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Got my 4'' in Rineharts yesterday.They sound & look great.
I know they can sound & perform better without the cats.
What is the best way to remove them without buying new
headpipes?
Some go in from the end with a long paddle drill bit to remove some of the cat. Some also claim to be able to remove all the cat material with this method, but I don't see how that's possible after seeing the inside of the pipe. Another method is to cut the pipe chamber radially and pull/grind out all the cat material. The third and best method, in my opinion, is to cut a rectangular window in the chamber to access and remove the cat material. I like this method best because it allows the entire pipe structure to remain intact and doesn't allow for any misalignment issues when welding everything back together.
Or, you could choose the fourth (lazy) option like I did and just buy a decatted header pipe off of ebay for around $130 shipped. I chose this option because I wanted to keep my original pipe intact just in case the DOT/EPA started cracking down on this type of thing.
Right side temp drops dramatically after cat removal. You pipe volume will also increase a little, but not a lot. I couldn't tell much difference in performance by just removing the cat.
Some go in from the end with a long paddle drill bit to remove some of the cat. Some also claim to be able to remove all the cat material with this method, but I don't see how that's possible after seeing the inside of the pipe. Another method is to cut the pipe chamber radially and pull/grind out all the cat material. The third and best method, in my opinion, is to cut a rectangular window in the chamber to access and remove the cat material. I like this method best because it allows the entire pipe structure to remain intact and doesn't allow for any misalignment issues when welding everything back together.
Or, you could choose the fourth (lazy) option like I did and just buy a decatted header pipe off of ebay for around $130 shipped. I chose this option because I wanted to keep my original pipe intact just in case the DOT/EPA started cracking down on this type of thing.
Right side temp drops dramatically after cat removal. You pipe volume will also increase a little, but not a lot. I couldn't tell much difference in performance by just removing the cat.
Go Vols.
+1...exactly what I did. I feel I got my money's worth.
I also bought a degutted header pipe from e-bay...Kept the old one in case I decide to trade it in. Bike sounds so much better and runs a heck of a lot cooler.
I'm doing mine. Bought few spade drills from Harbor Freight with 12-inch extension $20 spent. I was almost able to drill our all of the packing from header pipes.
i would venture to say you get less than 50% of the cat removed with a drill bit...although an archaic way to remove it, some is better than nothing.....
A quick search get you detailed instructions from several sources on how to decat by cutting a window, and welding the window back in after cat removal. Takes about an hour. I have taken out 4 of them so far.
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