joshwilson3

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rich3114

The measurements are muffler body size, not including inlet/outlet. You should mock up a template to see exactly how much room you'll have, and then take that and compare it with muffler sizes, that'll give you the best match.

You do know that it's going to be extremely loud inside the car right? I'm not a big fan of resonance, and any time you end the exhaust under the car, it's going to be as loud or louder in the car than outside it. This is fine for my racecar, but in my driver, I had to change my exhaust just so I could cruise down the highway without going crazy.

joshwilson3

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underdave

i had the same type of deal as a temporary set up until i could get my dynomax catback. i put a thrush glasspack where the cat used to be and hung it with a cheap auto zone bracket. it hung too low, attracted too much attention, was entirely too loud, and was all around cheap. but i have to admit, i miss having such a loud exhaust that made everyone look at me with wide eyes.

yes the dynomax is quiet, but right there i think it will still be pretty loud. and the y-pipe is 2.25".

joshwilson3

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ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

I think you are going to have to go with a bullit style muffler. Your new set-up will be much louder than your old one since you removed the cat. The stock cats greatly reduce exhuast loudness and sound. I would measure the exact space that you have and click around on jegs and summit to see what you can come up with. Both sites should give you the external dimensions of the mufflers they sell. You still have the stock 2.25" piping right? That will help keep the cost and size down consideralbly. You may want to run a high flow cat and then put a muffler or bullit just aft of that. The farther you go back the more room you have. You could also have it dump right before the rear axel. That may keep the sound down enough for you to keep your sanity.

joshwilson3

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ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

I cannot visualize that part of the car right now. Your best bet is to crawl under there and see what you can rig up. You could always have the muffler supported at the stock location around the cat and then just run some extra piping back a little.

92RSFivePointSlow

your stock y-pipe isnt a y-pipe, it's a "T-pipe". And it's killing everything from your power to the way it sounds. But you haven't mentioned anything about power or if you want your car to go faster, so I'm going to assume you are only after a certain sound. I don't think replacing the cat with a muffler in the same location is a good idea. It gets very hot there, a glasspack wont last, and a cheap turbo muffler prob. wont either. You're not going to make it sound any better, as said before, the stock cats redirect alot of exhaust, muffling it. All you will achieve is a dirtier running car. I've never said this before, because I have always been against the EPA and their restrictions on what I can and can't do with my own property. But I think in your particular situation it achieves nothing but raises taxes and restrictions for the rest of us.
I know you're on a linited budget, but I like the idea someone else mentioned about getting a high flow cat and putting a muffler right behind it. It's been my experience though that piecing your own exhaust together adds up quickly and usually costs as much as a whole new cat back like a dynomax 17739. I have a catco cat, and it really wakes up the car, I just installed the dynomax cat-back with my high flow cat and the car isn't quiet at all, check out my last post in the thread "574cfm going in- Dynomax cat-back restricting?". There's some good information on airflow you might be interested in also.

92RSFivePointSlow

hey I had some more thoughts after reading your post. Most people have ground clearence issues with the type of configuration you described. Here's another option that I did for about $70-$80 when I couldn't afford anything else. Have a pipe the same length as your cat put in place of it, since you already cut it off. Then buy a replacement intermediate pipe from a parts store for about $15. Then get a length of straight pipe to extend the end of the pipe so it runs along the gas tank, where the stock muffler used to be. Then bolt a 90* elbow to it, and bolt a pace-setter 2.25" inlet, split 2.5" outlet resonator tip to it, and it will look basically like a firehawk exhaust, and that tip really does smooth out the tone. I was using a cat when I had this setup though. You'll need four or five 2.25" clamps, and one universal hanger to support the end of it, there is already a hole in the frame where you can run a bolt for the hanger. Just a thought.

joshwilson3

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92RSFivePointSlow

there's a difference between a loud exhaust and a "tampered with" exhaust, and cops are keen on that. Even neighbors will complain about a cut off "*******" exhaust sooner than they will about a louder exhaust "system". There's a point where your car will just sound like crap.
The make-your-own catback I described shouldn't cost more than $80 total. The intermediate pipe can be bought for under $20 at any carquest, napa, autozone, or whatever you have down there. You might run into some difficulty making an extension pipe fit in place of the cat that you already cut off, but you'll probably get a piece of pipe to slip over it and then cut the flange off the intermediate pipe and get an adapter or something to clamp them together. That might cost $15 extra for the pipe, clamps, and adapter. Then you get another piece of straight pipe with a 2.25" ID end on it for $10 and clamp it to the rear end of the intermediate pipe. Then use a $10 90* elbow pipe with a 2.25" end on it and clamp it to the straight pipe, and get a subtle resonator like the pace setter/monza split tip one that fits 2.25" pipe for about $35. You'll need to get a universal exhaust hanger and a 3.5" long bolt to stick through the hole in the frame, costing you another $5.
So if my pricing is right, you should spend less than $100, using off the shelf parts. With your stock cat-forward exhaust, you are not going to be restricting airflow with this setup. However you can spend another $70 and have a complete dynomax exhaust that should rumble pretty good once you figure out how to make it fit without a cat.