GTA88

Will they install my own cat back, which will be a direct replacement I order from online? And what approximately will they charge for labor? I assume they won't have to do any custom work, but I could be wrong, which brings up another question.

Are the direct replacement kits really direct, or do bends or cuts or welds have to be made?

Of course I'm going to call up some shops and see what they say, but I wanted to ask here first.

Thanks !

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

There no one single general universal answer to a question like that.

Without even knowing what shop it is, no way we can tell you that, or even guess. No alternative butt to call around and ask. Most shops are VERY leery of installing customer-provided parts, if for no other reason than because they have no control whatsoever over what parts they're having to work with, and they end up getting dragged through the mud if there are any problems or dissatisfaction. A mom & pop is more likely to do it than a chain like Midas or something, although you just never know. Most of them will mark up anything they buy to install; part of what you're paying for in such cases, is taking care of contingencies.

If they'll do it at all, expect something around $100/hr. Should take 2 - 3 hrs. So, expect $250 ± $50 as a budgetary figure. Of course, if they run into the "unexpected", all bets are off.

Some are better than others. They generally don't require bends butt may need welds. They usually don't include any of the hardware, most especially hangers though they may include clamps. Depending on what options your car has exactly, there may be adapters or other misc parts that don't come as part of a "kit" butt have to be anticipated and ordered separately. All of which goes back to why lots of shops won't install customer-supplied parts; too much chance of getting right in the middle of it all and discovering that they don't have something they can't finish it without, at which point it becomes a shouting match with the customer.

There's always a chance that something other than the parts in the "kit" have to be replaced; like if your Y-pipe is rusted through (those are NEVER part of "kits"), or your converter is messed up, or bolts break off, and so on. Our cars are ANTIQUES after all; after more than a quarter-century of use and abuse and neglect, who knows what the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune have visited upon them.
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Airwolfe

iTrader: (1)

Which cat back exhaust system you looking at getting?

GTA88

Thanks, Sofakingdom. I will be also be needing a cat back for my 4 cylinder daily driver, and no doubt the same principles apply, lol.

GTA88

I am looking at a Magnaflow Brexhaust direct fit system for $333 which has resonator, intermediate pipe, muffler, and necessary hardware.

But it would be for my 2009 Nissan Versa, which is going to need it before I do my GTA.

Airwolfe

iTrader: (1)

Magnaflow direct fit cat back exhaust systems normally fit well, I have no idea about how they fit on a Nissan Versa though.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

I have the Hooker one on my 83. Put it on myself, laying on the ground. It fit quite well I thought, ended up being a very sanitary install. I had to cut a little (1" or less) off of some of the pipes rather than try to drive them all the way together, and I had to source a 4-bolt cat adapter for it to fit my car's L69 cat. I coulda / woulda / shoulda welded it up butt I used clamps instead, which I'm not sure was really the right decision. I didn't like the "tips" it came with (WWWWWWAAAAAAYYYYYYY too gaudy and "KROME" and utterly foreign-looking to the car, to my taste) so I used some others that looked closer to factory. I had to make a hanger bracket to fit my T-56 and the 4-bolt cat since those 2 things never came in the same car. So, yeah, even a good-fitting one like that, may not quite be a slap-in.

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

Why do you want a cat-back for your daily driver? Is the stock exhaust no good? Save your money for the GTA.

GTA88

The daily driver's exhaust is the original, and it's from 2009, so it's 15 years old. It works fine, just getting thin, so say the mechanics at my exhaust shop.

It has a factory defect at a flange, that rusts out, and I have to have a sleeve welded in every 5 years, approximately. Last time I had the sleeve put in, they also found that something up near the cat was rotted out, so another sleeve had to go in there. $90 cash for each sleeve. $180 total. I guess I could keep doing that every 4 or 5 years. The mechanic said he didn't know if he could put another sleeve in, by the muffler, next time, since the metal was getting so thin there.

Airwolfe

iTrader: (1)

Living in the rust belt must suck.

Here only thing I have to worry about is the exhaust system rusting out from the inside.

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

Makes sense.

ironwill

It's been my experience that aftermarket stuff touted as being "bolt-on" frequently isn't. YMMV.

As far as "shops" installing customer-provided parts, while I don't deal with "shops," an old friend of mine who's run a general automotive repair shop for 40+ years said he long ago stopped doing such installations; he said the headaches of non-fitting and/or poor-quality aftermarket parts wasn't worth the hassle.

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

Really trying to not be a smartazz here, , , , , butt, , , wouldn't those mechanics be the ones to ask your question of?
How could anyone here know what your local exhaust shop will or won't do?

T.L.

Call the exhaust shop & ask them...

1989karr

My shop will...but they will charge a fee for bringing in your own parts and also offer only a warranty on their work, not the parts obviously.


You should ask what it would cost for them to do the whole thing

80schild

iTrader: (5)

I'm going to be replacing my whole exhaust pretty soon too. Previous owner put a Flowmaster muffler on it with what looks like 4th Gen Z28 tips. I hate it because it drones at highway speeds. My cat converter is welded on, so I suspect it has been gutted, and then put back on to pass inspection (it used to be in Louisiana). I've read that gutted converters increase noise, and not in a good way. I just want a stock sounding exhaust, a little rubble during acceleration, then quiet on the highway. From my research it seems like the Dynomax Super Turbo is the closest to that.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

The Dynomax (Walker) is essentially stock. So yeah, pretty quiet. Not super good flow of course but there's always trade-offs.

1989karr

Mine cat was gutted too.... difference between a Magna flow Cat and gutted wasnt that huge. this was on the old system that also had a flowmaster muffler that was mostly rotted.



I replaced it all and went with a magnaflow muffler... very nice sounding overall.. Not loud but a little rumble when you get on it.




The difference in STINK though is crazy. I could barely breathe with the gutted cat fumes....but its so much more tolerable now.

80schild

iTrader: (5)

yeah my exhaust smells pretty strong too, especially noticeable in the garage compared to my other vehicles. Changing my valve seals and running some BG 44k though it has helped some, but I suspect that cat has no innards.

1989karr

Yean mine would water the eyes and set of the Co2 detector almost instantly

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

^^^ This ^^^

In the earliest days of cats, they were a HORRIBLE drag on engine output. Like, installing a "test tube"

to verify the need
TO REPLACE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER

(yes, that's pretty much how it was printed on the box) WAS YYYYUUUUUUUJJJJJJJE. Butt the introduction of the honeycomb cats changed all that. Newer ones have, for all practical purposes, a negligible impact on flow. Not sure why people "gut" the new style; there's no "there" there. Unless of course the honeycomb breaks up and starts plugging up the muffler. Which ... SUCKS. Yes I know from experience.

And they're not really all that expensive. Go ahead and put a new Magnaflow or Catco or any of those in, it'll reduce the stank and the noyyzze, and have little to no effect on performance.