Motors Replacing a catalytic converter

Well, instead of getting a hooptie, as I was thinking of before, I am getting a relative's 1995 Buick Century.

He removed the catalytic converter to diagnose a problem and the car is now working fine, but sans-cat.

Now that I'm going to be taking over the car and need to pass emissions, I need to get a new converter put in. I've heard there are 3 options:

1. Buy an aftermarket bolt-on cat and hope the exhaust system is in tact enough to assemble it.
2. Buy a universal and get some help welding it on.
3. Have my local muffler shop weld on a universal

I've been told the universals can cost as little as $150USD installed. Is there any truth to this?

Tips?

 

Option 3.

 

magnaflow high flow universal cat (2.25" piping) will run you about $85 before shipping

installed easily for $150 at a decent shop

 

Okay, so where's an update:
1. Tires cost more than I wanted them to because I'm a sucker for lifetime warranties.
2. Taxes make me sick.
3. I failed emissions and need a catalytic converter (surprise surprise)

I have the $$ to have it installed, but since I'm hoping to buy a house within the year I'm hoping to be as frugal as possible.

So I'm asking the same question (should I install the converter myself with some friends that like to weld, or have it installed? doing it myself would run around $100 and having it done would run around $350)

So here's the new info:

I have a friend who's dad loves to do things himself and has been a (good) steel detailer for over 20 years. He also likes to do the stuff himself and build his own steel structures and a few car parts (mainly steel bumpers and racks and whatnot).

I also have a friend who has replaced his entire exhaust system himself before using little more than jacks and jack stands to lift the vehicle. He can be bought for the price of a few beers and I'll be providing him some free server help this month anyway. (He took over a development server I built a few years ago and I still have most of the passwords )

Anyway, do these details change the answer, or is it really worth it to have it done?

Also, if I just buy an Exhaust Manifold and a Catalytic Converter to go with it, it would cost similar to having just the Catalytic Converter replaced and would probably look nicer under the hood, and I'm sure replacing a stock 12 year old manifold has to help somehow, right?

Plus wouldn't that mean I could bolt-on the converter as opposed to welding it on?

 

With the right manifold you should be able to bolt it on, and all going to plan you could fit it on your own in under 2 hours, easily.

 

A friend made a good point, for $350 I could probably replace the manifold and catalytic converter (and possibly the oxygen sensor), whereas for $350 - $400 I could have a warrantied part that won't leak and will be more likely to ensure I pass emissions...

I'm going to head over to our local auto parts store (NAPA seems to be the only guys in town that will tell me if my part is in stock, and actually carries what I need) and check out prices and what the clerk would recommend. I'm also going to flip through the Chilton manual for the car to see what they say about replacing the exhaust manifold and catalytic converter.

Here's hoping I can replace most of it myself, but I'd hate to put it up on jack stands just to find out it is a much more difficult job than I thought and then wind up paying twice over to get it re-done by professionals.

I can rebuild a PC pretty quick, replace hoses and alternators and the basic stuff on my car, but I've never done as large of a job as replacing the exhaust manifold and catalytic converter.

Are there certain brands I should look for or stay away from? I wouldn't mind just getting some temporary plates and spending a while waiting for some higher performance parts to come in the mail if I can get them for the same price. (You know, since brick-and-mortar shops charge extra for being convenient and to cover overhead you can sometimes buy nicer parts online.. right?)

 

Okay, I finally just talked to about 5 or 10 people in person about the task, and each one, after mentioning it already has a patch-kit bolted in place that has worked fine for the past 4 years, has recommended just bolting on a replacement for around $100 including tools and bolts.

I just bought the Cat for $80USD and a few u-bolts for about $4, and went ahead and paid about $30 for a nice torque wrench. (Primarily because I didn't have one and thought it a nice tool to have in the set, not to mention proper torque might help avoid bending the pipes and causing leaks)

So any advice before I tackle this job on Wednesday (2 may 2007) feel free to post. My thought is if I can't get it sealed properly I'll try some exhaust sealant, and if that doesn't work I'll see if I can just pay someone $100 to seal it properly at a shop. (In which case I will have only saved $100 instead of $200, but I still got to learn something and buy a new tool.)