I"m at my wit's end trying to sort through all the crap. Can someone please give me a straight answer?
Keep in mind this is an 85 GS 12A Automatic.

I called racing beat today about their streetable header/collector. They said they have nothing that will bolt up to a stock cat. They said I would have to buy the presilence. $339.00. OK

I called RX7store.net about a Mindtrain header that I've been told will "bolt right up". "We don't sell those anymore."

So I called Mindtrain directly. Talked with the guy for a long time. He claimed that my 12A should have 3 cats? From what I've seen this isn't what the stock exhaust looks like on an 85 GS. He told me that his header wouldn't bolt to a stock cat.

So now I'm confused. I'm wondering if I don't have the stock setup on my car. Here is what I have, can someone please verify If this is stock or not.

1) Pacesetter Header ( I know this isn't stock, but I've heard it sucks so I'm getting something else and selling it.)
2)Then the collector for the Header
3)Then I have my one and only Cat with the littler pipe that comes off the side and hooks to the hose up front.
4)Then I have my centerpipe
5)Finally my muffler.

The guy at mindtrain swore up and down that the car had 3 cats on it. Obviously mine does not, so did the previous owner put a performance cat on it? Or was it just the GSL-SE's that had the 3 cat setup?

I looked in the part book at Napa and the book showed exactly the setup I have. (minus the pacesetter of course, the stock manifold was there.)

I would really just like to buy a header with a collector that will bolt to the existing cat I have. If I have to I could remove emissions I can because we have no testing in Indiana. I really don't want to have to shell out the extra $$ for a presilencer though.

Please answer my questions if you can help. And any suggestions are appreciated...

 

See my post below - "Bonez anyone"

 

You have a pacesetter header, with a high flow cat. NO header will bolt up to the stock cats. If you get a header, you either eliminate the cats, or get a high flow cat. If you need to pass an e-test, then just get a racing beat header and bolt that to you cat. It should work.

The simple answer is no, your cat is not stock. There are normally 3 cats on the 1st gens, but if you look at the price to buy new ones, its cheaper to go header and high flow cat. Thats probably what the previous owner did. Went the super cheap way.

I just read that you don't have e-testing so you could just gut the cat. You didn't pay for it, so whats the difference. I personally think the presilencers are just as much a restriction as the high flow cat. The only problem that you would have to deal with is the noise level.

 

Just do that if you dont need a cat. Its all bolt together and simple requiring no custom made parts (header, pre-silencer, stock connecting pipe, muffler), but you may not like the "fart cannon" sound you will get with the stock muffler. I ran my car this way for a while, but eventually broke down and bought the RB muffler as well. Its amazing how much of a difference that thing makes!! It sure sounds badass now .

If you need to have a cat, buy the header, and have a pipe made to go between the header and the stock connecting pipe (where the pre-silencer would go) that has a cat on it, then use the stock connecting pipe and connect that to the muffler. So with this setup it would be: Header, custom pipe with cat, stock connecting pipe, muffler.

Or, for a third possible setup, you could go: Header, pre-silencer, custom pipe with cat, muffler. I just now made that one up, and I dont know if it would actually be any good, but hey, its an option, lol.

Does that help at all? I remember when I was getting my exhaust, it seemed that nothing anyone said made any sense, so Im hoping this helps .

~T.J.

 

BS BS BS BS BS! The pace setter does bolt up to the main cat. You HAD 3 cats. 2 precats and the main one. The pacesetter eliminates the stock manifols and the 2 precats, leaving you with the main cat (now that may be original or aftermarket, cant tell w/o a pic). IIRC mazdatrix (whom you should call for any RB parts as they sell them at the same price and give MUCH better service) sells a 1pc short primary header that collects and mates to an aftermarket cat. Now if thats what you want, go for it. If you dont care for emissions, then you have more choices.

http://www.mazdatrix.com/r-8.htm

 

DUH!!!
I should have thought the cats separate from each other when I saw that they are all sold separate at Mazdatrix. Sorry about that.

 

So theory if I buy this header from Mazdatrix....

It will bolt up to the existing cat that I have on the car? Which we are assuming at this point is a "main cat" left behind by the previous owner of the car.

If I decided to get rid of the cat later after I save up some more money for the presilencer, would I have any trouble just taking that cat out and slipping in the presilencer unit?

Or if I'm going to do this project am I going to want to do it all once and then leave it for good?

 

Nope, if you read the page it says it WONT bolt to the stock cat.

QUOTE: Note For All Above: 81-92 Headers will NOT bolt up to factory catalytic converters. They are made to bolt to the pre-silencers below, or to our "Gray-Area Converters" (click here).

Truthfully, better to do the whole shebang at once. Get the whole system, you'll be happier in the long run.

****, you got a header already live with it for now. I had a pacesetter exhaust for a while, its not that bad. I won autox's running it. and a regional championship too! And Im a fair to midland driver.

 

Yeah, what Carl said. Because if you buy that header from MazdaTrix, along with the custom cat pipe they make so you can bolt it all up (ahown above), youre spending over $600 before shipping. You might as well just buy the whole RB setup for that price.

~T.J.

 

OK, so If I throw the cat idea in the trash can, and start looking at presilencers. Will the racing beat header and presilencer bolt up to my stock centerpipe? I don't have to meet emissions, so the cat doesn't have to be kept. Just figured I would see if I could keep it since it was already on there.

I think from what I've read I can use the racing beat street header/collector with the presilencer and not have any problems bolting up to the stock centerpipe right? It'll probably just sound like a "fart cannon" as RotorMotorDriver so aptly puts it. :-D

 

Yes, if you buy just the header and pre-silencer it will bolt up.

~T.J.

 

Forget about the pre silencer, forget about the cat and use a straight pipe! Make it run the way it wants to be run!

 

ive a question about all this. I have an 84 GSL-SE and was wondering if i could go RB header to custom straightpipe to replace 2 precats, to my main cat, then custom striaght pipe to muffler, would that still give me decent hp and all work?

 

almost anything will work its custom. You will pick up horsepower by eliminating bend in the exhaust's route. This is why if you have a stock manifold, pretty much nothing matter after that. but also theres the backpressure factor. and running a main cat with a muffler should work just fine with those straigh pipes in between.

 

Just get a welder and learn to use it.

 

but money doesn't grow on trees

 

custom doesnt mean lots of money. Meineke does custom exhaust work for very cheap.