Yesterday's Weapons Forums

Had to replace the muffler in my 92 Grand Voyager 3.3 L.

Cheapest muffler shop quote I could get was 160 and taxes. I said nuts to that- even from the parts store, the muffler alone was 100 bucks. I went down to the wrecker and found one in reasonable shape off a 96- not quite a direct fit, but workable. Doing the work I ended up short one coupler sleeve. Found a 6 inch length of 2" cast iron pipe, and it perfectly on the inside. End result is an incredibly quiet, powerful ride. Big surprise today was on the highway- level road and no wind- 29 MPG I wasn't expecting that! But, I'll take it I didn't realize the wonders that a slight increase in exhaust back pressure could be so beneficial. Comments, anyone?

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

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"Ain't no Half-Way" -S.R.V.

"Oh Yeah!.....All Right!" -Paul Simon

Yes, the engine doesn't have to 'work' as hard to expel exhaust. If you have the means, gut the catalytic converter, too. Sell the contents for gas $ and enjoy the savings. SW

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Slava Ukraini!!

Here's a couple of views of ol' ugly and rusty:





Before you laugh too hard, it's paid for, free and clear. I owe nothing on it. It's inching ever so closer to the 200,000 mile mark. It's like driving an older Caddy on the highway-practically drives it's self. I do have a lot of work into it. Wife agreed we try and get one more winter out of it. It seems to be made for the highway, as far as automotive personality goes...

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

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"Ain't no Half-Way" -S.R.V.

"Oh Yeah!.....All Right!" -Paul Simon

throwing no rocks here , whatever makes a guy happy is what it oughtta be

Don't feel bad, on my Mazda Miata the "pre-converter'' went out. Dang car has 2 converters. The pre-converter alone is $700 bucks, The only place you can get one is from Mazda. And in Calif. you can't get it registered with a faulty one. First thing I did when I moved to Texas is install a header and get rid of that thing. There are only like 4 or 5 countys in this state that require smog checks and mine ain't one.

Wes

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Remember the Alamo but Never Forget Waco .
For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know.
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Tdub,

You ain't alone.
My '89 B2200 p/u has two cats as well.
I've thought about drilling a hole straight through both cats, to gain some performance (I've got a press and bits up to 1 3/32").
I like your header idea better, though.

I once faced the dilemma that Doc Sharptail just wrote about.
In my case, the pipe and muffler had rotted from the cat, back (typical).
I priced all the stock pieces and found the total cost for replacement was going to be $110 (1993 price).
As Sheriff Bob said in the movie Used Cars, "That's too high!", so the ol' brain got to workin'.
Turns out the intermediate pipe was only $25, so I took that.
I then found out they had "California Turbo" mufflers on sale...$12.00!
I finished her off with an elbow and a short extension that featured a 45 degree cut, turned slightly so as to miss the spare tire.
Grand total for my home-made "cat back" system?...$50.00

Not sure if I picked up any real performance advantage, but it worked and it wasn't too loud, so I was happy.
That lasted until about 5 or 6 years ago, when it finally wore out.
I replaced it with the stock system, now $150.00 =(
...but what a difference! For about a day, my truck purred like a Rolls.




Dean