Replacing Cat?

[RoyalBlaze]

Alright.. here's the deal. I was calling exhaust shops and getting quotes on catback installation. And one of the guys I talked to said I shouldn't replace my stock catalytic converter with a new high flow cat unless mine is bad. He said that the stock cat is already one of the better ones. What do you all think? Is that good advice, or just [img]graemlins/bs.gif[/img] ?

Oh, incidentally, the best price I got quoted for full catback (including 80 series flow and tips) with installation was $350. Is that reasonable, or should I keep looking?

[stagen]

A 3.4L CAT has 2.25 inlet/outlet and double walled honeycombed internal. It is very restrictive IMHO.

On that price quote what is the size of the pipe all the way back?

[GregWS6'01]

that sounds like a good price since it includes the muffler and the tips. I bet you're getting over charged for the muffler. I've seen shops try to sell the muffler for $200 with just the 2 pipes coming out.
Get a new cat...

[RoyalBlaze]

Thanks for the replies, guys. btw, the pipe size for that quote is 2.5"

[Ethearl]

You can order a Hooker Catback from Jegs with 3in pipe all the way for 267.00. Muffler shops would prolly charge about 60.00 to put it on.


~Taylor

[knowledgefreak]

I know the cat on a 3.8 is 3" inlet and 2.25 outlet so you would need a 3" in 3" out with either 2.5 or 3" pipe back from the cat to truly decrease backpressure and free up mid-high hp.

I am not sure if the inlet size is different on a 3.4 however.

The cat on a 3.8 is a good flowing cat and is the same design as a lot of aftermarket ones. I am not really sure if it is any different than a 3.4 however.

3" catback is rather big for a 3.4 as most exhaust changes should be done moderatley. The quote you were given does seem rather high.

[ March 24, 2002: Message edited by: knowledgefreak ]</p>

[Original 4th Gen V6]

Why dont you buy parts and install them yourself. Exhaust installs are pretty basic even for the not so mr. fix it. Save yourself some $$$, and install it yourself.

[stagen]

Exhaust installs aren't taht basic unless you get the full cat back assembly. But, if you get the full system bought it is rather easy to install yourself. I installed my Borla.

Tip - if you still have the stock exhaust on the 3.4L get a sawzall ahead of time to cut the old exhaust off.

[RoyalBlaze]

Here's a quick update on the scenario and basically a rant. Please bear with me. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Got down to that shop today, I double checked with the guy, and he said they DON'T mandrel bend their pipes. Then he told me he could get some piping from a '92 and try to fit it on my car, and it would raise the overall cost to about $400. Needless to say I told him to forget it. I never realized it was this hard to find a decent exhaust shop!! If anybody in the So. Cali area knows of one, please let me in on it.

As for exhaust installs being basic.. well, I would do it myself if I was getting a complete kit. As it is, I'd have to pay somebody to custom bend pipes and fabricate reducers. After having them do all that, they might as well put it on too.