LT headers w/ stock y pipe???

[odie301]

I just purchased a set of pacesetter LT headers, as my stock manifold bolts are busted up and the manifolds are warping...so i might as well upgrade since i have to take it apart.

Wondering if anyone has modified there stock y pipe in order to hook up to a set of LT headers?? I am looking to keep my stock cats if i can, as to keep the noise level down.(wife already asked if it was gonna be "LOUD") If it is not possible to keep the cats what do you all suggest to keep the sound down? I still have my stock muffler for now ( i have punched some holes in it to make it rust out faster, so i can justify replacing it)...i would like to upgrade but the misses wants me to leave it alone....

if the cats cant be retained what is the best way to tone it down?? I thought about installing some small glass packs fairly close to where a cat would go, and then run it into the remaining stock exhaust. Just wondering what all of you have done that have installed long tubes, i am sure a lot have put on off road y pipes. For those that have off road y's how much louder is it, compared to a set up w/ cats??

thanks for the help...i cant wait to get these in on thursday or friday.

 

[JennaBear]

I modified my Y pipe to be able to run cats with my LTs. Pretty sure that is the only route if you want to keep the cats....

 

[odie301]

yeah looking at other companies that have lt's w/ cats... their y pipe just looks like they chopped off a stock one right in front of the cat, so the header hooks right up to the cat. I am assuming i might need to cut after the cat on the drivers side to change the angle, thinking the lt's will come out horizontal to the ground and not at an angle like the stock cat sits now.

 

[DallasD]

Any pictures Jenna?????

 

[Donkey Punch]

I just purchased a set of pacesetter LT headers, as my stock manifold bolts are busted up and the manifolds are warping...so i might as well upgrade since i have to take it apart.

Wondering if anyone has modified there stock y pipe in order to hook up to a set of LT headers?? I am looking to keep my stock cats if i can, as to keep the noise level down.(wife already asked if it was gonna be "LOUD") If it is not possible to keep the cats what do you all suggest to keep the sound down? I still have my stock muffler for now ( i have punched some holes in it to make it rust out faster, so i can justify replacing it)...i would like to upgrade but the misses wants me to leave it alone....

if the cats cant be retained what is the best way to tone it down?? I thought about installing some small glass packs fairly close to where a cat would go, and then run it into the remaining stock exhaust. Just wondering what all of you have done that have installed long tubes, i am sure a lot have put on off road y pipes. For those that have off road y's how much louder is it, compared to a set up w/ cats??

thanks for the help...i cant wait to get these in on thursday or friday.

Its a lot LOUDER!!! without cats... After the BB tune it settled some. I run a corsa exhaust Lt's and ORY so at cruising speeds (70-75) its fairly quiet. At WOT forget about it... but my gf was concerned about the noise also and she really likes everything overall... except when I get on it... So basically your wife may or may not like it, it really depends on what she considers loud. If you decide to go with the LT's ORY etc.. make sure you get your tune done within a few days after the install, otherwise you will hear a lot of squackin

 

[navy34]

How exactly did you modify the y pipe to fit the LT's with the cats? Thats my dilemma right now with purchasing my LT's.

 

[odie301]

well my wife rode in my fathers old 95 tahoe... which had shorty headers, no cats, and flowmaster 40 w/ duals out the back.... she didn't mind the sound... it actuallys puts her to sleep on long rides... but she for some reason thinks my new truck doesnt need to sound like that, even though she kinda likes that sound.


my plan when the headers get here tomorrow is to modify the stock y pipe. looks like i can cut some pipe off, maybe remove the cat to adjust the angles etc, and weld the y back up. how do some of you hook up the slip fit end of the header to your y pipe?? just use a clamp?

 

[DallasD]

I need to know this as well because my headers get delivered on friday.

 

[vatahoelt]

Any pictures Jenna?????

How exactly did you modify the y pipe to fit the LT's with the cats? Thats my dilemma right now with purchasing my LT's.

would like to know this as well. If it's an easy fix, I would consider getting some LT headers soon.

