I said I was going to put cats on the....

[Route 16]

is it $200 or something per cat?

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by Route 16

is it $200 or something per cat?

1) It is now, but it's only the core. www.ebay.com/itm/170770102289 Same guy from which I purchased them, but I think I paid $260 per at the time.
2) Then you'll need to pick up some concentric reducers from Australia:
a) 2 x www.ebay.com/itm/181318182713 and
b) 2 x www.ebay.com/itm171472510849

Why Australia? B/c I looked for a couple weeks and only found ONE company in the US that makes these in that size, and they wanted $825 for all four. The cats are like almost 5" in diameter IIRC, and no one makes a 4.5" reducer, only the 5, so you'll have to take the reducers to a machine shop to have the 5" end cut to fit the cores and have them welded to the cores ($237.50). THEN you have to have the small end of the reducers cut to fit the x-pipe (which is 2 different diameters between the 2 o2 bungs, btw), have that section of the x-pipe cut out so that the new cats can be installed, while making sure the length doesn't change, the 2nd exhaust bung moved down so the new catted section will fit, and THEN have all that welded together ($800). You'll then end up with this (sorry, cell phone pic in low light):


So I'm in almost $3k for just the x-pipe + add'l parts and labor, not to include the rear section or the work I had done on that.

[jagman]

Awesome. Congrats on the exhaust and getting back on the forum 👍

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by jagman

Awesome. Congrats on the exhaust and getting back on the forum 👍

Thank you for the congrats on the exhaust

[Route 16]

Would you be trying to pass smog with these?

[pbonsalb]

That was very expensive and took a long time.

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

That was very expensive and took a long time.

So here's the story about the "long time" part....apparently in Austin, quality welders are getting soooooooooooooo much work, they can afford to push small projects like this aside. Here's the novel. I feel like I should preface this post with "TL;DR".

After calling around and visiting a few metal fab places in and around the area (including places an hour away) and getting constantly turned away or being told 4-8 weeks, on
-6/21/14 I took everything to Custom Sheet Metal in Pflugerville, which is right outside of ATX. On
-7/2/14, Ron, the President of the company sent me an email saying that he's been getting slammed, and to come by the shop to revisit the scope of what I was asking for. On
-8/8/14 (more than a month later), he sent me an email advising me it was $237.50 for the cutting of the reducers and $82.50 to weld them to the cores, then said that the didn't really want to cut and weld the x-pipe. I called him and he said that if I was game, I could come to his shop and he'd allow me to cut everything and then tell him where to weld, and he would weld, at a rate of $125/hr. Mind you, when this was done, the rearmost O2 sensors would have to be moved. So, I told him I'd pick it up and cut the sections myself and bring them back to him to weld. In the interim, I had been calling other shops and found another, Lake Services Inc, out in Lakeway, Tx, (http://www.lakeservicesinc.com/) which is also pretty much on the outskirts of Austin. These guys do custom metal work, repairing boat docks and stuff underwater, as well as building boat docks, etc. On
-8/12/14, I dropped off the work for the x-pipe, and had them cut off the Corsa tips and weld on another set of tips. These guys rocked it out, and on
-8/15/14, everything was done. They cut out and welded in the cats, moved the O2 bungs, and cut off the old tips and welded the new parts in. 3 days to do what the other guy took over 6 weeks to do. Mind you, I told both places I was patient, which I was, but Walt and the guys @ Lake Services knocked it out. As an added bonus, I mentioned to Walt, the President, that I've always wanted to learn how to mig/tig, so he told me to drop in on Saturdays and he'll teach me, free of charge, and I can keep coming back until I feel I've mastered it. Awesomeness. My first Sat will be this Saturday, as my schedule has been kinda hectic. On that same day, I dropped off the rear section to Mike @ Austin Powder Coating (http://www.austinpowdercoating.com/) to Cerakote the rear mufflers and tips for $60/side. He advised a 20-30 day turnaround. I put $60 down with the rest due upon pickup. And this is where things get really screwed. On
-9/15/14 I sent him an email advising I'd like to pick up, and rec'd this reply "if no prob then the exhaust should be ready by end off day. but we will call you when we are done. thank you mike." Uhhhhhhhmmmmm, what? Alarm bells immediately went off in my head b/c a) why'd you wait until the last possible minute to do the work and b) why are you posturing as if there might be a problem? 2:47 that afternoon, I rec'd this (his caps, not mine): "JUST SHOT THEM. AM NOT TO SURE UNTIL THEY COME OUT OF THE OVEN. WILL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE. CERAMIC IS VERY TOUCHY WHEN IT SPAYS SO LIKE I SAID IF EVERY THING LOOKS GOOD I WILL CALL IF NOT IT WILL BE ABOUT 7 DAYS MORE." @ 3:23, I rec'd "Well i just pulled them out of the oven and am not happy. can you call me?" I did, and explained to him that the car was supposed to be ready for the BMW Car Corral @ the Continental Tire Series race being held that weekend @ COTA, and that I had a dyno appt that Friday that would have to be rescheduled, as well. Nothing he could do, he said. He'd run out of Cerakote, and would have to get some more in. They are hella expensive in the shipping department for some reason (I verified) unless shipping by ground. Fast forward to:
-9/19/14 and I get an email saying "exhaust are ready i will not charge you for the exhaust for waiting. but this is friday and we will be closing the shop at 1pm to day to go on vacation until tuesday." Mmmmmmmmm....I already paid a deposit, but whatever. I went to pick up the exhaust, and his employee is there. Everything is wrapped in plastic wrap to protect it, which is cool. I unwrap it when I get home and find this:













