hey!

I punched out my cat today thinking I would get a better sound out of my exaust...well it's a bit louder and does sound a little better...but it seems to be a little tiny....sorta sounds somwhere in between a v6 and a v8. I'm not sure what kind of mufler is on it. (was there when i got it) manifold to cat is a 3". Cat/back is 2 1/2 ". if i changed the mufler to a flow master or somthing...would that get rid of that tiney sound?.... What do flowmasters sound like with a punched out cat and minifolds...any good?...is it worth it for me to get a new mufler? I am looking for a deep sound. Not too loud...but something that sounds snotty:rockon:. On a low budget for now.
It's on an 86 iroc-z 305 tpi
Anyhelp or input would be appreciated
thanks

 

A Flowmaster muffler would sound even more tinny with a punched out or removed cat. The 80 series muffler sounds better with a high flow cat, so I would recommend that first. You can get one for under $100 from Catco.
Also, when you get some cash, I would recommend a good set of headers. Edelbrock TES headers are fairly cheap but they're not the best and they rust. I paid a little over $200 for mine and put them on myself.

 

would it be better if i stuck a pipe in through the old converter?

 

Yes, that would be much better. It would pass visual inspection too.

 

you ruin a cat a wana blame the muffler? Put a pipe through the cat. or get rid of the cat and just put the pipe there.

 

Exactly, it is the cat that is problem. When you hollowed it out what happened is you created an open chambered muffler. Besides makeing a "tinney" type sound, the air flow is possibly be disrupted. Your best bet is to buy a $3 pipe from autozone/checker/where ever and push it through. You'll get better sound and better flow and it will look legal.

 

it was a dual cat and there is a little pipe that goes into the side of it. What do i do with it? Plug it? just cut it out? I want to run a pipe through it to get rid of that tiney sound but that little pipe is in the way...what is it for?

 

That pipe is coming from the smog/air pump. It's purpose is to pump oxygen into the cats so it can burn more efficiently. Since the cat is already opened the "pipe" is useless. Go ahead and push a pipe through and don't worry about the air pump tube. Also leaving the tube connected makes it look like the cat is actually being used .

 

yea, but what about the little reinforcement bar that is actually running though
the inside of that cat? kinda hard to push a pipe thru with that little terd in
the way! anyone figure out how to reach in and get it out?

 

anybody?

 

The tube in the middle is the air tube coming from the outside. It extends all the way across the interior of the cat to give it stability. You will need to move or actually take out that tube from the inside before you can insert a pipe like these guys are saying. I would use a long masonry chisel with a short sledge hammer and actually break the tube in the middle. Bend the tubes to their respective sides with the chisel. You can find these tools real cheap at many no name brand tool places like http://www.harborfreight.com . There should be enough space in the sides of the cat, which is bigger than the pipe, to leave these tubes in. Then forcibly insert the new pipe in. I'm share there still is some of that glass junk on the sides of the cat, so you will be breaking some of the glass as you pound it in. Also, have a respirator or dust mask on, because that glass junk is not something you want in your lungs. Or, have a shop vac around to clean that crude out of the cat every so often before it gets inside you. Is these easy? Well, it is a pain and does take some time. When i gutted my cat, I used everything from broom handles, pipes, to drill attachment i made out of a 4' rod with some jagged edges on the end. Anything i could slam in there to break up the glass. My brother just ordered the cheapest cat he could get and broke out the glass on the shop table with a hammer and a chisel. Very Clean and Very Easy. Before you put on that flowmaster, make sure there is no glass chunks that are loose left in th cat. Run the car with the exhaust pipe off. Blow out any loose glass. See, flowmaster use a baffle type system instead of straight through setup. If a chunk is large enough it will get caught in the flowmaster. I'm sure there is a rock or two in mine. Just hook up one bolt into the cat and move the pipe off to one side. Run around one night with open exhaust for fun and to blow out any loose glass. As far as the sound, mine is fairly nice with the flowmaster. I've had a few people comment on how strong it sounds (wish it had the power to back it up). I'll try to get you a sound clip. Anyway, good luck.