OK.. first of all, what do you suppose would happen if I took my bird to an exhaust shop that does not do illegal work.
I want some work done to the system. Ok, well, I have a 3" intermediate pipe that I am wanting to put on. I will also be bumping it up to a 3" cat as well. I know a guy that will sell me his punched 3" cat for about $25. If I took this to a shop could they not do the work if they knew it was punched? I want to get this done, but I don't think they would do it. I spoke to a worker there a while back and he said they could not even put dual exhaust on a non-dual car, even if they put 2 cats on it. So, this leads me to believe that I could not get this work done if they found out it was punched. I don't have any way to get around this either Unless I find a mre.....relaxed shop.

Second of all, I am going to be buying a new muffle, most likely a Flowmaster. Now, if I get one of these, will it come with the tail pieces, or is it just a muffler. In that case, I will probably have to get those pieces made, as well as buying some tips that are around 3".

So, I guess the question is...is, do you think a shop will work on a car that has a punched cat, or not?

Thanks

I've had shops tell me they wouldn't install any carry-in cat, even if it was new in a box, because they wouldn't know if it was the right one for my application. Of course, there real motive is probably the profit they get on a new part, but the fear of a hefty fine is also a factor.

A muffler will not have tail pipes. A "system", such as cat back, will.

I know it's expensive, but your best bet may be to go ahead and install headers that come with a y-pipe, and do your own full installation. In the long run, you'll have a good-flowing system that probably won't cost much more than what you'll end up spending if a shop does part of the work. Either a dual cat (TES and SLP only ones I know who make systems for them) or single 3" cat will be a nice upgrade for your car, and will handle future engine upgrades.

What part of Lincoln? I lived in Air Park while attending UNL, but that was awhile back. Raced my V6 Vega at Scribner.

Well, I've already got the headers in, and have a Y-Pipe made. I'm not about to go and put in all new stuff. I havn't got my use out of it yet. Anyway, I'm not a serious racer or anything yet. I'm going to just take it in and get a quote. That way, I'll be able to find out if they will put the cat in for me or not. Otherwise, I guess I'll have to come up with a way to do it myself. Don't know how it wil work, but it could happen.

I live in way.....southwest Lincoln. Actually, I'm between Lincoln and Denton. Do you still go to UNL, or have you graduated already? I just got done with my first year there. It was tough, but now I know the rules of studying and whatnot. I spent more time looking at car stuff than studying unfortunately. I looked at your profile. You are a mechanical engineer? I am taking some mechanical engineering classes. I am having the most trouble with the calc. and stuff. But, alas the time has come to find a job. I need to keep up with my friend, he is thinking of getting some parts for his SHO, so I need to get some work done so I can keep up. The stock LO3 isn't exactly strong, especialy, with the bad exhaust it has now.

i just had a bunch off exhaust work done on friday. the guy installing it looked at my straight pipe 3" cat really easy to see that it isnt even punched out it is just a pipe and just welded it right on. i dont think it will be a problem but that varies