So my cat is plugged, and I need to either replace it, or hollow it out. It looks like it would be a pain to hollow, and the new ones are out of my price range right now. Even looking at O'reilly's at the universal one is over 200 bucks. Any options for getting a cat that is not gonna break the bank. ZZP is showing one for 60 bucks, but I don't know how I'll get it on there, I don't have access to a welder. Could I clamp it on?

you COULD clamp it on there, but it won't be the greatest seal ever. But if a band-aid is all you can afford right now, something is better than what you got goin right now, as long as you realize that you're gonna hafta pony up for the full surgery eventually.

Maybe someone installing an aftermarket downpipe would sell you their old one which would be a full bolt on install. My advice is to start putting a few drops of oil or some sort of rust eater on the downpipe bolts each day for a week so when it is time to remove them, they come right out. This has worked wonders for me in the past when I knew I was about to do exhaust work.

seam on my resonator is starting to open up. muff shop says they won't work on partial repairs. wants to do whole system. $800. not gonna happen. can buy a factory res with flange for $100. think i could find a shop to put it on.

Was that a mom n pop shop or a mineke/midas type place? I'd imagine any mom an pop would weld in the new resonator.

Or you could do like I did and get a whole stock catback from the junk yard.

every junkyard car i see has cat cut off. res is next to cat so odds of hacked up pipe is great. would be nice to find a res with flange still installed but i am sure mounting bolts would be rusty. such is life. would a boneyard res be any better shape than my res? maybe in ariz or cali?

When I grabbed my catback the pipe from the flange forward was cut so the flange was intact. It was a N. Tex car so the corrosion wasn't bad and the bolts came right out. Now on my car the corrosion was so bad the bolt heads were useless and the ends with the threads were pointy. Cutting wheel took the heads off and the flange seperated. Bolted the replacement in no issues. My catback was rotten like there was no tomorrow and the one I grabbed still looked new. Although if you go that route I suggest using a truck to take it home. It was too long to fit in the bed so I had the resonator end sitting over the cab with the muffs by the tailgate.