And the Coup de grâce


It would appear these guys didn't have the common sense to shove a rag down the exhaust to prevent sand from getting in there when they sandblasted it. As I turned the exhaust in my hand, you could hear sand moving around in the muffler. A LOT of sand. I kid you not, I poured out about a cup of sand per side. Needless to say, I was pretty pissed, and it was after shop hours. I fired off an email and rec'd this response on
-9/22/14 "The sand will blow out and that's no big deal, the color thing is. and yes i see the what you have point out, it was no charge to you and you can bring the back and i will reshot them." So I took them back, at the very least to have them sandblasted again. On
-9/26/14, this email arrived: "I have to let you know that the ceramic has not showed up at the the shop.I reorder new ceramic cause of the color in the last run. I have the tracking for the new ceramic and will be here on monday. They are sand blasted ready to go. I can refund the money or it will have to be monday after the ceramic comes in to be done & if all goes well. Sorry". In for a penny, in for a pound, at this point. On
-9/29/14 "it just dont want to work in ceramic by the two exhaust.it just want to run and be two colors. want to know if can shot in high temp flat black powder good up to 1200. you shound not see that high of temp ant the rear exhaust." Nope. Ceramic was what I wanted, not powder. I told him I was going to pick them up, so he sand blasted them again, and wasn't even there when I arrived. For having places like Elite Performance, BoostLogic and Cobb Tuning here, I can't figure out why there are no ceramic coating places around here. I got on the web and started looking for places in surrounding cities, and found http://acepowdercoatinggarland.com/ which is about 4 hrs from here. Turns out this guy is right up the street from Kenny Tran @ JoTech and does all of their ceramic coating. Score! On
-10/6/14 I shipped the rears to Jocko @ Ace and on
-10/13/14, I had them back. Somehow the tip on one of them rubbed off on the packing plastic (it looked scratched, but the metal wasn't scratched?) so Jocko told me to send it back and he's reshoot it so on
-10/17/14 it went back and I got it back, pristine, on
-10/27/14.

This ordeal has been a labor of love, to say the least. Biggest hold ups were the first machine shop and the first ceramic coater. Between them both, I lost over 2 months.

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by Route 16

Would you be trying to pass smog with these?

My main concern was making sure the car didn't stink and that I was being environmentally conscious and not straight-piping. In Tx, as long as the check engine light isn't on, they don't smog. I had the CEL for "increased emissions" coded out, so it'll be fine.

[Route 16]

Originally Posted by whats77inaname

My main concern was making sure the car didn't stink and that I was being environmentally conscious and not straight-piping. In Tx, as long as the check engine light isn't on, they don't smog. I had the CEL for "increased emissions" coded out, so it'll be fine.

