yeh just just cut it off right beihind the cats then and unbolt the flanges and then gut them from there

 

I think I found me a weekend project...how hard is it to bust the stuff out of there?

 

Busting the stuff out is pretty easy, i used a long narrow screwdriver. Stabbed the stuff, then kinda pryed layers off. If you are lucky, you can knock whole chunks out if you cut a window. I really want to put a pipe in there. Its just too popish for me, like letting off the accelerator at 85 and its out of OD and all i hear is plump pop plump plump....

I would start with only your front cats. B.C im pretty sure you will be throwing codes and may not be running right until you get some 02 sims in.
-Patrick

 

Actually, if I'm gonna do this, I'll just do all of them. If it throws a code, then I'll just clear it with the Edge until I can get some Sims. What size is our exhaust tubing at the cats? 2 1/2?

 

Yah im pretty sure its 2.5 i can measure it if i pull mine back out to check the welds later this week.
-Patrick

 

Might be very easy for me, since mines all rust could break out the stuff inside easilly haha

 

The inside shouldnt be rusted.. Just alot of green dust, it kinda looks like lime/mineral deposits.
-Patrick

 

oohh. ok, i guess then the cats are alot thicker than the muffler and piping itself because i could jam a screw driver into mine

 

lol yah they have that heat shield, then a little bit thicker then normal walls.... then a layer of insulation, then the actual honeycomb cat material. I really need to steal my moms camera back so i can take pics of this kind of stuff. I still need to take pictures of my acetoned emblems too......
-Patrick

 

the cat material is a porcelen foam i guess you could describe it.

 

All four of my cats were fouled due to a bad tune back in the day...at any rate the stuff inside the pre-cats disintegrated by simply tapping the outside lightly with a hammer. We used a shop-vac to suck it all out. Perhaps it was more brittle inside because they were fouled, though.

 

Well, my cats are 7 years old, have 113K miles on them, and see the redline about once a week. I'm pretty sure they'll be easy to get out.

 

mine are almost 11 years old and have 144K on them and mine are still pretty solid in there. and i see redline atleast 2-3 times a day with damn dallas traffic

 

ok so i have a question. i have a 2001 f150 with the 4.2. does this engine have the 4 cats everyone is talking about?? and if so, would it be worth my while to gut the pre-cats? and how hard would this be to do? one or two person job??

thanks

 

with All you guy's gutting your cats why don't you just take them off? Visual inspections? I'll pay $20.00 + shipping for any un gutted cat's you can send me!