The sticker is still on my factory windshield. I don't know if the VIN will tell you or not it should though. I think there was another american plant where some came from that had CATs too.

 

<TABLE style="BORDER-RIGHT: #990000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #990000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #990000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #990000 1px solid" width=600 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 15px">Assembly Plant: </TD><TD>Kentucky Truck: Jefferson County, Kentucky</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>thats what it said from our vin decoder on the web site sweeet did they have cats in 2000

 

not sure on that one. All I know is my 99 didn't. I guess I never worried about mine, the D.O.T. didn't say anything when I had it done.

 

It doesn't matter where it was made. It matters on where it was sold as a new vehicle.
It is illegal to remove the cat and the gov't where you live can choose to enforce that law or not. Depending on where your truck is licensed is whether they even check for it or not. It all depends on how polluted the environment is where you live. If the air pollution goes over a certain threshold for only one day all year, then your region is in non-compliance with FEDERAL regulations. It is then left up to the state and it is further divided down to which county on how to best bring this particular region back into federal compliance.
So before you remove the cat, check with your local vehicle licensing office and find out if they require a smog/emission compliance check when you renew your vehicle license. Again, some places require it to be there and some couldn't care less.

 

for the longest time there were no emissions in my county and i think that there still arent any all of the neighboring ones do, but i have heard that every vehicle must have everything that was originally installed from the factory...thats why i was wondering my truck was actually producd in NOV of 99 so i dont know what to think

 

Just curious why mine didn't have one I didn't buy the truck new, but the guy that did buy it new never replaced anything on the exhaust. I know my local exhaust tech told me; in fact both local shops told some of the early SD's didn't have a CAT installed. I looked at the exhaust when I bought and it looks all stock all the way to the turbo, it's even the stock size if you were going to go through all the work to make it look factory you would think he would have increased the size to 4" or something larger. I talked to the guy that bought it new and he said he never touched the exhaust. I honestly can't imagine this guy spending all the money to take it out either, I mean he even took the cheap mudflaps off my truck to put on his new truck.

 

Rebel,

Where's the "VIN decoder" ?


nevermind I found it...

 

As far as I know, all early 99's built at the Kentucky plant came with a CAT, like mine did. Someone on their assembly line must've screw up if your early 99 got built without a CAT installed.

 

It's manufactured according to the spec on where the truck is going to be offered for sale. Where it's made has nothing to do with whether the cat is there or not.
It's all in where it was sold new.

 

Well it was sold in MN, I know at that time our laws weren't as strict as they are now.

 

Based on the research I did almost 9 years ago before removing my CAT, and on some recent research, I'm 99% sure that all early 99 PSD's (and for that matter all the 97's etc..) came with a CAT which was required to meet FEDERAL EPA emissions standards.

Some of the reasons I've read as to why the 99.5 could meet the federal emissions spec without the CAT that was required on the early 99's include... new injectors, new turbo, lower restriction intercooler, AIH, and new PCM programming.

Here's a link to add more potential confusion, as it indicates 3 versions of a 1999 PSD. When I bought my Banks turbo back exhaust in 1999, I was told that ALL early 99's like mine had a CAT, and if I took mine off (which I was going to do anyway) his new 99.5 exhaust wouldn't fit because of differences in the turbo height and downpipe between the early 99 and 99.5. If some early 99's were built without a CAT, Banks didn't make an exhaust for them!

http://store.bankspower.com/Categories.aspx?Category=ad6ae698-05d3-4581-aa98-37506e493efe

1999 Power Stroke variations: Ford trucks for model year 1999 fall into three categories: early 1999; early 1999-1/2; late 1999-1/2. It is important to know the specific model. Check the build date on the tag inside the driver’s door, then match below:

Early 1999 model year—built prior to 1/99 with catalytic converter

Early 1999-1/2 model year—built prior to 1/99 no catalytic converter; intake manifold has 2"-diameter inlets

Late 1999-1/2 model year—built on or after 1/99 no catalytic converter; intake manifold has 3"-diameter inlets

The following is from Banks, and is the best reason of all for getting rid of them, mine was already clogged solid after towing stock for only about 1 K miles.

Ford-Diesel.com: Does the factory catalytic converter cause as much restriction as some seem to think?

Gale Banks: On an early 99 truck the catalytic converter, at approximately 25 psi boost, we have measured a backpressure of 2.8 psi. Fortunately, the later model trucks do not have this restriction.

1994 - 1998 Ford F250/F350 Series 7.3L (Power Stroke) Converter Equipped .... keep your truck street-legal by retaining your catalytic converter. ...

Take it from a tech. The only SD 7.3's that had them are the early 99's and a couple early 00's. THAT IS IT! The rest had a FACTORY cat delete pipe of which can be purchased at the ford dealer for about $75. When the 6.0's came out they brought the cats back.

 

cat? what cat? that was cut off and thrown away over a year ago my exhaust is a 4"dp than goes to 5" right at the rear of the front tire then behind the cab it goes up threw the bed then t's runs across the floor of the bed and then 90's up to stacks, havn't been pulled over have even smoked an intersection and then realized there was a cop pulling up to the intersection

 

Nick

 

I have had mine tested with and without a cat, with a cat I was at 2 of the 40 percent opacity I was allowed. Without, I was at 4 percent. I would suggest this. Take the cat out, keep it around if needed for inspection. If you have inspections, enlarge the opening on the cat to 4 inch, beat all the honey comb crap out of the inside and slid it over and weld it OVER the new 4 inch (or 5") and weld it in place where it originally resided. There you have it, a high flowing catalytic converter. Still the same stock looking cat. As long as you pass emissions, no one is going question it. It will earn the check mark next to the VISUAL INSPECTION.

 

ernesteugene Thanks for the info.

<o></o>I always figured mine was an early 99 because it was built in 2/99, but according to you info it’s a late 99 and that would be why there was no CAT. Good I always wanted the later 99 anyway, I had always heard the late 99 was like 4/99 and on , thanks for clearing that up.