I have an 89 C1500 with a 305 in it. I used to have a really nice sounding exhaust and everything, but then i got a ticket for it being ilegally loud and some other BS. So i had to replace my glass pack with a "magna-flo" muffler. (it was the cheapest) Im just wondering if taking off my cat, or gutting it would deepen the exhaust noise, or make it louder or whatever. (no emissions here) I dont care about performance (its a beater truck) i just want my sound back without having to drill holes in it or whatever. still being legal though, and not just sounding like garbage. Also i heard that taking off the cat can give you an odd clapping noise or something...? It has stock headers and a Y pipe going into 2.5 inch dual straight back. The pic isnt that good but its the closest thing i have to seeing the exhaust haha. Just imagine two 2.5 ich tips where the big shadow is. :) Any help would be good thanks.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914Nicks_Truck_Back.jpg

gutting or removing the cat will make it louder and also give you a service engine soon light. never hear of a clapping sound though

I have an 88 c1500, duals from manifolds all the way to the back, no muffler, no converter, straight out from under the bed like your's with 4 inch tips. It is VERY loud and i LOVE it, gutting the converter will give you a claping sound, it's more of a crackle though. I like that sounds. do it.

ok will do. How would i cut it up? just grab a crowbar and jam it in there and swivle it around and beat it up and stuff? haha something along the lines of that right? I know i have to gut out the filter crap, and then clean it and stuff but is there anything special i gatta know?

ok, well i cut off my cat, gutted it out, and clamped it back onto the exhaust with not much problem. i have pics but they are not on the comp yet. The truck sounds a TON better on idle and very low acceleration, but if i hit the gas hard it either kinks out, or just doesnt move good at all. It did this before, but the sound of it after the nice sounding idle and low acc. is the exact same as it was before. its not whiny pitched or anything, but its definately not grunty or raspyish sounding like if i keep it on low rpm's. Is this cuz of my junky "magna-flow" muffler or do you think there is a leak or wha? it sounds really nice slow going and idle, but if i get on it and the thing actually works right (1/4 of the time) it just goes into a PHFOOOOOO sound, like air is just going through it but not the same...i dunno hard to explain the sound. The clapping and gruntyness of it go away and it doesnt sound the same is all i can really say heh. I know that my timing is off a bit cuz when i did the engine rebuild i kinda just threw my distributer on there and left it, and the truck has over 240,000 miles on it. I know that factors in but something just doesnt seem right about it, or it feels like there is something wrong that i can fix. Any help would be awesome thanks.

why don't you just get some burnt out glass packs, cut open the cat put the glass pack inside and then put the cat back together

I already gutted the cat and put it back on, im just wondering why it would kink out and why it sounds kinda whiny again like it did before when i get on it hard.

did you get it right clean. burn the inside in deseil fuel.maybe you have something still hanging in the cat that will give you that whiny noise.and why didn't you just put on a staight pipe in place of the cat.

I tried to go to checker and buy a pipe from them, but after i told them it was to go where the cat was he got mad at me for "bypassing the cat" and wouldnt sell it to me. haha so i just got some aluminum sheeting and wrapped it around the pipes on each side and then slid in the gutted cat and clamped it down. i will have pictures later tonight but i gatta go to work now. I shined a light in it and ran water through it and everything so im almost positive its clean, plus it took me almost 2 hours to clamp the little bastard back on :) so i rather not take it off again and everything heh. also my tips are really rusted and one has a giant hole in it about 6 inches before the actually exhaust tip on the right one. This would effect the sound right? I am ganna replace those soon but what should i get for them? they are 2.5 inch tips or 3 tops right now, would going to 4 inches or something make it deeper and such, or just poopy? ill post pics tonight.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914angle_view.jpg
My truck
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914Engine_front.jpg
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914open_truck.jpg
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914Cutting_Cat.jpg
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914Finally_off.jpg
It took me a little under SIX HOURS to saw through that with this saw. notice NO teeth on it, and the saw is 20 years older than i am. (38)
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914Clamps.jpg
One side clamped
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914final_product.jpg
I know it looks crimped and everything but the clamps and the apoxy i used made it air tight. it doesnt leak. These are the tips that are on the truck right now. 3 inch im pretty sure i forgot to measure em last night. Planning on buying new ones but i dont know if i should go bigger/longer or what.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914upside_down_pipe.jpg
The picture is upside down, this is the right pipe if looking from the back and the hole is in the top about six inches behind the tip.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914angle_pipes.jpg
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/501/215914big_pipe.jpg
This is the one with the hole in it again, just upright. it also has a chip missing on the bottom of the tip from when i decided it would be funny to go off a homemade jump...haha! :evillol:

If you guys could tell me i did the cat right, and what type of tips to get or anything else i could do to my truck that would be awesome. Thanks for the help again, it sounds awesome.

ok well ive driven my truck around a bit, and the pfhwoooo sound is getting better. its at least half as loud as it was before (the pfhwoo, the grunt and crackle are more pronounced now) I dont know what that would mean, but as long as its going away and my grunt and crackle are there im happy :smokin: It sounds awesome now. inbetween when i had the glass pack and when i had to put on the muffler for the illegal exhaust ticket. more towards illegal though :evillol: thanks for the suggestion, and is there anything else i can do to my truck that wouldnt cost much and that i could do myself? (like my cat job) i also have 2 other posts on problems with my truck. any help with them would be good too, thanks a ton, later.

Beware of Cops trying to give you a ticket for loud exhausts. Find out what the acceptable noise level is then go to Radio shack and buy a sound meter. Check the sound with the meter. If it is legal Protest the ticket. A police officer cannot tell by just listening to your exhaust if it is legal. If he had a db meter that is a different bag of chips.

yeah im not worried about that anymore cuz i got this gay muffler now. the sound is a little louder but its not illegal im almost posititve. just deeper now. ill try getting a sound wave of it and eveything. any other comments or anyting with my truck? i have two other posts about problems any help would be good.