Tom S.
09-13-2007, 05:06 PM
A word to the wise! I replaced my stock exhaust a year and a half ago with the MBRP cool duals in 304 stainless steel. I recently decided to remove the cat in an attempt to lower EGT more when towing.
I have read posts here that stated it took 1/2 hour to an hour to do the job. I wish those guys had been here to help! It took me 3 hours to do the switch. The first obstacle was getting the exhaust separated from the cat. The cool duals came with a reducer that goes between the cat and the pipe going to the muffler. Getting it loose was no problem, but trying to get enough 'play' in the system to separate them was an issue. Dropping the down pipe from the header wasn't any help because the cat was prevented from moving forward by the hanger bracket, and I struggled trying to get the exhaust to move back far enough to separate the two. After a lot of frustration that even included removing the cat hanger bracket from the trans, I got the two apart. It took about 15 minutes of twisting/turning, plus raising up the truck slightly to get the cat out from under the truck.
Then came problem #2. I couldn't get the reducer off the cool duals pipe. Although I wanted to keep all the parts in case I want to switch back, I could not get it to separate from the exhaust. By this time I said *****it and cut the damn thing off. Don't get me wrong - I tried to remove it in all manner of ways, including penetrating lube and judicious use of a hammer, but it just wasn't budging.
Ok, I'm ready to put the new pipe in - how hard can that be? Well putting it in isn't hard at all except for one little thing - the hanger. You see the hanger faces the front of the truck. That means if you slide the pipe in from the back in order to get the bracker in the hanger, you can't slide the pipe far enough forward to slide it back over the exhaust. If you slide the pipe in from the front of the truck, getting it on the exhaust in no problem, but now you can't slide it in the hanger bracket. I had already put the hanger bracket back on the trans - so off it came again. It still wasn't easy. The hanger on the pipe didn't line up where it should have. Since the front of the pipe has a flange, you are very limited on how much adjustment you have to get the frigging hanger lined up. Anyway, determination, a pry bar and a lot of words my mother never taught me paid off, and I finally got it together.
So what is the lesson? If you are even remotely thinking of removing your cat, and are in the process of ordering a new exhaust system - it will be far easier to do the cat now instead of waiting.
And if you already have your exhaust on and want to delete the cat, get one of those guys who can do it in a half hour!
I have read posts here that stated it took 1/2 hour to an hour to do the job. I wish those guys had been here to help! It took me 3 hours to do the switch. The first obstacle was getting the exhaust separated from the cat. The cool duals came with a reducer that goes between the cat and the pipe going to the muffler. Getting it loose was no problem, but trying to get enough 'play' in the system to separate them was an issue. Dropping the down pipe from the header wasn't any help because the cat was prevented from moving forward by the hanger bracket, and I struggled trying to get the exhaust to move back far enough to separate the two. After a lot of frustration that even included removing the cat hanger bracket from the trans, I got the two apart. It took about 15 minutes of twisting/turning, plus raising up the truck slightly to get the cat out from under the truck.
Then came problem #2. I couldn't get the reducer off the cool duals pipe. Although I wanted to keep all the parts in case I want to switch back, I could not get it to separate from the exhaust. By this time I said *****it and cut the damn thing off. Don't get me wrong - I tried to remove it in all manner of ways, including penetrating lube and judicious use of a hammer, but it just wasn't budging.
Ok, I'm ready to put the new pipe in - how hard can that be? Well putting it in isn't hard at all except for one little thing - the hanger. You see the hanger faces the front of the truck. That means if you slide the pipe in from the back in order to get the bracker in the hanger, you can't slide the pipe far enough forward to slide it back over the exhaust. If you slide the pipe in from the front of the truck, getting it on the exhaust in no problem, but now you can't slide it in the hanger bracket. I had already put the hanger bracket back on the trans - so off it came again. It still wasn't easy. The hanger on the pipe didn't line up where it should have. Since the front of the pipe has a flange, you are very limited on how much adjustment you have to get the frigging hanger lined up. Anyway, determination, a pry bar and a lot of words my mother never taught me paid off, and I finally got it together.
So what is the lesson? If you are even remotely thinking of removing your cat, and are in the process of ordering a new exhaust system - it will be far easier to do the cat now instead of waiting.
And if you already have your exhaust on and want to delete the cat, get one of those guys who can do it in a half hour!