S14 catalytic convertor questions (ka, sr ??)
 

refer to this pic:
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...240exhaust.jpg

The "downpipe" type piece that those arrows point to is my concern. On my car (stock ka24de, on 1997 240sx) that pipe is split in two (cracked all the way around), and it's rusty. It's seriously annoying.
Oh yeah I LIVE IN CA, and would like to remaind smog legal (damn the five O )

From what I've figured out by searching, that pipe contains the catalytic converter, and the piece that looks like it would be a cat, is actually just a hollow resonator.

Being a broke a$$ college student I'm trying to get this fixed for as cheap as possible. A local shop told me they could weld it but they didn't think it would hold, and apparently the piece is like 700+ new.

Are there any other compatible "downpipes"?????
Pretty sure that a 95-96 USDM part will have the wrong size rear o2 sensor fitting....is this true?
Can I use a 95-96 or 97-98 SR20 downpipe? will it have a cat?

Am I stuck trying to get ONLY a 97-98 part?

Thanks in advance

If it's welded correctly, it will hold. Especially if you're using all exhaust hangers, the weld will definitely hold unless it's real shitty welds.

Otherwise you are correct. Only the '97-'98 models will work. Earlier ones have the wrong size O2 bung (though you could weld the correct bung in place), and nothing from other markets have a catalytic converter.

My 96 has a cat where you said the hollow resonator is.

So did my 95 unless the previous owner swapped it out.

yes, 95-96 have a hollow pipe, and a cat down low (below the car). For 97-98 this was changed to have the cat in the pipe, and then a hollow piece down below. This makes the two basically the opposite of each other, and makes 97-98 USDM cars different than all other cars :(

If you live in states that aren't stupid strict on emissions like CA (of if you live in select parts of CA) you could revise your 97-98 in order to match the earlier style of setup where you have a cat below the car and a hollow downpipe type setup.

Here in CA you're supposed to deal with the insane over priced nature of the cat/downpipe and it's use for only 2 years, on only like 7000 cars produced for the US :(

try ur local muffler shop....im sure they hav a knockoff oem cat... i got them lasttime i smoged...they look like oem..feel like oem and sound like oem but only cost around 200...onlything is u gotta weld the bung cuz they dont come wiht the bung