Howdy. Here's my problem(s). I have a '97 Accord (haha Rice, haha). It's not "pimped-out" or anything like that. Anyway, my exhaust has basically rusted through the entire catback, and recently (about 2 weeks ago), I hear a rattling sound when I'm driving, my 2 knowledgable buddies told me it's my catalytic converter, which makes a lot of sense to me. From what I understrand, it's about $250 to replace, but to just take it out and put in a piece of steel pipe would be a hell of a lot cheaper, and actually give a slight performance boost, since I'm also very soon going to get a new exhaust system, new headers, and probably a new throttle boddy and fuel rail. Is it easy just to take out the cat and replace it with some stel pipe? I know it's illegal, but no one ever checks for this kind of stuff.

Yes. It is easy.

Itll need flanges welded on to it to attach. Generally its 2 bolts at each end of it. What I did with mine was pulled the cat. Got in a different car and went to a few parts shops til I found a place that sold flanges almost identical to the ones on my car. (Close enough to work) Then I got a piece of Stainless Steel piping in the proper size and length. I went to a local muffler place and had them make me an "Exhaust Extension" for my car. If you pick the right shop you could prob get all the parts and have it assembled there for 40 bucks.

That being said, test pipes ARE illegal. Never use the word test pipe or talk about replacing your cat. The best excuse is that you got a cheap exhaust system from a friend and need X inches of pipe to attach your header to your cat since you're falling that far short. Any competant muffler shop should be able to rip one out in 15 minutes at worst.

you dont need the flange... couldnt you just get the ends flared?

generally theres flanges on the cat that attach to flanges on the headers and flanges on the exhaust. I suppose you could cut those off, but I'd be damned if I'd do that to parts of my exhaust system.

is the cat attatched directly to the exaust manifold in an accord? I was assuming that there would be a piece of pipe running from the manifold to the cat in which cast one woudlnt need a flange (especially if he is planning on ditching the whole setup soon anyways)

Dont you need the cat converter to pass state emmissions testing?
To replace the cat on my car costs about 100 bucks, and about 180 for my dads Suburban.

yup u do.

there are states that dont require a cat?

Kentucky (the state I live in) has no emissions, or any other testing.

For a 97 or older, North Carolina doesn't require emissions.

Anyway the answer to your question.

Get about a 3" *MANDREL* bent stainless steel pipe. Make sure it's mandrel bent or you'll be sorry.

you could drill the catyltic converter out . Little be-bees will come out

My catalytic convertor had no bb's in it. it's sorta a ceramic honeycomb type deal. to get it out, I found the easiest way is to jam one of those huge flathead screwdrivers into the honeycomb, and then twist. it broke out the honeycomb in big chucks, and they were then able to be poured out of the end of the pipe.