.....now the funny thing is on the way back to my place, he starts laughing that he won't get asked any more about having a DIESEL in there.....it was THAT loud....

garygnu

a gutted cat is very noisy.you mite have to retune the computor .

jcuprisi

It would be a good idea to check EPA and your state EPA regulations. I cannot imagine that there is any legal reason for gutting a catalytic converter let alone advertising the fact on a public forum.

I am not trying to incite a political argument about the government. The EPA exists and the laws exist whether you like them or not. The consequences are real.

7t9l82

just beat the stuff out, if anyone says any thing tell them the car was vandalized

1977L48

mrvette
X2 on the V10 dodge cats, i removed mine about 2 months after buying my truck, alot more power! i think they were clogged.

scottyp99

Gutting the cat is an old trick, but the cement drill is a new one on me, I like it, should make the job go a lot quicker. The goal is to reduce the guts to pieces small enough to fall out through the inlet or output, sometimes tough to do with a rod and hammer. The good part is it's cheap to do, and will still pass a visual inspection. It will change your exhaust sound, it'll be a little louder, not much though. No idea how it will effect the computer, but I would imagine it would not pose a problem, that's just a guess, though.

Scott

mrvette

Well, if you can't unclog a cat with TEN cylinders and what? some 8 liters I would suppose they just get reduced to the minimum, and so sounded like a Diesel......HIS truck sounded a bit like my '72 vette, but I have dual stainless Magnaflow I bought used from a MUSTANG owner....but they fit a vette just fine.... SO a nice mellow tone, not a bucket of bolts....

Snoopysvet

http://www.frozenboost.com/product_i...roducts_id=331

maverickmk

Technically it is illegal.
Use a long air chisel to break that stuff up to drop out the other end over a garbage can and then have a pipe slid in through it at a muffler shop (typically an independent shop that takes cash ) because it will make kind of a hollow drone - so I've heard

7t9l82

i never stuck a pipe through one , it actually sounded fine anytime i knocked them clear.

1977L48

it wont have an effect on the CPU, we used the cement drill on my friends 84 CFI vette

82VettCE

I have a 1999 Camaro Z28 6-speed with only 29,614 miles on it. I took off cats and all the emissions equipment, installed long tube headders and an off road racing SLP exahust system. I sent the PCM to Texas Speed Shop and they removed all the emission signals. I do not live in an area where they test for emission, but for the fun of it I drove to one and guess what? It PASSED! The idiots that work there didn't even look for the stuff that was missing, but they did commented that the car was loud....LOL

Anyways the Cat for my 82 Corvette is done and it took about 10min. After I beed blast it and paint it with a High Temp Cast Iron Gray Paint I will post a few pics if anyone is curious. I did find out that the O2 sensor will be just fine and the noise should not be too bad, if it is I will just order a high fow converter in the spring.

Thanks for you help and comments

jb78L-82

There are too numerous number of case going back to the mid 70's/80's/90's where cars with no cat/cats that came from the factory with them, passed the sniff test. Automobile manufacturers back then generally did NOT test every engine configuration with emissions equipment for pass ability but rather slapped on all the emissions equipment on a particular engine based on a cookbook formula to ensure the engine would pass emissions, whether all the equipment was needed or not, in reality. Today's standards are a different story where the equipment is needed to keep the emissions very low to pass the standards and the emissions equipment has a minimal effect on performance. One of the reasons that the 75-82 vettes' performance was so hindered by the emissions equipment was that GM struggled in the age of no computer control (81-82 computer control was VERY basic) to get the engine to have performance AND meet the standards.My stock 78 L-82 with no emissions picked up roughly 50HP over the stock HP with only a 2.5 inch duals, turbo mufflers, Shorty headers, and carb/ignition optimization. I have zero reason to mess with the emissions on my 10 Z06!

doorgunner

Just theoretical, of course/Check your EPA Rules:

Some gutted cats produce a rumbling sound within the cat which can be annoying/some don't.........a section of exhaust pipe pushed inside the gutted cat and welded on both ends to prevent rattling cures the rumbling problem.


For entertainment purposes only....LOL