49eryota

Yo!
1991 reg. cab pickup 4cyl 5speed a/c p/s. Some wise guy stole my cat last year, I've been running around with a straight piece of pipe in place of it and am not happy with it. CA has the CARB sticker cats that would need to be installed by any shop playing by the rules. How are those different than other cats? How about a used one? Is there any benefit to having it removable (bolt in)? I would like try and have some sort of fuel efficiency, but i'm not opposed to modifying my stock truck. Odo reads 250,XXX miles on it with about 6k on a valve job std. rings and bearings. Transmission has about 100k on it since going thru it. I do live in the city and risk it getting cut out again.
Thanks in advance.

j2the-e

Why would anyone steal a cat from a 91? They're worthless. F'n tweakers!
Bolt in is nice if it ever needs to come out. A universal weld-in can be cheaper. About $150 or less installed around here for brand new.

Gamefreakgc

Have a muffler shop weld it straight to the piping. The bolts make it easy to remove both for you and for thieves.

Mine is welded and my parking lot was raided for cats. All the trucks had them stolen, except for mine since it was welded on (what thief is going to risk using a welder or a saw in the dead of night?).

If you happen to live in the Sacramento area, some places are doing free etching and tagging for cats. This doesn't add any strength but can deter theives since it's registered with the local Police. You could check with your local authorities (49er makes me think you are also from Cali) to see if they also offer a program.

Ballen

well I do not know where you live but i do know here in MD if it is 20 or older you can get historic tags .= no emissions or inspection.and 2 yr tags only cost $53

49eryota

So i stopped by a muffler shop today he said they probably stole it because it was original and they could get 90$ for it?! And the replacement ones are only worth 6$ for scrap metal??? He wanted 210 for the cat and installation plus 30 for hangars plus tax. Then he says its a good brand high flow cat and i can get the cheap one for 40$ less. I have time to figure it out a high flow cat sounds nice...but will no cat make the truck run better once im done with emissions testing? Only one o2 sensor before the cat.

JonnyBoy

As long as there's no sensor after the cat, it shouldn't affect the performance negatively. As far as needing to smog it again, if you get a direct fit cat that is CARB legal and leave it bolt in, you can switch it out between emissions tests for a "test pipe."

Never researched availability, but I have noticed before that LCE has one available.

j2the-e

Thats not a bad price. California cats are more $$. Gotta love CARB! Magnaflow makes a nice universal cat that is CARB approved. Just under $200 for a universal. I had a magnaflow cat on my old 22re truck. No reason to remove the cat after emissions. You won't see a benefit. The high-flow cats likely flow more than the engine can produce. Its not a 500 hp race car! If you want more power, check out LC engineering.

Philbert

iTrader: (2)

CARB cats are always more expensive in CA, just like gas

I replaced mine with a bolt in magnaflow frmo Amazon for like $160 I think.

Curious - any of you CA guys know where I can cash in my old cats? I have one from my Datsun and my truck that have been in my garage for years - I want to dispose of them properly, but I wouldn't mind at least getting something back for them if there's a program for that?

Gamefreakgc

The reason why they sell for a good amount of money is because they contain Platinum, which currently sells for over $1700 an ounce. Granted, a cat only has a fraction of an ounce but metal refiners make good money off old cats. Makes theft very rewarding.

I would try selling to a metal refiner if you want top dollar. If not, I would figure recycling plants might also take them.

I still recommend welding it on... you won't have any theft issues and these new cats last a long time.

j2the-e

Welding wont prevent a thief. Almost all of the ones I've seen stolen are cut out not un-bolted.. Weld a piece of 1/2" rebar on either side of the pipe in front of and behind the cat length wise to prevent this tool from cutting it. They wont usually use a sawzall. Too noisy
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...32-227239786-2

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

yup, that's the tool i've heard of them using for stealth thievery - those bastards! mine hasn't been stolen yet (knock on wood), but i know a few people who've had bad luck.

if youre getting a new CAT, i would recommend going with the hi-flow, and possibly see if they can get you one that's slightly larger diameter than stock, like a 2" -- this way if you decide to upgrade your exhaust someday it's not the choke point in the new system. i wouldn't go without a CAT in CA (or any state) I'm one of those who believes every little bit helps - and if you get a hi-flow it won't really make any difference in performance. Plus, if you get caught w/o one in CA for whatever reason...