finally figured out that all 3 cats were clogged, and now going to replace the whole exhaust, but before i buy one, got one question. Since the stock exhaust has 3 cats, when i install the new one does it have to have 3 in it, or just one for each manifold? any info would help
Put a 2.5" off road h-pipe in and some 1-chamber flowmasters without tailpipes. :evilgrin:
any idea where i can find some?
Haha I was just kiddin really I take it you probably want to keep this thing (somewhat) stock anyway...probably don't want to rattle your neighbors' teeth out with a booming exhaust...leave that to stupid kids like me. :hick:
But the two cats which you're referring to are part of a Y-pipe that bolts up to each of the manifolds, and comes together into one pipe, which bolts into the next piece, which is about 2 feet long overall, a curvy pipe with the third, larger cat in it. Behind that is your ler and tailpipe. www.walkerexhaust.com (http://"http://www.walkerexhaust.com") should show you the entire setup, just follow the steps...year make etc.
That's just going to show you the parts pretty much any exhaust shop has access to. I'm not sure you can direct-order the stuff from them.
If you can, research emissions requirements in your area. Something this old may be exempt or simply less stringent, so you could install an aftermarket exhaust if you wanted. It depends on the area.
well ive narrowed the cat problem down even further and it seems that only the larger 1 on the end is clogged, it is making somewhat of a knocking noise and at the same time the engine bogs down. as far as keeping it stock, thats a no, gotta dual it out man
A-HA! Ok lol now we know where yer goin. :evilgrin: Basically if ya wanna go that route....better lose the cast iron manifolds, because there isn't much that can bolt up to them unless you have a CUSTOM dual exhaust made with flared ends small enough for the manifolds. You'll want to get a pair of shorty headers (the stock ones off a 5.0 mustang....all over ebay real cheap, and then either find (also ebay possibly) or a yard or something, the stock 4-cat H-pipe from a mustang as well....or go on summitracing.com browse through there find the 2.5" summit brand catless h-pipe for a 5.0 mustang, about 100 bucks. Add lers of your choice, tailpipes or none (then it will drone like crazy at certain rpms and be stupid-loud), done.
Oh and be sure and post lots of photos of your cat in the User Rides section we wanna see it!!!!!!!!!!! (or at least I do anyway LOL)
awesome appreciate it man as far as the photos of my cat, its pretty rough right now(rust all the way around the sideskirts, faded chipped paint, filthy interior, etc.) but i will post some anyway some before and afters. maybe one day it will look like it did back in '87 then again maybe not....
got one more question for you if you feel like answering.... ok well i just got a pair of shorty headers(that was quick) and was wondering how hard the old header bolts are to take out - mostly if they would snap while takingthem out since they probably have never been removed
The studs on the ? (that hook up to the H-pipe?) If its those two youre talking about...they dont come out. lol theyre permanently attached to the .
the bolts on the cast iron manifold stock on the cougar
Well those....again if were talking the ones bolting to the exhaust y-pipe...then they are permanent to the manifolds...but the nut might come off okay...just hit it with a lot of PB Blaster and let em sit for a day. The ones going into the cyl. heads oughta come out fine.
alright thanks all i needed to know
I wasn't screwing around when I did mine...cast manifolds came out with the y-pipe still attached...lol, cut the cross over pipe and called it a day...I knew those nuts weren't coming off with 173k miles worth of rust(and plenty of rock-salt in the winter)...manifold-to-cyl head bolts came right out...easy like sunday morning!
Good luck,
Don
hells yea thats what i was hoping
I just replaced my down pipes and converters. I upgraded to 2.5 downpipes back to a 3" y-pipe followed by a high flow converter.
The rest will run a 3" pipe split back to 2.5" into flowmaster 40's
Sounds awesome and the power change is very noticable on my 5.0
~Rich
I've seen rust before, nothing to be ashamed of.
This forum is a good place to watch the progress that we've all made to save our cars.
C'mon let's have a peek
yea ive been watching your thread in the lounge.....:D and its awesome what youre doing and i would much rather put new metal on than use bondo.