[Guest]

I'm looking at both of the catalytic converters. This is a general question. P.S. I'm on the final stages of adjusting the timing, the 318 fires up strong on about one revolution. will try to smooth it out re (advanced timing)  preferably by ear... I can tell i'm 90% there. I just got to wait till I can let it heat up to operating temp, (Thanks again re all the help re "Dist will not line up, ouch thread") To do that I will need to drop in the NOS copper/brass radiator. I bought. replace the transmission rubber hose  segments, on the tranny oil cooler lines, if needed..  add new coolant etc.. SO all of those things are pretty easy vs the Dist timing epic journey. Though it was worth it to get that knowledge.
OK this is just getting anyone's opinion. I'm under the front end draining the coolant...today.  I was reminded of the 1984 catalytic converters, probably originals haning up there. I read what I could find re on RCC, and other sites (parts vendors) on how to know when they have gone bad..you get poor performance re lack of scavenging of the exhaust..  rotten egg smell, they get very hot...n glow a bit, engine temp rises a bit. But also that if the engine has been maintained etc etc..they will last the life of the truck ..this is an 84.. RC.
Now I don't have any of those problems the catalytic converters, have no leaks, the exhaust pulses at the tail pipe are strong.
BUT.... Now I'm thinking back to the 80's when we hollowed out the catalytic converter on my son's Mustang, because it had horrible
  P*** poor acceleration. I'm wondering since here in FL there is no vehicle / or emissions inspections anymore, if I should just hollow them out, re connect the pipes and get the local shop(s) to look over the rest of the system on a lift.. replace the muffler (has a hole) with a mild throaty glass pack, and a needed tail pipe, it may just be needed to be rehung.

I would rather get this done now rather than later, in case any welding is needed. Also I bought a deep oil pan and the stock Y  pipe of crossover pipe is too close to the front of the transmission pan, and that pipe I say needs to be re positioned / welded to give my transmission pan a break from the heat re a clearance of about 4 inches..  So I just thinking ahead....I don't want to make any double trips to the same shop etc etc..
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated, I can mull it all around and have a better idea of the best route to take when this item on the list gets worked.. Again thanks to all..  EDDIEK 

 

[ToxicDoc]

Even if you don't have emissions testing in your area, I prefer the stealth approach - hollow them out. You will get better exhaust flow and, in theory, a little more power/efficiency.

 

[dodge82273]

one thing , run it with NOTHING after the cleaned out cat , let it blow out anything ,  so the "stuff" don't clog up the muffler , NOT that I have ANY experience with doing THAT type of thing you understand.......

 

[Reed]

I don't know why my earlier response got deleted.

(1) the converters are there for a very good reason- exhaust contains toxic chemicals that pollute the air and destroy the atmosphere.  You need to keep them to reduce the emissions of your vehicle and protect the environment.

(2) local laws are irrelevant, it is a violation of Federal law to remove or modify emissions system on any vehicle originally built with them.

So, you should keep them but replace them with modern "three way" catalytic converters certified to be used in California.  That certification indicates the catalytic converter matrix is more efficient and will work better and last longer behind a carburetor.

Now, I know there are idiots who don't believe humans cause climate change, or don't believe the Federal government has any ability or power to control their lives, but I can't help ignorant fools who are wrong.

 

[mttaff]

Lol,  go back to watching the impeachment fiasco

 

[SuperBurban]

(2) local laws are irrelevant, it is a violation of Federal law to remove or modify emissions system on any vehicle originally built with them.

Got a link handy. Last one I read, only applied to mechanics. Not owners. I had the whole exhaust system get taken off by a rock, when off roading, should I report to the nearest federal pen?

 

[Reed]

Got a link handy. Last one I read, only applied to mechanics. Not owners. I had the whole exhaust system get taken off by a rock, when off roading, should I report to the nearest federal pen?

Applies to owners, too.

For those who don't know, U.S.C. stands for "United States Code." The United States Code is the Federal statutory law.

