How to remove cat intact

[BJM]

I want to try out the test pipe that came with my Hooker exhaust. The stock cat is on there with the stock downpipe. How on earth do I go about getting it in one piece so I can put it back on?

 

[Steve Wood]

It may take a torch and a gentle hammer....

Sometimes, if you have a delicate touch, you can take a Dremel, or similar, and make a cut on each side of the cat "neck" where it slides over the the downpipe, being careful not to cut thru the downpipe. This will allow you to open the neck a bit and get it off if it is crimped by the uclamps...

heat will help the rust problem.

Or, you can do what 90% of us do when mad, buy a new downpipe....LOL..

 

[BJM]

Is a propane torach hot enough? I don't have oxy-acetylene.

 

[John Larkin]

Whack it off clean with a sawzall. Then stop by the muffler shop and have them make you a little sleeve to fit over the end about 6" long. When you go to reinstall, slip the sleeve over both pipes and tighten with two muffler clamps. Muffler shop can enlarge pipe to fit just right. I guess Viagra does that too!

 

[BJM]

Whacking off with a sawzall and Viagra! Wow, you live large!

Good idea though if it gets stuck, the converter I mean.

 

[tom h]

if you do just cut off the cat with a Sawzall, re-install the test pipe (or cat, when needed) using band clamps, not U-bolts that will permanently crimp the pipes together again.

It will be a lot easier to cleanly separate components if they have band clamps.

example, see : http://www.torcausa.com/TorcTite.htm

 

[ALBERTAN]

Originally posted by BJM
I want to try out the test pipe that came with my Hooker exhaust. The stock cat is on there with the stock downpipe. How on earth do I go about getting it in one piece so I can put it back on?

One thing that helped me the other night when I took my cat out to wail on it was to twist it off the downpipe rather than trying to pull it straight off. With just straight traction I'd probably still be out there. Sprayed a little WD-40 on it and twisted it and it was not too bad. 30K car with no undercarriage rust though, so I know it can be a lot harder than that.

 

[BJM]

My car is totally rust free underneath and the downpipe to converter joint does look pretty good. I'll give a try on Friday hopefully.

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[V6POWER]

tom h--Do you have a phone number or web contact for this product? I checked the site you had listed, but there is not a contact point. Thanks.

 

[tom h]

Originally posted by Look Quick
tom h--Do you have a phone number or web contact for this product? I checked the site you had listed, but there is not a contact point. Thanks.

My local NAPA store had a small assortment of the "stepped" TorcTite clamps. After much aggravation (on both sides!) they were able to locate the 2.5" size, but only in aluminized steel. They couldn't figure out how to order it in stainless steel.

The 2.5" aluminized part# is 733-3973, although it doesn't show on the NAPA web site. I have the box in my hands so I think the part# is valid.

The 3" aluminized part# is 733-3967 *I Think* , not absolutely sure.

Another possibility is a big rig truck (Peterbilt, Freightliner, etc) parts dealer. I called a few but they only had larger sizes (4", 5", 6"). I didn't want to drive 20 miles to special order the smaller 2.5" and 3" sizes.

Note I had more trouble because I wanted the "stepped" TorcTite clamp. Clamps without a "step" are more readily available in NAPA stores and at Summit racing, but I liked the idea of a "stepped" clamp better.

 

[tom h]

Originally posted by Steve Wood
It may take a torch and a gentle hammer....

Sometimes, if you have a delicate touch, you can take a Dremel, or similar, and make a cut on each side of the cat "neck" where it slides over the the downpipe, being careful not to cut thru the downpipe. This will allow you to open the neck a bit and get it off if it is crimped by the uclamps...

Long time ago, I originally started doing this with an air-powered cutoff wheel, and stopped when I though I was going to booger it up

I then cut off the Cat with a Sawzall, trying to preserve the entire female socket portion of the Cat. Of course, this left a short section of 2.5" OD tubing INSIDE the Cat's socket joint.

Up till now, this was all a PITA because the GN was just on jackstands, and I'm on my back underneath.

Once the Cat was out of the car, I attacked the short section of 2.5 tubing wedged inside Cat with an air chisel. After I had mangled the short section into a smaller size, and I was just about to yank it out, it fell inside the Cat's body .

I ended up taking the Cat to a Midas Muffler shop, where for $20 they expertly removed the tubing section I had dropped inside the Cat, after using a torch to soften it up, into a smaller shape.

NO WAY a propane torch would've been hot enough to soften the steel, it needs oxy-acetylene or something similar.

After this I vowed to only re-assemble exhaust systems with band clamps, not U-bolts !

 

[V6POWER]

Thanks tom h for all the info. I really appreciate it.