hello i have a 87 300zx n/a
i bought headers for the car and i have leaks throughout
my exhaust line such as a rusted out muffler and leaks b4 and after the cat.
I plan on replacing the whole pipe this summer along with throwin on my headers. I have future plans for my car as well. i plan on keeping this setup for about a year and then swapping in somethin turbo but i don't want to buy too small of a new exhaust that wouldn't be suitable for my new engine.
What would you suggest? price estimations would be cool too. i already have the headers and muffler. cat = 120ish? + pipe

the tough thing is, unless you want to lose low end for a year, you'll have to go to a 2.5" for the n/a, but for a turbo car it's 3" or more... so if you're not worried about the system rusting for a while, you could go with some cheap aluminized piping in 2.5" until you switch to the turbo engine...

^2.5 is technically okay for a turbo until you're making like 400 hp, but I agree with delerious here. Just get a cheap 2.5" custom exhaust, and switch to a 3" when you get a turbo

so how much is this cheap stuff? when i get a new cat should i just go 3 inch inlet? how long does this cheap stuff hold up? As u can see i'm tryin to save as much as possible. i have college this fall and i plan on being n/a during this summer and my 1st year of college. thank you for your help so far.

it'll last for a long ass time man. Do you live near/drive in snow??? that seems to be the only thing that'll make it f'd up. actually, if I were you, I'd just keep the stock cat, and get a 2.5" catback with a dynomax muffler or something. It'll prolly cost you like 100 at the most, and like 60 for the muffler....

cut it off cut it all off...............if you like it loud

haha i would cut it if i didn't need to pass inspection in jersey.
i'm goin to college in ohio and i believe they get a bit of snow.
i just won't drive it in the snow i guess just for a season.
whats the difference between a cat and a catbak? u say keep the stock one then get one for 100 bucks. i was lookin at a magna flow one from ebay.
when i go 3 inch when i go turbo keep the 2.5" cat? and i have a muffler i bought and i think it has a 2.5". thank you for your help again. helping me out a lot

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/2484/nissanad05pkalt3lk.jpg

Bolted to the side of the engine in a non-turbo car you have the exhaust manifold or header as some call it. This attaches to what would be "A" in the picture, it's just a set of pipes that run from the exhaust manifold to the main catalytic converter, the part labeled "B". The catalytic converter, or "cat", converts some of the environmentally harmful gases produced by burning gas into less or non-harmful gases. It's just some ceramic bricks inside a tube that get hot as the exhaust flows over them. Naturally this serves as a blockage in the exhaust system and it's why high flow cats or no cats is preferable for making power.

At the back end of the cat you have a set of pipes that runs into the mufflers and then out the back. This section, labled "C", is refered to as the "cat-back", meaning if you get a cat-back exhaust upgrade it will replace everthing from the catalytic converter all the way to the back of the car.

A turbo car is almost the same except the exhaust manifold has the turbo hanging off it, the turbo spins and then dumps the exhaust into a downpipe which is attached to section "A".

well that makes sense haha. thank you. yeah i'll stay with my stock cat
till i go turbo and then i'll get a high flow one and a 3 inch all the way back.
now i'll put on my headers and go all the way back with 2 1/2 inch cheap pipe.
100 bucks sounds good to me. :) i will follow your advice and
thank you for it.

cut it off cut it all off...............if you like it loud


yes cut it all off that would be smart youll have a slower crappier running car but it will be loud . hmm >