Catalytic Converter

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davery
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Catalytic Converter

Postby davery » Sun May 08, 2016 8:43 am

Theoretically would the removal of the converter increase performance on a FI car? If so, could the same performance increase be achieved by removing the innards of a catalytic converter and reinstalling? Not that I would ever do such a thing........
Don Avery
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RRoller123
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby RRoller123 » Sun May 08, 2016 2:43 pm

Banging out the innards with a long rod has been suggested, but for track use, off road only, of course. Illegal for street use.
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
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klweimer
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby klweimer » Sun May 08, 2016 5:13 pm

Depending on how the cat was made, banging the guts out is a big PITA. I did it on mine, but would not do it again, I would buy a "test pipe" instead.
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joelittel
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby joelittel » Sun May 08, 2016 6:36 pm

I think it was Midwest Bayless that used to sell the flanges used to make a test pipe. Fuel Injected spiders use the four bolt flange.

davery
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby davery » Sun May 08, 2016 7:41 pm

klweimer wrote:Depending on how the cat was made, banging the guts out is a big PITA. I did it on mine, but would not do it again, I would buy a "test pipe" instead.
Kirk


Yes, but a test pipe would not pass a visual inspection (if one was inclined to do this).
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Dayton, OH/Sarasota,FL
1985 Pininfarina
2011 Eos
2012 Mercedes E550 Cabriolet

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joelittel
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby joelittel » Sun May 08, 2016 8:23 pm

Ahhhhh the ol' visual inspection dilemma.

There is a post where someone described just how difficult it was to bang out the insides of their cat. It sounded like an all day affair.

ORFORD2004
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby ORFORD2004 » Sun May 08, 2016 11:18 pm

You will pass a eye inspection but fail a smog test. Use test pipe and keep the converter just in case

davery
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby davery » Mon May 09, 2016 9:30 am

ORFORD2004 wrote:You will pass a eye inspection but fail a smog test. Use test pipe and keep the converter just in case


Well IF I was going to do this, I would probably try and find an inoperable converter. And we no longer have smog tests in Ohio.
Don Avery
Dayton, OH/Sarasota,FL
1985 Pininfarina
2011 Eos
2012 Mercedes E550 Cabriolet

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joelittel
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby joelittel » Mon May 09, 2016 9:41 am

Could you cut a converter open to make clearing it out easier, then weld it back together again?

If it were me I'd swap between the two, but if you don't have smog testing in Ohio do you really need to worry about the visual test?

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RRoller123
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby RRoller123 » Mon May 09, 2016 9:44 am

The "test pipe" and retaining the Cat seems to make the most sense. The pipe would give smoother flow through the exhaust system, and there is value in the Cat either for future regulatory use or in the precious metals inside it.
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
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Nanonevol
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby Nanonevol » Mon May 09, 2016 10:57 am

And what about the OP's original question, "Would it increase performance?"
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RRoller123
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby RRoller123 » Mon May 09, 2016 11:48 am

Well, we would have to hear from people who have done this.
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
2019 Bianchi Torino Bicycle

ORFORD2004
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Your car is a: 1983 PININFARINA
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby ORFORD2004 » Mon May 09, 2016 12:47 pm

When I remove mine, I put a test pipe that I made. It was too loud for me so I replace the test pipe with a resonator.

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RRoller123
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby RRoller123 » Mon May 09, 2016 1:16 pm

Did the Resonator provide improved performance over the CAT?
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
2019 Bianchi Torino Bicycle

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joelittel
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Re: Catalytic Converter

Postby joelittel » Mon May 09, 2016 8:41 pm

I'd bet the test pipe would add to the performance of the car simply because the original cat is bound to be full of junk and somewhat restricting.


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