Exhaust fab. (- cats) anyone built their own ?

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08-15-2004, 05:33 PM
rev zundfolge

Exhaust fab. (- cats) anyone built their own ?

My backround- I love cars/ working on them and this is my first BMW. A time capsule 1995 540i/6 The exhaust looks like it could use some help- Quite small andway silent. There must be some more free ponies in there! Now, I'm not spending $1000 for a cat-back system. Honestly a waste of money. For $10 you can get a disc of an exhaust you like the sound of, and drop it in your CD changer on repeat..... :p What I want to know is: Has anyone built their own from ready available components. How well did it work and did gutting or removing the cats help a great deal ?

Just because you own a BMW doesn't mean you have to pay others to do your work :) Besides some of us just love doing it ourselves.

Gimmie a welder !
08-15-2004, 06:41 PM
winfred

the cats are a good size and not really that restrictive, besides a little back pressure helps bottom end power, not sure what aftermarket components will be useful. my 535 came with a flowmaster where the cat shoulda been and a glass pack where the muffler shoulda been, it sounded like **** and when i installed a stock headpipe and cat i got more power and smoother accelleration, i used a catback from a e32 750il with 2.5" pipes
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/750%20high%20tips
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/750%20low%20tips
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/750catback2
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/750catback1
08-15-2004, 07:22 PM
Kamil

winfred - with more than 230k miles and a really rusty, but not yet leaky, potentially original, muffler, should I be thinking of replacing the cat?

When I hit the cat (or the cover around it?) it sounds "dead".... in other words, it's like hitting a piece of wood and not a muffler... effect is that, you feel like you're squishing the stuff inside upon the impact; does that make any sense? :)
08-15-2004, 07:32 PM
winfred

you can always look inside the cats from the resonator end to see if it's solid, if you can hear crap rattling around empty them out and be done with it, that way it looks like it has cats and you pass visual inspections

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamil

winfred - with more than 230k miles and a really rusty, but not yet leaky, potentially original, muffler, should I be thinking of replacing the cat?

When I hit the cat (or the cover around it?) it sounds "dead".... in other words, it's like hitting a piece of wood and not a muffler... effect is that, you feel like you're squishing the stuff inside upon the impact; does that make any sense? :)
08-15-2004, 08:21 PM
George M

dam I like that 750iL exhaust on your E-34 Winfred...beautiful set up...would love to do the same thing on my big six E-32. Issue is a good high end 750iL exhaust replacement is very pricey...more than a M-30 OEM exhaust replacement and I can't find a nice used one. Have to do something soon as my original exhaust has about had it.
08-15-2004, 08:28 PM
winfred

you must have that invisable thing activated on the user control panel, i never see you online

Quote:

Originally Posted by George M

dam I like that 750iL exhaust on your E-34 Winfred...beautiful set up...would love to do the same thing on my big six E-32. Issue is a good high end 750iL exhaust replacement is very pricey...more than a M-30 OEM exhaust replacement and I can't find a nice used one. Have to do something soon as my original exhaust has about had it.
08-15-2004, 08:48 PM
George M

guess I need to check my settings :-) Hey Winfred...you build all your computers from scratch?
08-15-2004, 08:57 PM
winfred

this'll be the 1st from scratch and 2nd peecee of my own, i've done a fair amount to the mac i am using now, how bout 50% overclocked for the last two years :) the early g3's had alot of head room with some help, i could go more but i didn't feel like modding the cpu voltages for a rch more performance and instability

Quote:

Originally Posted by George M

guess I need to check my settings :-) Hey Winfred...you build all your computers from scratch?
08-15-2004, 08:59 PM
632 Regal

I do but not Macs

sorry to butt in.
:D
08-15-2004, 08:59 PM
632 Regal

I do but not Macs

sorry to butt in.
:D
08-15-2004, 09:07 PM
winfred

you may be on to something with that "from scratch" i am thinking about building the case from aluiminum diamond plate, i am not into the fart can honda computer cases with all of the lights and windows and other crap, i saw one site where the guy was trying to build a hard drive with a window, of corse it crapped and he was planning a 2nd attempt, the cigerette lighter that fits into a cdrom bay did made me laugh

Quote:

Originally Posted by George M

guess I need to check my settings :-) Hey Winfred...you build all your computers from scratch?
08-15-2004, 09:09 PM
winfred

it'll give me a excuse to use my new plasma cutter :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by winfred

i am thinking about building the case from aluiminum diamond plate
08-15-2004, 09:19 PM
632 Regal

OK some basic terminology,

a case=tower
a hard drive=hard drive
whole unit including monitor and keyboard=computer
computer=PC
Mac=Macdonalds for lunch

just kidding on the last one

sortof
08-15-2004, 09:23 PM
winfred

that's ok i don't like the newer stuff and am building something fun

Quote:

Originally Posted by 632 Regal

a case=tower
a hard drive=hard drive
whole unit including monitor and keyboard=computer
computer=PC
Mac=Macdonalds for lunch

just kidding on the last one

sortof