Muffler for a 944 NA

[EMBPilot]

guys i may need some help here... the muffler that came on my car sounds like a rice burner at about 2500RPM, it has a really nasty rattle, and resonates badly. outside of that range its actully pretty smooth but it needs to be replaced...

the car is used for Sunday touring through windy country roads so speed, HP are not that big a deal... id like something quiet, maybe even throaty, but smooth and affordable... what are my options?

i see stuff in performance, the low end stuff for around 250...without breaking the bank is there a muffler i can use that you could recommend?

how hard is the install? is it something i could even do myself?

hell id even just go stock if i had the choice for ease of installation...

thoughts? ideas?

[Techno Duck]

I have a stock catback on Long Island if you want.

The Borla XR-1 is loud but sounds great..that is really the only muffler i have any experience with (i have one on my car).

As for installation, it depends on how it was done. If they used a muffler clamp its a matter of finding a muffler of the right dimension and having hangers welded onto it. If its welded on you will need to have it cut off and have someone weld the new one back on.

[924Sman]

Best is the stock final muffler. I am certain you can find one used for a good price. No fabrication just hang and go.

Dal

[livewirevoodoo]

I found a new OEM catback on ebay a while back for $120. Cost was $60 for installation at a local mieneke. If you need new rubber hangers, order those too, as they will use generic hangers which do not provide a great fit at all.

[EMBPilot]

whats a "cat back"? from the looks of things... is it one piece from the Cat conv. all the way back to the tip? so thats the stock used part im looking for?

how many of those hangers will i need? (just two?)

if its done as one entire piece of pipe, from the cat back is it just pretty much bolt on and go?

and you mentioned muffler clamps, is there as way to cut the pipe and just hang a new one w/ clamps or is that not a good idea?

thanks guys.
Kevin

Ebay muffler OEM?

[livewirevoodoo]

"Catback" the pipe and muffler, everything from the back of the catalytic convertor. Not necessarily sold as 1 piece. You can buy a muffler and have it welded to the pipe coming out of the cat.

If it's done as one piece, it is a straight forward bolt and go job.

I believe there are 3 rubber hangers. 2 by the exhaust tip, one a few inches down from where the pipe bolts up to the cat. When I had mine mounted at the local muffler place, they used some generic rubber mounts which I felt offered too much wiggle room for the application. I bought the OEM mounts here on pelican for a few bucks a piece which offer a much more secure fit.

[924Sman]

Originally posted by EMBPilot
whats a "cat back"? from the looks of things... is it one piece from the Cat conv. all the way back to the tip? so thats the stock used part im looking for?

how many of those hangers will i need? (just two?)

if its done as one entire piece of pipe, from the cat back is it just pretty much bolt on and go?

and you mentioned muffler clamps, is there as way to cut the pipe and just hang a new one w/ clamps or is that not a good idea?

thanks guys.
Kevin

Ebay muffler OEM?

Buy that one and be done in 5 minutes, no hangers or other needed unless you are missing some.

Dal

[Techno Duck]

Kevin, i have the same exact thing i took off my car, depending where you are in NJ you can save on the shipping and come pick it up, or meet me halfway.

BTW, a number of the NNJ/NYC area Rennlist guys are going to do a get together either the 30th of Sept (saturday) or the 1st of October (sunday) in NNJ, probably at a place called Cubby's in Hackensack. If you are interested in coming up, i can bring my stock catback with me.

[callmethewander]

techno, if he doesn't want it my '87 NA has a leak i was thinking of patching but if it's cheap enough i would replace the whole thing.

[callmethewander]

either way, tell me more about the get together in NNJ.

[Techno Duck]

Im still working out the details on the exhaust..but would like to get $100 for it. Ill let you know if he dosent take it.

The details on the meet are still iffy at best. Time and location are pretty much set but there is a split on which day everyone is going. It seems like the NYC guys are going to meet up on the saturday the 30th.. depending what happens we may just meet up at a place on Long Island or perhaps still at Cubby's (or Rutt's Hutt) in NNJ. There is also a group of NNJ guys from Rennlist probably going to meet up at Cubby's on the 1st of October (thats a sunday). Both meeting times would be around 10am-12pm..and lunch afterwards.

Like i said, im not 100% sure whats going on yet or what days ill be around...depending on how busy i am i might do both days.

Here are the two Rennlist threads pertaining to the date and meeting spot..

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=298418
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=297007

[Dtchy]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but I still have my OEM exhaust laying around. Very good shape (CA car) and the chrome is still nice (I put a B&B on it).

I'm in Socal so it's probably more on shipping, so you probably want to work it out with Techno Duck. But maybe opthers are interested???

[EMBPilot]

so heres what im about to take out... looks like this was put into the car as three pieces, i just hope all the original hangers are still holding on to the body someplace so when i pull all this out i can put OEM/stock catback bolt in and go...
theres the pipes that come out of the engine and tie back into the first 'couple', then the pipe goes back, meets another couple, and then connects to the muffler. the PO told me he put in a free flow muffler from a turbo, who knows. id like to yank all this out and just hang a catback from a regular ol 944.. you guys see anything particularly alarming here??
--EDITED TO REMOVE PICTURES NO LONGER NEEDED--

[RM512]

That is an aftermarket muffler, looks like you have no cat.
I'm running a Dansk s/s cat back and a Stainless Works smooth tube in place of the cat; sounds pretty close to stock.

[EMBPilot]

no freakin cat...great... this this isnt a daily driver but thats going to be a tough sell for NJ state inspection!

without the cat being there im assuming i cant just bolt on a 'catback' to this set up as theres not cat to bolt it to!

[Techno Duck]

It looks like a test pipe was installed on your car. Other than that, nothing really looks out of place.

[EMBPilot]

okay, a test pipe... is that whast just forward of the first coupling? so its that piece thats welded in that goes to the flange? where the cat was? youd think id be in good shape to just bolt up an OEM muffler catback?

[Techno Duck]

It looks like what they did was cut off the catalytic converter just after where the headers go from two into one. They welded a flange to what was left of the pipe and then welded a straight pipe in place behind it.

Your car will probably have alot of trouble passing emissions inspection, a perfectly tuned 944 could probably pass emissions without a cat. However if the inspection station does a visual inspection you will fail based on that, regardless if it passes or not.

What you should do at this point if you want to put a catalytic converter back on is to have a muffler shop weld a universal catalytic converter to two pipes with the proper sized flanges cut down to the proper length. In this case you can simply unbolt the exhaust and put cat. portion back in whenever you have to do emissions..then once you pass, take the cat off again and put the test pipe backon.

You could just put an OEM catback on regardless if you address that you have no catalytic converter.

[EMBPilot]

i may have a connection for the sticker, i think i'll try to bolt up an OEM muffler to this, hopefully the length will work. if i do get jammed up in the inspection, i'll just buy a cat (gyneric of some type) have a shop weld it in. the PO may have done all this when he put the new headers on the engine...
thanks guys.
and jon, i'll let you know by tuesday

[EMBPilot]

one more question about this project...
if i get a catalytic converter for the car to get put in by the muffler shop, and i search for a generic one or one that fits... what do i need to look for? size pipe ect?

im figuring at this point, i'll get a cat for it, bring the cat and the OEM muffler to the local muffler place, and say uh here, please see if you can make it work.

the ones im finding have a 2" I.D
like these two....

Heres One



and this one...