exhuast question!

[c3kidnoobie]

ok so i need help here..

i looked under my car to see the exhuast lay out.. and where my exhuast manifolds come down and meet it looks like they come together and it connects to a round big pipe someone told me it was the catcyls converter still on the car. and i heard that was needed back in the day for smog control and all that junk.. well on the end of my vet i have to glasspacks on it now.. and would this mess it up or make a differense if i took that catacyls converter out and weilded on a 3 way chamber muffler there? like super 40 ? or 80 series? please please help!

 

[catbert]

Catalytic aren't just for back in the day. They have been (and still are) the key element of reducing automotive pollution, and all that junk. You'll probably want to keep it - and maybe replace the old guy. They DO have a lifespan, and plugged up converters are a big cause of older cars running crappy..

 

[White75]

If memory serves me right, 81 vettes had a computer and the start of the o2 sensors which means you'll want to keep a cat on there. You cand get replacements or upgrades for them if you want to replace your exhaust

 

[lars]

Couple of comments to the Original Poster:

1. Whether or not you have local or State emissions test requirements where you live, the automotive emissions controls are Federally-mandated items, and removing the catalytic converter on a car puts you in violation of Federal laws, whether enforced in your State or not. There are plenty of high-flow, "direct fit" catalytic converters that will not degrade the flow of your exhaust. Get one and install it.

2. The catalytic converter is installed just aft of the transmission crossmember. It is a special, low-profile converter made to fit this small space. You're not going to find a high-flow muffler small enough to fit this tiny space without causing a severe exhaust restriction, or complete elimination of ground clearance, from a single muffler in this location. The Vette is designed for 2 good-flowing mufflers tucked up under the rear of the car. Get yourself 2 high-flow mufflers designed for the Vette and put them in the stock location.

Lars

 

[Hib Halverson]

If memory serves me right, 81 vettes had a computer and the start of the o2 sensors which means you'll want to keep a cat on there. You cand get replacements or upgrades for them if you want to replace your exhaust

On an 81, whether or not the car has a cat in place will not affect the function of the engine controls.