Long tubes are out of the question for me, and I want to figure out what the best remaining option is. I've already done a header search and I assume that mid-length headers are the answer.

What are my options with the dual cats? It gets pricey...can I just order a setup with off road pipe, and then bolt my factory cats back on for inspection? Or would this require a custom Y-pipe? I'd like to run no cats, especially if it saves me on the header purchase. I obviously have no header experience help a brother out

 

I went with the SLP Dual cat headers and bought a stainless works ORP from summit. With the SLP's i can bolt in the factory y-pipe for emissions.


I spent $400 on the headers and 200 on the y-pipe. Dont forget you will need gaskets, fastners, and o2 sims. So it gets expensive and i probably could have done the MAC dual cat system for about the same price.

 

jchevy,

Have any sound clips of your car? That's a very similar setup to what I was looking at and am wondering how it sounds.

Thanks,
Dan

LT1Mandel,

The other option, and I don't know if it's o.k. to do this, is to get headers made for 94-95 LT1's. They are longer than the 96-97 headers. You can buy these with a cat in the Y-yipe. You would then buy an 02 sim for one of you your cats. So you would have a single cat car like the 94-95 setup. Your cat-back would then also need to be a 94-95 style.

The 94-95 style headers are considered mid-length headers and supposedly get you more HP than the 96-97 style

Dan

 

Unfortunatly i dont have any sound clips of the car.

In my opinion without the cats it sounds and smells like an old school muscle car.

With just doing the headers and leaving the stock y-pipe on it didnt change the sound much at all, but when i did the off road pipe it got about twice as loud.

I personally like it and i get a lot of compliments on it.


On a side note, the fit of the stainless works off-road pipe isnt the best, but i was able to get it on. After i got it on i took it to a local exhaust shop and had it welded in nice. They had to make a couple bends to it to to get it to fit up tight against the car, but nothing major. It only cost me $30 to have it all done. I would definaltly buy it again, considering the only other option is the random tech. and its way expensive. The y-pipe is 2 3/4" mandral bent, so it flows a lot better then the stock 2 1/2 pinch bent one. I ended up having to wire up an EGR simulator b/c i was getting a EGR flow malfunction which is pretty common when doing a good flowing exhaust.

 

I have Random Technology AS&M style 94-95 headers and their dual-cat y-pipe. The y-pipe should come with an "S" pipe that'll allow you to use your existing catback. You'll also need the AIR tubes from a pre-96 car if you want to retain the emissions stuff. Or you could rig up something with brass fittings from Home Depot and fuel like like I did. I've passed Georgia emissions two years running with this setup.

 

Hopefully I'm following this right, I couldn't find much from a search. Dual cat headers cannot be "mid length" then?

I was hoping to save money by bolting the stock cat(s) off and on with the new Y-pipe. Is converting to single cat what I want to do? I need a pretty basic explanation, heh

 

If you want to go mid lengths then you wont be able to bolt the stock y-pipe in for inspection.

If you go with a single headers and y-pipe then you run the risk of not passing inspection b/c you are missing a cat.

The Macs might be an option for you, they are a midlength header and come with a two cats on the y-pipe, but the cat locations have been changed so again, you run the risk of not passing emisions. It all depends on how strict they are in your area.

I went with the setup i did b/c the y-pipe is a direct swap, so when emissions come i know i will have no issues with it.

 

Maybe you could have a couple of gutted cats welded up to an off road y pipe.

 

Would it be possible to do this with the individual cats instead of the whole Y-pipe (and would that be easier)?

I just need some way to pass the sniffer yearly and get the max HP out of it.

 

If all you have to do is pass the sniffer then i would go with either the 94-95 style as&m's or the 94-95 style slp's. They are longer then the 96-97 dual cat headers so you will get more hp. As long as you have a cat on there you will pass the sniffer. But you won't pass the visual. I'm gonna do the same thing to my car within the next month. I'm getting the as&m mids.