42 U.S.C. § 7522 provides, in pertinent part:

(a) Enumerated prohibitions

The following acts and the causing thereof are prohibited--

***

(3)(A) ...for any person knowingly to remove or render inoperative any such device or element of design after such sale and delivery to the ultimate purchaser; or

(B) for any person to manufacture or sell, or offer to sell, or install, any part or component intended for use with, or as part of, any motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine, where a principal effect of the part or component is to bypass, defeat, or render inoperative any device or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine in compliance with regulations under this subchapter, and where the person knows or should know that such part or component is being offered for sale or installed for such use or put to such use;

***

No action with respect to any device or element of design referred to in paragraph (3) shall be treated as a prohibited act under that paragraph if (i) the action is for the purpose of repair or replacement of the device or element, or is a necessary and temporary procedure to repair or replace any other item and the device or element is replaced upon completion of the procedure, and (ii) such action thereafter results in the proper functioning of the device or element referred to in paragraph (3). No action with respect to any device or element of design referred to in paragraph (3) shall be treated as a prohibited act under that paragraph if the action is for the purpose of a conversion of a motor vehicle for use of a clean alternative fuel (as defined in this subchapter) and if such vehicle complies with the applicable standard under section 7521 of this title when operating on such fuel, and if in the case of a clean alternative fuel vehicle (as defined by rule by the Administrator), the device or element is replaced upon completion of the conversion procedure and such action results in proper functioning of the device or element when the motor vehicle operates on conventional fuel.

Non-mechanics are people, too. Last I checked, anyway. I haven't checked the language of this statute in the last few years, but I am pretty sure it hasn't changed much.

Look, chances are you won't get caught (it haoppened to me- I had a shop who refused to work on my van because a previous owner removed the catalytic converter), but unless you are one of those morons who believes things like ocean levels are rising from rocks falling in the ocean or some other such nonsense, there really is no good reason to not install a catalytic converter. The three-way CA certified ones will last at least a few years behind a carb and really help reduce pollution.

Yeah, those Republicans in the impeachment proceedings are completely embarrasing this country. Putin must be laughing his ass off if he is watching. He has the whole Republican party repeating his misinformation propaganda and dancing to his tune.

 

[Canadian country boy]

Some factory cat's and all High flow cat's can and do improve torque and the platinum inside is worth big bucks so cash them in if you want to remove them. Dont destroy them. I know they say it all adds up but your single vehicle is not going to make any noticeable difference to the environment. Go to Google maps and scroll up 150 meters and you can't even see a car on the road it's so small. Sorry Reed, I'm not here to pick a fight, but climate change is a construct by a certain group of individuals that want you out of your truck and on to a bicycle. If EDDIEK keeps his truck well tuned, every human that he knows will live just fine and so will the plants because every horticulturalist knows that CO2 is plant food.

 

[dodge82273]

even many state governments have come to realize that the purpose of that law has been achieved ,as applied to older autos ,  as evidenced by the emissions inspections in reasonable states, even here in the more restrictive areas of this state .

I lived in one years ago , at the time I had a 1964 Catalina and a 1974 Newport , both passed the sniff test , but the '64 was "cleaner" even tho its requirement was less restrictive than the '74's , its numbers were much lower . the '64 had zero emissions items no egr . no cats no nothing . Soo its not just the equipment added to it that makes it run cleaner ...

the shear % of older autos remaining in use ....  is like a campfire V/S when municipalitys burned garbage in incinerators .....  reasonable they stopped burning garbage but still allow campfires when the wild fire danger is not high .... reasonable people are becoming extinct .