 

[odie301]

Got my headers installed yesterday... pretty sure my "easy" idea of remounting the stock cats didn't go so well. I now have a hacked up y pipe w/o cats... it is fair time around here and where i put them on at, is of course right next to the fair...so in order to get home last night i had to butcher my y pipe and make it "sorta" hook up to the headers. Needless to say today i ordered the Off-road y pipe. I think my problem started w/ my factory cats being the wider style. i think the older chevy ones that were more round would weld in easier... but since justin already has my rear o2's off i am just going to put in the off road y and roll with it.

As far as noise..so far its kinda loud, but my cobbled together y has a ton of leaks so i think that is most of it. When i fired it up with open headers, she sounded like a modified stock car, which was kinda cool. The y definetly helped, so hopefully with the off road y correctly installed it wont be too bad. I am currently still running my stock muffler, but hopefully will be able to change that out as well.

 

[JennaBear]

We did a lot of cutting and welding. We moved the crossover pipe back about 1.5", cut and mounted the cats further back to clear the headers. I don't think that we have any pics of the completed system, but I am pretty sure an exhaust shop should be able to get the job done.

 

[odie301]

the only exhaust shop around here that would do it wanted 200 just to make the off road y pipe... so i just bought one and am going to skip the cats. Is there any ill effects from not having cats??(worse mileage or anything?) i am pretty sure that justin turned my rear o2's off during my tune, so removing them shouldn't hurt anything. by the way are there any plans for another trip to Minnesota?? I could use a retune and i'm sure there are more people who want a tune.

By the way anyone put lt's on and notice a seat of the pants improvement in power?? It has been a bit wet here, but when accelerating uphill hard it likes to shift my rear end sideways a bit when it goes from 1st to 2nd(must spin the tires a bit).... it has done that twice, and both are spots that i have previously driven in the rain under similar hard acceleration and never had my rear end move sideways(its just enough to unsettle ur stomach like your gonna do a big fishtail and then it straightens out and keeps pulling).... so either its a good "seat of the pants" gain or my tires are just getting worse.

 

[DallasD]

Mine will be going in this weekend. I will let you know if any what I feel. I guess I will have to modify my y pipe or just buy an o/r y soon.

 

[vatahoelt]

Mine will be going in this weekend. I will let you know if any what I feel. I guess I will have to modify my y pipe or just buy an o/r y soon.

definitely keep me posted on the install. being in Va, we have emissions to worry about and so I would still need my cats. ideally, a bolt on solution as opposed to cutting and welding would be better for me.

 

[JennaBear]

I am in VA too, no problems with emissions with the way we set it up.

 

[Robert.K]

Anybody with LT headers and O/R y pipe in California and passed emissions? I want to get it but I might have to get a smog test every year while Im stationed here. Truck registered in NC, but I have to check and see.

 

[JennaBear]

You will need to get CA LTs, I think Bassani midlengths are the only ones that pass SMOG.

 

[DallasD]

This sucks raining here all day so far.

 

[Donkey Punch]

the only exhaust shop around here that would do it wanted 200 just to make the off road y pipe... so i just bought one and am going to skip the cats. Is there any ill effects from not having cats??(worse mileage or anything?) i am pretty sure that justin turned my rear o2's off during my tune, so removing them shouldn't hurt anything. by the way are there any plans for another trip to Minnesota?? I could use a retune and i'm sure there are more people who want a tune.

By the way anyone put lt's on and notice a seat of the pants improvement in power?? It has been a bit wet here, but when accelerating uphill hard it likes to shift my rear end sideways a bit when it goes from 1st to 2nd(must spin the tires a bit).... it has done that twice, and both are spots that i have previously driven in the rain under similar hard acceleration and never had my rear end move sideways(its just enough to unsettle ur stomach like your gonna do a big fishtail and then it straightens out and keeps pulling).... so either its a good "seat of the pants" gain or my tires are just getting worse.

It's been a good improvement. Some noticeable gains in the drivers seat dyno once they were installed and even more once I got my tune done. No emmissions testing BS for me here.

 

[Sam Hamm]

when mine get here im gonna want cats too. oh no im scared ha