I've got all the components (OBX header with down pipe, Magna Cat, RK cat-back piping, and Dynomax ST muff) and am getting ready to do the install myself later this month.
My question is, what do I need to bolt the cat in? Do I just need a flanged collector/reducer kit and have a shop weld it onto the cat, then bolt it up to the system? (The end of the down pipe has a flange as does the beginning of the cat-back piping.)
<B><a href="http://users.erols.com/spider-man" target="http://users.erols.com/spider-man"><img src="http://www.j-body.org/registry/bronx/personal_pic.gif">
'95 Cavalier</a></B>
When i did mine i just got pipe and connected it. Get it on yoru car by clamps and then drive down to a shop to get it welded. Keep all the pipe the same size. You dont want it to go all through different sizes of pipe. The exhaust travels on the outside of the pipe. If your going to get reducers and have it go back and fourth from bigger to smaller pipe and then back up to bigger pipe your going to kill your top end. Heres a visual of my old system im trying to sell on ebay. click on the pic to enlarge. The pictures arent all that great but it will give you an idea of what im talking about if i just confused you.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7973698191
<img src="http://www.j-body.org/registry/dacivicburna/sig.jpg">
well my plan as it stands is to get..
1) 2.4L Ceramic Coated Pacesetter Exhaust header.
(The individual tubes are 1.5 inches in diameter, the flanged collector is 3.0 inches in diameter )
2) A custom bent 2.25 Exhaust. connected to the header with some flex pipe to accomodate the 2 engine mounts so I don't crack the flange.
3) High flow cat (that's pretty much a given)
and single exhaust.
I've heard lots of good things about the pacesetter ceramic coated header so I'm gonna stick with that. I don't really hear of any other brands of header that work well for our cavs.
Right now I'm poor. so it'll have to wait for a few weeks while I get some cash together.
Your custom bent 2.25 is going to turn into 2.25 and 2 around bends if its going to be crush bent. Your not going to get much with this. YOu should see my other post with the link to the dyno results that prove 2.5 out performs 2.25 by almost double. You can get there by going here <isuzuperformance.com> click on the dyno tab at the top then scroll down to cavalier and sunfire results for cat back exhaust. Then read the article.
Alot of people say you are going to break a weld or soemthing if you dont have a flex pipe and have engine mounts. Well they are wrong. Ive done a full exhaust setup on two different cars all with pacestter headers and never had any problems. YOu dotn need so save that money. YOu will see that your pacesetter header somes with some kind of flex pipe. Its like a rounded collector with an open ended downpipe. Its bolted together and has two springs between the flanges. Thats all the protection you need.
<img src="http://www.j-body.org/registry/dacivicburna/sig.jpg">
ah gotta love words of wisdom.
yeah I'm not getting boosted any time soon and I wanna stick with NA so you're right about the 2.5 pipe.
crush bending sucks, mandrel bending is expensive here in town, the place where people around here do their exhausts has a machine but since they're the only ones in town with one they can pretty much charge up anything they want.
Thanks for the advice, at least I'm heading in a better direction now. sorry for thread jacking >< Back on topic! ><
