I am going to cut the cat and muff off my truck and go straight pipe. My plans are to cut the pipe at the front of the cat and right behind the muffler and stick a pipe in its place. I read in an earlier post someone had used a steel conduit pipe instead of regular exhaust pipe. I searched for the thread but couldn't find it. The 3" conduit is exactly 3.5" in diameter and is roughly .060 - .070 thick. The only thing on my mind is the galvanizing. The reason I am considering this is because there isn't an exhaust shop within 100 miles that stocks 3.5" exhaust and I don't want to pay $100 or more to order. Future plans involve a 4" exhaust, but for now wondering if this would work. Thanks for any responses.

 

Just my 2 cents... Instead of doing that, why don't you just gut the cat and cut the muff off? I suppose that conduit would work in a pinch... On your year, what size is the downpipe outlet?

My 97 has 3" outlet on factory downpipe. I just spent 30 bucks on having a local shop put 3" from downpipe back and exiting in front of the rear tire.

 

I was considering putting a 3" diameter piece in there. I was quote $65 for a 6 ft piece of straight pipe flaired at the ends from Freeway Mufflers. I can buy a 10ft piece of 3.5" conduit for $50.

There must be quite a price jump from 3" to 3.5" diameter pipe. Or I was just about to get hosed?!?!

 

I haven't checked on the prices of 3.5 pipe. The local shop here charged $2/ft for 3 inch, $1 per bend/expansion. I have about 7 foot of pipe, 2 bends, 2 expansions and 1 bell end, two new hangers and installation on my truck. 30 bucks with the tax.

I still would think about gutting the cat and just cutting the muffler off. You could splice the 2 foot of conduit where the muffler was and still have the tail pipe in the stock location. Just my 2 cents again.

 

BTW, I used regular steel pipe. They may be quoting you aluminized.... which is the way I would go if it were a permananent install.

I am going to do downpipe work in the near future, probably with a 4" system coming out the back end.

 

I got a straight 4" pipe kit and did mine myself and saved a little money for other things. Now JIMO here dude, the flex muffler pipe is not what you want at all. The stuff has a bad habbit of leaking all the time and with the leak, the area where the leak will be is the area where the exhaust will cut through that stuff and burn it out. I spent 90 bucks on a 3" down pipe and 150 for a 4" kit that had clamps, hangers and all the pipe to take the cat and muffler out all together and a 3" to 4" reducer to mate the two sizes, and ran this where the original was behind the rear tire.

Not sure if you have access to a welder or not, but I had to do a little welding on mine. Weld the hangers on, which I cut the old ones off and used them on the new system. I welded the flange I cut off the front of the cat to the 3" by 4" reducer so I could keep the two bolt flange at the down pipe. I like the thought of having it in place in case I wanted to do something later...

A little more money up front here, but worth every penny with what you get from this and if you can do this yourself it helps with the cost of things too. Maybe a buddy you know that has a welder is in need of a few cold ones LOL...