I was thinking. on my Hondas I hollowed at the cat in a matter of minutes. Why not do it on the downpipe for the RX?
I know some of you have done this instead of buying the 3" DP

 

The reasons I didn't are:
1) smaller ID stock pipe
2) the turbulence of the air filling the cat, and wrapping aound inside the shell
3) the stock pipes weigh a ton
4) a downpipe and midpipe give more room and make it easier to work on the car.

 

To hollow out the down pipe you must cut it apart to get the two coils of metal out, they will not crumble and fall out.Then you must weld it back together . Why bother ? , because the cat is still blocking the hot air from exiting the engine compartment. If you want one already done call Garfinkle in Murfreesboro Tn.

 

What you are after is flow, SMOOTH flow. You ain't gonna get it with a gutted dp, and.....that is tons of work cutting, pulling all that gunk out, and re-welding. For $150 or so you should be able to find a good used one if you are on a budget.

 

Say hello to the inside of our precat. The stuff inside is pure metal and will NOT come out if you try to stick something inside of it. If you have access to a cutter and welder, and ARE on a budget, then so be it. If you have to pay someone to cut it, gut it, and WELD it back together, you will end up asking yourself "Why didn't I just spend the money on a real DP"

I did it because I have a friend that has access to a cutter & a welder & because I was jobless at the current moment, and I got desperate

 

the above device is rediculous....talk about a fuse on a timebomb....nasty nasty nasty.

it surprises me that people still run those things...


j

 

You can gut a cat with simple brake cleaner. Just soak it over night then punch out the insides. Don't breath the fumes though. It's quite toxic.