Any reason to keep the Cat converter?

[cochino12]

I dont have any emission requirements where I live and motor is carbed. So, is there any reason to keep the converter when I redo my exhaust?

I've always just yanked them off but was curious if they make any noticeable difference in exhaust note or maybe help with "old truck smelling exhaust" as my wife would say

[Matt Man]

Personally, I find it nice not to smell as much exhaust all the time...but I would take it off if I didn't need one. As you know its like having another resonator.

[truckin 79]

The smell alone is a good reason to keep it and it does not really hurt performance. Well unless it is the original 70s pellet type convertor otherwise the new honeycomb style flows pretty well.

[abig84]

if you remove it some are worth money. years ago when i gave the one off my 1990 c1500 to the scraper who used to come into work he gave me $90 for it, those things were gigantic. not quire sure how the 80s converters were, i owned like 5-6 80s trucks and never got one where the converter was left on it

[DieselSJ]

Besides it being a federal offense to remove or bypass any emissions device regardless if whether or not you have an inspection program, the only thing it does is keep the air cleaner for our kids and future generations.

[Malo83]

If you keep it go with a Magnaflow High Flow cat, happy with mine on my 3" single exhaust.

[HeavyD]

I remove mine off the old stuff, just another thing to plug up.

[D13]

Do you like your air clean and not smelling? A properly sized cat causes no performance issue and keeps emissions down. I'm no tree hugger but that's a part I don't delete.

Now, AIR pump and plumbing, that's a different story ( they rust out here in Michigan).

[Dead Parrot]

If you have the older pellet style, remove it and sell to salvage yard. For a daily driver, a properly sized honeycomb type doesn't impact performance much. Some folks use two on a true dual setup. The pellet style was so bad that when I replaced an empty pellet Cat with a cheap honeycomb Cat on a 79 Camaro, I got a 3mpg improvement.

DieselSJ is correct about the legal issues on removing emissions stuff. If your vehicle is state emission exempt, your chances of having problems are real small. If a LEO wanted to cause you grief, a missing Cat on a 80+ vehicle is an easy thing to spot.

[WyattTX]

My '85 c10 has it's cats removed, and I dont notice an unpleasent smell. In terms of performance I dont think it would hurt anything. Though I do know from experience on diesel trucks, removing the cats is a must, if you want maximum performance, and fuel economy. When they clog up it has very negative effects. On a gas engine I cant tell you much. But if it were my truck, I would remove them, because it pleasures me to know I am not succumbing to the influence of tree huggers. Its baby steps, first you keep your cats, and before you know it, you're driving a Prius!
If you are worried about a tree hugging LEO, get you some fake cats.