The Captain

Ok, got my cutout in the mail today and am having it istalled tomorrow. I have been tossing the idea around of removing the cat and putting the cutout in its place. I know the car will smell, but that doesnt bother me. Are there any other issues with removing the cat that I should be worried about (besides emmisions). Its a 93, so there are no o2 sensors

If I leave the cat, then the cutout is going in the back near the axle, as I have read numerous times that this is the ideal location for a cutout on a LT1. Thanks for any input.

mmmchickenboy

my '94 had a replacement cat that was significantly smaller then the stocker so i ended up putting the cutout right behind the cat (when i had the cutout installed they cut the cat off then re-welded it in, but when it was off i saw that it was hollow?? i paid $150 for that crap, i was pissed)

Matts1994Z28

I put my cutout in place of the cat and it gave me some flash knock at wot. If i were you i would put it before the axle, plus mine rattles that dash like a son of a bitch when open...

Sick97SS

install it under the dip just in front of the right rear passenger seat. unfortunatly mine wasnt far enough in front of that dip and the first speedbump i hit almost put the cutout motor through my floorpan! so i just hammered the bottom of the seat in a little bit so it doesn't hit anymore.
all said and done, i love my cutout.

The Captain

Got it installed, and it really isnt that loud It is right before the axle. There is also exhaust still comming out the muffler. Is this normal? Also, it doesnt sound very loud at all. Would removing/gutting the cat make it significantly louder, and will my car not run right with the cat removed and no tune? Thanks.

2000GTP

I had a cutout on a stock manifolds/ypipe car, it was not loud as compared to a true dual exhaust system, but it was still pretty loud and had a very nice tone to it. It is normal for some exhaust to still come out the muffler and if you gut/remove the cat, the car will run fine without a tune. It may have some degree of raspiness though.

mmmchickenboy

the cutout in my Z was under the floor board and it was plenty loud, i wouldnt want it any louder. in comparison, my dads '74 olds cutlass 455 with open long tube headers isnt that much louder. i think that putting it farther back and behind a functioning cat is what is dampening the sound. move it under the floor board and gut your cat, or remove the cat altogether.

kastraelie

Your not as big a sucker for me, it pains me to say it on these boards but I paid $320 dollars for a magnaflow cat and to have it installed--and that was searching for a decent price in the area. Where I live in WA the jerks will milk you for every penny to pass the insane emissions testing they do.

The Captain

My car also has the stock manifolds, still debating on putting them on or not. The cat will probably be gutted in the next week if I can get convinced that it will not mess my car up. I have seen people gut their cat and then their car runs like ****. I cant afford for that to happen because this is my DD until I can find a suitable one.

mmmchickenboy

damn that really sucks. i didnt know wv was so strict either. indiana doesnt give a $hit

i paid $100 to have my cat cut out, and welded back in with the cutout, and for two 3" chrome slash cut tips.

to the OP, how much did it cost to have the cutout put in?

The Captain

$55 even. They did a good job too

mmmchickenboy

in your LT1, gutting the cat will not matter. since your car is older than OBDII, and since there is no oxygen sensor AFTER the catalytic convertor, the PCM won't be able to tell the difference. the problem is when you cut a cat on an OBDII car that has O2 sensors after the cat to monitor their performance. so if you gut a cat on the newer cars, the PCM will know it because it expects the air to be "cleaner" after the cat, and if its gutted, it wont.

anyway, you'll be fine gutting the cat on your early LT1.

mmmchickenboy

so your cutout is electric? what brand? i had QTP and wasn't too happy with it. the next one i get will be a DMH.

The Captain

Na, its a manual cutout I bought from Summit Racing. I had read a bunch of bad experiences with ecutouts, and had been told by several people that those servo motors just cant handle the conditions. Ill take some pics and get a vid here in a few. I knew it didnt have o2 sensors, but I was concerned with it not having much backpressure, thus making the car run like ****. Thanks for the input though everyone, Ill try and get those pics and vid here in the next couple of hours.

mmmchickenboy

the reduced backpressure actually helps your n/a car make more torque, IIRC.

here's pics of my cutout: