Anybody ever GUT cat???
 

Sorry, just realized how nasty that sounds....I'm talking about catalytic converter of course. My car had been running really shitty, sounding like it was going to explode at 4500 rpms, I(being a dumbass)thought the clutch was slippin, so b4 I went in blew any money I took it to the honda dealership(they suck). Mechanic drives my car, comes back and says "you have an exhaust leak", so we put it up on the rack, don't see any holes so he cranks the car up and revs and he tells me the insides of my CAT are all to ---- and that I need a new one along with an o2 sensor and b-pipe. A new honda cat, gaskets, o2 sensor, and b-pipe come to(get this) 1200 BONES...I say f@ck that and gut the cat...but the cat is a biaatch to get off...HAS ANYONE EVER DONE THIS AND CAN HELP ME OUT??...I gotta 9/16 socket to fit 1 of the bolts on the back end of the cat, but the socket just slips on the other bolt and the top bolt...I can't even get to that...it's a 91 Civic EX...somebody tell me somethin'....peaaace

Re:Anybody ever GUT cat???
 

usea torch and heat up the bolts holding hte cat on to bright red almost orange and get a wrinch on it really quick after you turn the torch off. comes off every time!

Re:Anybody ever GUT cat???
 

its called use a breaker bar much safer.

Re:Anybody ever GUT cat???
 

go get an aftermarket cat. or a resonator in its place. other wise your exhaust will be VERY LOUD.

Re:Anybody ever GUT cat???
 

1.) Buy new bolts and nuts for the cat because you WILL break them (go to home depot, cheap ones will work, any size)

2.) Either break or saw off the bolts

3.) If you don't have one, find someone with an air chisel to gut the inside of the cat, or

4.) If you can weld, cut the cat in half, have an exhaust shop make a piece of straight pipe (like $30) in it's place, and weld the heat shields of the cat around the pipe.

Re:Anybody ever GUT cat???
 

hey man i had the same problem...

i couldnt get it off from where the piping starts after the cat...so what i did is used an angle grinder and grinded the heads off of the cat that bolt on to the rest of the exhaust...then i hammered if of jut enough so the bolts which were grinded would break the rust that was holding it together....( i took off the whole exhaust from with the cat to do this..oh and my cat was fucked up to ) after you get the cat off use a flat head screw driver and beat the ---- out of that honey comb looking ----...it works wonders...just keep doing this till you have nothing but a gutted cat...then gat some bolts from home depot and you will be fine....ill try to take a pic of my cat and how i did it...good luck and e-mail me if you have any questions...
oh yeah ---- those mechanics who try to ---- you out your hard earned money... ;D

Re:Anybody ever GUT cat???
 

Well it IS a federal law, I just choose to ignore it (an I AM a mechanic :-)

Re:Anybody ever GUT cat???
 

wellll, if I was in Cali where they check this stuff, I'd be worried but I'm not sooooo, besides my stock exhaust with a gutted cat CAN'T be as loud(or at least not much louder)than the fart cans guys around here are putting on their cars(raspy bastards, I can't stand that sound). ANYWAYS thanks for the help guys, I'd forgot alllll about heating the bolts up first...duuuuuhhhhhh....peaace

Re:Anybody ever GUT cat???
 

you will be suprised, no cat and a stock muffler will be loud and sound like ass. best bet is to replace the whole thing with a catless midpipe with resonator, when something breaks its your chance to replace it with something better.

also dont gut the cat it will flow like ass, replace it with a straight pipe or resonator.

my exhaust tips on my rex are a bit rusty so i am making a 2.5" mandrel bent sysem from the downpipe back. it will only cost about 200 when im done.

Re:Anybody ever GUT cat???
 

ok ok ok ok...........enough..... it will not sound like crap. i have ran an open cat on every honda motor i have ever had......with a stock exhaust, you barely notice. and with my dc catback system, it was only noticible when you hammered it to the floor.......