Hi everyone. Well the joint holding my exhaust pipes to the muffler rusted out and the muffler and tailpipes fell off after getting my car out of winter storage. The worst part was that my wife was following me when it happened adding to her skepticism of the safety of my car. I’ve done a lot of searching on here and called several manufacturers for this question. Does anyone know of a catback exhaust system for a 1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E with a 5.0L/305? Everything I have found is for a 1970-1981 or a 1983-1992. Does anyone know if there is something about the 1982 that makes none of these fit? I was told by Dynomax that the Intermediate Pipe is the issue. I’m more than willing to piece together a system with a new cat, but I am looking for bolt on with no cutting or welding. To me, pipes are pipes so I’m fine going basic with the pipes but upgrading the muffler and cat. I’m open to moving up to a 3in but I don’t want to get into headers or new manifolds. Any suggestions would be appreciated!​​​​​​​

 

The catback exhaust for the 82 should be the same as the 83, except the connection to the catalytic converter could be different. 82 used a pellet style cat and 83 an later was a monolithic cat. You could either have a muffler shop replace the flange on the intermediate pipe, or just replace the cat with the 83 and later style.

 

Any thirdgen cat back exhaust will fit any thirdgen as far as physically fitting under the car. The connection to the cat is the only real difference. Just from the pic, thats not the original exhaust anyway. If the intermediate pipe is ok, just get a new muffler and tips.

 

Thanks for the input. So I’m thinking I will replace the cat since I’m at it anyways. If I understand correctly, as long as I go with a cat that will fit the Y-pipe and has the 83 and up style, I should be able to connect a catback system designed for a 83 and up? I feel like I may as well try to upgrade the system a little without getting into new manifolds or headers.

 

Yes, that should work for you. Just make sure you get the converter and cat back exhaust for an 83' LG4 (Vin H) and not the 305 H.O. (L69, Vin 7).

 

Some 82s came with a completely different arrangement for the muffler. The I-pipe went over to the center of the car, there was a T, then there were 2 mufflers with one going toward each side. AFAIK there is no replacement for that. Your particular car either didn't come with that, or somebody has already replaced it with the other more common style.

However, as stated, there's no reason that the later-model style "can't" be put on your car. It's just a matter of making the connection at the front of the cat. It's even possible to adapt a less restrictive setup to yours, if necessary.

 

What did you end up doing? Just faced the same issue.