 

[mttaff]

My old 12 valve...20mpg. My 2011 Cummins...14.5mpg. I think the dems f-ed up, now causing me to burn quite a bit more fossil fuels😁

 

[dodge82273]

LOL with the save the world fellas , the MPG's are not "the" thing , its the chemical make up of the "stuff" comming out the tail pipe . example : Mack "plow" trucks use to get 4 to 6 mpg with 2 11 foot plows on the road , today the SAME plows down on the road , same roads , the Macks get 1 to 2 mpg , BUT their tailpipes ? are silver color inside.... !!! clean , NO BLACK . so the carbon footprint is being consumed by the manufacture / storage/delivery all of fuel which "should" be a factor in knowing if 1 to 2 mpg is better even with the soot collecting inna filter then being turned into white ash by adding some liquid fertilizer to get 2200 degree exhaust for 1/2 hour while parked doing a stationary re-gen because a plow truck don't "RUN" down the road steady enough to re-gen while in use ...
yepper all makes good sense to me , don't want that black soot falling on my roads ...

 

[mttaff]

Hollow them out,  run for a while to blow the crud out,  then install muffler of choice.  Tune things up and good to go. We'll save the politics for the nobody cares thread.

 

[Canadian country boy]

The platinum inside the cat is worth approximately $75 CAD at the moment. I'm not sure what they are paying in your area but you might want to open it up and take the platinum in for some $$$ instead of smashing it to bits shooting pieces out the tailpipe like an M-16. DUCK! (plus you'd make the hippies a little bit happier). Lol

 

[modelcitizen]

Most likely sawzall.

 

[RXT]

Now, I know there are idiots who don't believe humans cause climate change, or don't believe the Federal government has any ability or power to control their lives, but I can't help ignorant fools who are wrong.

So, the federal govt has the right to control lives?? Hmm, where in the Constitution does it say that?

You're right, you can't help ignorant fools who are wrong. In fact you can't really help anyone,…and at this stage according to the ones who believe the global warming myth, we are already past the point of no return and the world will end in about 12 years…. So, if we are past the point of no return and the world will end in a decade, what difference will it make to hollow out one cat, in a state that already doesn't require emissions inspections anyway

Ed

 

[Canadian country boy]

Ya they just cut them off. They probably don't make a direct replacement cat for the older vehicles. Most likely one would have to use a "universal" generic cat on an older vehicle. Aftermarket high-flo cat's actually produce higher torque values.

 

[stftruck]

It's best to carefully cut it open, remove the cat & then refab the cat can with a straight pipe inside to keep the exhaust flow, straight.  When the exhaust hits one of the hollowed out cat cans, it drastically changes the smooth flow pattern, then has to realign itself back into the pipe again.  Performance counts, so it's just a matter of if you want it to look like a cat is still there or not... but straight pipe it either way!

 

[Canadian country boy]

I used to own a daily driven 525hp '88 Trans Am and I used to get harrased by feds all the time. I got inspection notices all the time. They eventually got me for no cat's because back in the late 90's early 2000's nobody had 2.5" high flow cat's back then so I took some cat's from a Mustang and split them in half and enlarged the inlet and outlet ends and "sandwiched" them over my 2.5" exhaust pipes. The "inspectors" never clued in and gave me a green light. Maybe you can do something similar. If your cat is not "straight" meaning it doesn't have a "bend" in it, then you may need to go to a bone yard and find one or two to do a fake looking cat to "pass" inspection like I did.

 

[gremlinmt]

I can't speak to other people's choices, but I had the local exhaust shot build my exhaust from the manifolds back.  The only difference from stock is I had them do 3 inch pipe after the Y.  This means I have the same AREA in the pipe all the way back.  The Cat is 3", the muffler amounts to a wide spot in the pipe (I honestly think it's a resonator rather than muffler).  I'm not disappointed, the only real restriction is the manifolds and I'm not willing to put up with the headaches of leaking flanges, limited lifespan, and increased underhood temps that headers bring to the party.  It certainly revs happily and the sound is amusing enough that I like having the passenger window down for the full echo effect.

 

[stftruck]

Might have a hard time finding cats in a bone yard.  Feds make it illegal to sell used cats.  That's why you usually find them missing.  The yards get the recycle money out of them, too!