What is the process to gutting the cat.? Strong emis. laws here in Denver so I will have to leave it on (for the visual). But I like the 'sound' of this gutting thing. take any special tools?(wanna do it myself if possible) Will it flow better or sound better or both. Also, what exactly does the cat. converter do?
Thank you kindly.

 

I gutted mine by removing it first :-), then I stood it on end, and rammed a piece of conduit in it and broke up the honeycomb. It takes some pounding, but keep at it, and it will come out. Use can use a copper rod. Just be careful if you use hard steel. Then put it back on your truck. Worked just fine for me. One other little trick, if your worried about passing emissions, just put new plugs in right before you get it tested, and it should pass, mine did.

 

The cat reduces emissions, and by cutting out or gutting it, you will not pass a sniff test. You can pass a visual. These trucks have two cats, by gutting the 2nd one you will have a much louder truck. I found it difficult to gut the cat because the crossmember is right there. Once you get the cat out, take a hammer and anything and just bash the honeycomb and junk inside it until it all comes out. You might also want to replace the cat with just a straight pipe, and put the shield over it. By hollowing out the cat, it doesn't sound as good as just a straight pipe.


Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Thats it for now, saving for a stang. Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 

Hey guys I don't think PETA or the EPA would like us gutting cats. Its not very nice to beat a cat until it growls. But hey I go for the 3 S's Shoot it, Skin it, and Slap it on a plate!

P people
E eatin'
T tasty
A animals

1978 F150 Custom 4x4
300-6 HD w/ 4.11's
3spd + Chevy pulling gear
BFGoods 32x11.50s
Chevy symbols in the grill
Dodge symbols in the muffler


Black is oil
Red is tranny
Green is antifreeze
So what are the yellow puddles under Chevys?

 

Mustang... Good call on the sniff test. I guess leave it on and erase one on my prowl list. More importantly, this truck motor is rebuilt 85 F-150 302 5.0 EFI 4X2 --rebuilt AOD tran. and rear.-- My need is.... HELP at ALTITUDE, ALTITUDE, ALTITUDE. Colorado Mtn. passes(remember folks; this is the Continental Devide= this side or that....) require HP(or UP-STREAM). I'm going cat back 3" dual soon, hope it helps.
Mustang..... Should I 'Super Charge'?. I've got 1,500 miles right now. Air inducton just sounds right at those altitudes...

 

Why not just replace it with a CATCO cat? They're pretty cheap and you don't have to worry about emissions, plus you're doing your part for the enviroment (wow sounds like I'm turning into a treehugger). I've heard that there are very little sound differances between a catco and a straightpipe. Something to think about.

 

I've never removed the 1st cat on my truck, but i've started it with just the first cat on, nothing else, and it was super loud. I started it with just the two cats on it, and it was pretty loud. Surprisingly the 40 series flowmaster doesn't muffle much. I have a catco high flow cat in place of the stock 2nd cat, noticed very little difference in sound over the stock cat and didn't notice a power gain, but I probably picked up about 5-7hp.


Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 

"How do you Gut a Cat. ??"
Simple. First you get a sharp knife.....

 

I think there is a fuel additive you can buy at stores like Pep Boys and such that if you pour it in the tank it will clean up your emissions long enough to pass a sniffer test. I had a Crown Vic and gutted the cats and it actually passed by a large margin. It was an '89 with the 5.0L in it. I was quite surprised. Its just a thought.

 

great analogy! i hate cats my self, they are only good for farms. i almost fell out of my chair laughing.

 

I don't want to be the one to break up the party here guys, but this practice of "gutting" the cats on our trucks is quite irresopnsible. I'd think that you'd all agree that people who go fourwheeling and leave crap all over the trails, make their own trails, and damage the area are fourwheeling irresponsibly. Its guys like that that have led to most of our wheelin trails being closed down. And after the treehuggers associations get done with them where do you think there coming next, its going to be guys that are gutting cats, or taking them off completely, or some other moronic act. If you can't afford cats, than you shouldn't be doing exhaust work. And for those of you who just have to have more power and think that your cats the only place you can come up with it, your wrong. I can think of at least a dozen things you could do to make more power a whole lot easier than ripping your cats off. If you do want more power and have to do it with cats, try investing in catco high flow cats. And just think, you might just avoid the almost 10000 dollar fine the epa can hand you. Think about it guys.


