I can't decide if this is mechanical/maintenance or general, so I'll just stick it here until someone thinks it should go elsewhere. Sorry if I guessed wrong.

Does anyone know how much of an effect the lack of a catalytic converter has on the sound of an exhaust system? Would it be noticeably noisier? Would it sound "different"? I'm hoping that someone on here has heard the same car with and without it'* cat in place...

My newly acquired '93 has no catalytic converter. It'* a bit noisy/annoying. Mostly raspy when going through the gears, but even at idle or at highway speeds, it drones a bit. I'm not sure whether to blame the lack of a cat, or put some of the blame on what I assume is an aftermarket muffler. Thus the question...

Before anyone even says anything, I DO plan to put a cat on it, one way or another. It'* just a matter of whether I just have a new converter welded in, or "borrow" a complete exhaust from a donor car, or something else.

What'* the best value in a replacement cat, anyway, if I go that route? I would want something that'* not going to rust out in a couple years, etc...

Much louder w/o a cat.

Although I found out when I got headers from the parts fairy. I added a cat quickly and it was MUCH quieter.

That was with the rest of the exhaust still on there too, right? In other words, you didn't just have open headers, then headers with a cat? If so, good info. I'm hoping that a new cat will quiet her down to a more acceptable level.

Any other experiences..?

Still curious also which cat to buy from who, as a best value that will last me forever.

Right..the rrest of the exhaust was intact.

There are a bunch of good ones on the market. Many here have opted for the magnaflow Stainless CATs as shown on Carsound . com. You might want to do a search or two here on the club, as there are tons of discussions regarding the "correct" hi-flow cat to use, etc.

Here'* a recent thread that discusses options and part numbers, as an example:

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...603&highlight=

Right. I did actually search a bit last night, but most of what I found focused on performance, and I'm more into value and longevity. There is a lot of good info here though.

The stock unit is stainless, right? I know it gets surface rust, but it doesn't rust out or anything generally. I'm not sure I'd trust a non-stainless to last very long in the salt belt.

Our stock exhaust is a stainless mix.

A mix that lasts much longer than GM ever figured it would.