Gutting cats??
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Joined: Apr 2009
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From: Illernois
Gutting cats??
Alright well a friend of mine owns a 1987 ford f-150. He recently took off his muffler to make it louder, but now he wants to remove the cats.
But were not sure if this is going to mess anything up. Like if there are 02 censors?
Also any help on how to actully gut the cats would be helpful. Thanks!
But were not sure if this is going to mess anything up. Like if there are 02 censors?
Also any help on how to actully gut the cats would be helpful. Thanks!
More Turbo
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 616
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From: Missouri - Lake of the Oz
More than one way to gut a cat...
A 1987 would have one O2 sensor - if it is EFI. As to removing them - probably not legal in Illinois. I assume you have at least some type inspection program if not actual sniffer tests: You could be setting up for a real surprise on your next test/tag renewal. Gutting them? If they have any age they may have already gutted themselves!
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Joined: Sep 2008
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My 95 f-150 300 i-6 has no cats. Just true duals all the way back. Not sure if there is any difference in o2 sensors between the years, but i would think that if it can be done on a 95, it can also be done on a 87. Not sure about gutting them, but have been curious cause my dads cat is stopped up and a new one is like 300$!
Fleet Owner
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 21,437
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From: Gilbert, PA
If he is running no cats or muffler , he will lose what ever bottom end he has. A gas engine(unless it is a race engine) needs a certain amount of back pressure. And i sure his truck may certainly be loud. I'm sure it sounds like CHIT!! Tell him to grow up and put a quality performance muffler on
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From: Illernois
Donnor, in our area they dont do any testing. And many many people have there cats removed around this area and dont get into trouble. Even if it has age on the cats, wouldnt completely gutting them and cleaning it out allow it to sound better?
Diesel_brad, Can you explain to me what you mean (he will lose any bottom end he has)? The engine is a 4.9 straight six. The trucks not super loud at the moment but he wants it louder which is why he wants the cat off. Put a quality muffler on it? Seems a bit pointless in his case, not a super nice truck. Just a good ol point a to b truck that he wants play with for now.
So he just wanted to know if its gunna hurt to remove the cats....if anyone could help with that. Thanks
Diesel_brad, Can you explain to me what you mean (he will lose any bottom end he has)? The engine is a 4.9 straight six. The trucks not super loud at the moment but he wants it louder which is why he wants the cat off. Put a quality muffler on it? Seems a bit pointless in his case, not a super nice truck. Just a good ol point a to b truck that he wants play with for now.
So he just wanted to know if its gunna hurt to remove the cats....if anyone could help with that. Thanks
Fleet Owner
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 21,437
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From: Gilbert, PA
Bottom end... is low end grunt. You dont need a high flow exhaust untill HIGH rpm.(beyond the 6cyl capability) Also. you can get worse milage w the cat removed or gutted.
LOUDER is not better. The sooner he figures it out , the better. It is people like him that ruin it for car/truck enthusiasts like us here
LOUDER is not better. The sooner he figures it out , the better. It is people like him that ruin it for car/truck enthusiasts like us here
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Joined: Apr 2009
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Ew. a 300 I6 without a muffer or cat. Ugly sound. The 6 is never going to open up to a loud, rapping sound so if that is what he is looking for he has the wrong truck.
Running nothing but a straight pipe decreases back pressure which reduces low end power. The 6 will never turn enough RPMs to where that free flowing exhaust will begin to produce high RPM power.
Ditch the cat if you want, cut it off clean and clamp in a piece of pipe in its place using band clamps, and get a quality performance muffler such as Flowmaster or Dynomax. This will be much louder than stock but not obnoxious and the sound will be clean, smooth and deep. I happen to have a Dynomax Ultra-Flo that I am selling right now, but save that for the PM's if he is interested.
Running nothing but a straight pipe decreases back pressure which reduces low end power. The 6 will never turn enough RPMs to where that free flowing exhaust will begin to produce high RPM power.
Ditch the cat if you want, cut it off clean and clamp in a piece of pipe in its place using band clamps, and get a quality performance muffler such as Flowmaster or Dynomax. This will be much louder than stock but not obnoxious and the sound will be clean, smooth and deep. I happen to have a Dynomax Ultra-Flo that I am selling right now, but save that for the PM's if he is interested.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
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From: New Jersey
Brad is correct, I've been saying that for years.
Also, does he really need to rev the engine? No. It makes most to all of it's power in the lower RPM bands and revving it just wastes gas and makes noise.
If you want more noise and retain the driveability, consider different mufflers. I prefer the sound of glasspacks myself. Throaty, cool, and not obnoxiously loud. At least not until the fiberglass blows out ;-)
Also, does he really need to rev the engine? No. It makes most to all of it's power in the lower RPM bands and revving it just wastes gas and makes noise.
If you want more noise and retain the driveability, consider different mufflers. I prefer the sound of glasspacks myself. Throaty, cool, and not obnoxiously loud. At least not until the fiberglass blows out ;-)
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More Turbo
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 616
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From: Missouri - Lake of the Oz
exhaustive treatment...
I second fordpower46's motion. Low end torque is not aided by pipes that are completely open: To the contrary, a limited amount of backpressure actually aids in scavenging exhaust gases. And, yes, I have seen (and experienced) cats that have gutted themselves. Plugged ones? That is another story. $300 cat? Try the aftermarket (look to some of the advertisers here on FTE). And, unless you enjoy replacing your exhaust frequently, consider some of the stainless components that have become much more reasonably priced in recent years. Magnaflow makes a great 3" stainless tailpipe (product code 15003, I believe) that is a generic fit for Ford, Dodge, & GM trucks. I put one on my 95 F350 recently. In fact, we just put one on our son's 92 Bronco & it fit just fine!
dn.
dn.
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Here is my experience with gutting cats. I too enjoyed the extra loudness as a result of gutting the cats. But, after months went by I slowly began to hate the smell of no cats, at stop lights the smell would become so invasive I would often run red lights just to get away from the smell. The cat gutting did not screw any oxygen sensors up, but it was nasty. If you really want to gut cats, all you need to do is cut the cat out, and use a drill bit and destory the shiitt out of the cat. good luck
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From: Des Plaines, Illinois
Illinois state law says you need to keep the vehicle in factory emmissions condition unless parts are replaced with equivelient parts that are CARB certified. All vehicles in Illinois registered for on street driving require retesting at set intervals.
Although we use the sniffer, they will do a visual inspection from time to time.
I had all these problems when I tried to get the Datsun registered. The fools tried to tell me it needed a cat or they wouldn't pass it, too bad it wasn't a cali car and thus never had one.
Although we use the sniffer, they will do a visual inspection from time to time.
I had all these problems when I tried to get the Datsun registered. The fools tried to tell me it needed a cat or they wouldn't pass it, too bad it wasn't a cali car and thus never had one.
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