Sorry guys, but i'm just getting pissed at people getting things screwed up for the rest of us.

Ryan

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-Nov-02 AT 11:33 AM (EST)]hey, i like cats. if anyone would ever hurt my cat i'd......i'm getting off course.

i was thinking of cutting the cats off my truck, but after seeing the first one with the 2 pipes into one junk, i just left them in. i'm due for a whole new exhaust anyway. i figure i'll cut 'em out just before i have dual exhaust put in. (unless i get ambitous and put in the exhaust myself)

 

Relax man I was laughing at what 784x4thunder was saying about the animals, I defininatly agree with you about emissions we do need them, I dont like all the emission crap but the enviroment cant take the abuse anymore, I do plan on installing a high flow cat soon as the holidays are over to help the power some plus my cats are almost used up. Its is just a shame that emission stuff has to be so expensive Ie 4 stroke out boards, total catalytic converter set ups. people would be more agreeable to replace their systems if it wer not so darn expensive. seems to me we should put the farmers back to work selling corn off to make fuels (not the gasahol from the seventies) with then we would not have to spend as much on oils or emissions because alchaol burns cleaner, after all look what T/A dragsters and funny cars can do with this stuff sure other additives are in it but im sure it is less oil is used in this than what we use in our cars now. sorry for the mis spelling its been a long day.

 

>I don't want to be the one to break up the party here guys,
>but this practice of "gutting" the cats on our trucks is
>quite irresopnsible. I'd think that you'd all agree that
>people who go fourwheeling and leave crap all over the
>trails, make their own trails, and damage the area are
>fourwheeling irresponsibly. Its guys like that that have
>led to most of our wheelin trails being closed down. And
>after the treehuggers associations get done with them where
>do you think there coming next, its going to be guys that
>are gutting cats, or taking them off completely, or some
>other moronic act. If you can't afford cats, than you
>shouldn't be doing exhaust work. And for those of you who
>just have to have more power and think that your cats the
>only place you can come up with it, your wrong. I can think
>of at least a dozen things you could do to make more power a
>whole lot easier than ripping your cats off. If you do want
>more power and have to do it with cats, try investing in
>catco high flow cats. And just think, you might just avoid
>the almost 10000 dollar fine the epa can hand you. Think
>about it guys.

Remarkably enough, Cats have a limited lifespan. Smiple chemistry, over a period of time, the cats just sorta loose their catalyst. Even the Platium / Pladium varity, get all gummed up. A person responcible for the enviroment would get an emmitions test done, once with a straight pipe, once with their cat, and observe the results.

Interestly enough, my emmitions were lower on a 79 vehical without the cat, then with it. Surprise surprise. Installed a straight pipe and a smog pump, just for laughs, and surprise surprise, my CO emitions were squat. Fancy that. To be legal I still needed the cat, but as expected, it had become worthless. Now if the EPA and the Tree Huggers and the Car User would get together and observe results, in a scientific fasion, we could get reulgations that not only help out the enviroment, but are good for every day joe too. Part of inteligent legislation is the art of creating laws that people will follow for the common benifit. I'm personaly for clean air, which is why we need come common sence and actually study the impact of the cat requirement on vehicals, rather then blindly taking faith that this device installed in the 21th century is actually serving it's fuction.

Now, don't get me wrong, cats are indeed a good thing. If you spent time is LA and observe the smog problem, then stop to think that this is the impreovement, you can see the need for inteligent reulgation on emmitions. I personaly don't have a problem with it.

We forget why cats are there in the first place. A well tuned vehicel without a cat in most states will pass emmitions, baring no other problem. Cats, while innitaly they serve a valuable purpose, tend to go out with age.

It would be interesting to see people out there, your average truck owner, with soemthing with a 10 to 15 year old cat, actually take the time, spend that fee, and test their vehical... with their cat onboard, and with a straight pipe, and share their results. It would be most ineresting to see the effect, wether or not that used cat is still even serving a fuction, and if it's actually having a negative impact on air quality.

 

oustanding comment! that would be intresting to find out where the difference actually is.