Your labor ordeal sounds like my body shop dilemma right now. I want to rip someones head off.
But cool idea on the emissions part. For a 328i, I was more into the idea that if (2) 100 or 200 cell cats would pass emissions enough for California.

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by Route 16

Your labor ordeal sounds like my body shop dilemma right now. I want to rip someones head off.
But cool idea on the emissions part. For a 328i, I was more into the idea that if (2) 100 or 200 cell cats would pass emissions enough for California.

Honestly, I'm not sure, my man. I know you guys are rather STRICT when it comes to stuff like this....one of the reasons the MRF is no longer in production, from what I understand.

[pbonsalb]

You could have bought an Eastwood tig, powder coater, blaster, and Swag band saw base and dewalt saw and done it faster and better.

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

You could have bought an Eastwood tig, powder coater, blaster, and Swag band saw base and dewalt saw and done it faster and better.

*lol* you mean given the 8 weeks lost? Yeppers, you're probably right, but being able to tig and being able to tig *well* are 2 different things. Coupled with the fact that the past 4 months I've been tackling this project as well as a couple other things with the car and my truck, my time is spread thin. Now that I'll know how to weld decently hopefully in a month or so, I'll be able to do more for myself and be less dependent on others.

[C ///M]

You said you cut the Corsa tips off and had other tips welded on. What tips did you get for the cans and from where?

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by C ///M

You said you cut the Corsa tips off and had other tips welded on. What tips did you get for the cans and from where?

Found them on this thread: www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=955461

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251481342301

I had them ceramic coated along with the mufflers.

[C ///M]

Originally Posted by whats77inaname

Found them on this thread: www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=955461

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251481342301

I had them ceramic coated along with the mufflers.

Hey, thanks very much.

Love your setup.

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by C ///M

Hey, thanks very much.

Love your setup.

You're quite welcome, and thank you.

Now that I've had a few days to drive it around, I'll have to admit I'm pleased as punch with it. Although it is obviously a bit louder than stock, it is truly "loud" only when I want it to be.

[SuckaGDog]

For the total amount you spent on getting the cats set up wouldn't you have been able to save money by buying them already welded in with reducers from HJS NA?

It sounds awesome btw.

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by SuckaGDog

For the total amount you spent on getting the cats set up wouldn't you have been able to save money by buying them already welded in with reducers from HJS NA?

It sounds awesome btw.

Actually, no, and here's why: they don't make what I needed *lol*, which is a 100 CEL cat w/pre-welded reducers that have a small end diameter of 2" or smaller, which is what is needed for welding it to the the x-pipe.

And thank you

[whats77inaname]

A couple more pics of the before and after of the cats. You can see how far the downstream 02 bung had to be moved.

[whats77inaname]

I shot this today to show how it sounds inside the car when cruising. Car is in 6th gear during this little shoot. I call out 70, 80, and 85 to identify the speed. When I mash the go pedal, it sounds *nothing* like this *lol*. The Corsa does an *excellent* job of keeping things quiet and drone free, just as advertised.

[jagman]

Please video some WOT runs, too. It would be nice to hear a comparison. Also, if you have the time, please video stop and go low speed stuff. I'd like to hear the sound as it goes from zero to 3000k RPM and back, etc. Thanks.

[imstimpy]

Originally Posted by whats77inaname

So here's the story about the "long time" part....apparently in Austin, quality welders are getting soooooooooooooo much work, they can afford to push small projects like this aside. Here's the novel. I feel like I should preface this post with "TL;DR".

After calling around and visiting a few metal fab places in and around the area (including places an hour away) and getting constantly turned away or being told 4-8 weeks, on [the following dates I experienced a lot of drama]...

This ordeal has been a labor of love, to say the least. Biggest hold ups were the first machine shop and the first ceramic coater. Between them both, I lost over 2 months.

Now that you are done with all that, I personally know two custom welders and one coatings guy that would/could expertly do all that work. They are in Austin, and do these sorts of jobs for a living.

I intend to have a similar job done, but my plan is to add HFCs to the primary cat delete pipes from Evolve. My concerns are similar: emissions and no drone.