Will Fiero Store "Test Pipe" fit 88 four cylinder?

[Raydar]

As stated above...
The Fiero Store does not list a test pipe for the 88 Duke. Just the V6. It looks to me like the pipe to the cat, and the flange/connection are essentially the same.
Does anyone know for sure? Pat?

[Fierofool]

I'm not home to check the Duke, but I think there's a shield around the pipe, just before the cat that acts as a throttle body warmer.  As soon as the engine starts, it produces heat and that heat's pulled up to help prevent icing to the throttle body.  It might be possible to cut the cat inlet real close and retain the heat riser.  You could probably always cut the test pipe down to the length you need. 

[Raydar]

Hmmm... You might be right about the shield. I forgot about that. Sounds... familiar?
Don't go to a bunch of trouble. I can get down there and just look at mine.

I'm thinking of making the cat go bye-bye. Didn't want to spend the money on the "J" pipe if it won't work. Thought maybe Pat had already been down this road, since he's got an 88 Duke.

[TopNotch]

87 and 88 dukes don't have the shield, or any heated air going to the intake.

[Raydar]

Pat, does yours still have the cat? Did you install the "J" pipe? (for off road use only, of course.)

[TopNotch]

My 88 duke still has a cat In fact, it's the cat that used to be on my old 86. They take the same cat, and so they will take the same straight pipe.
My 86 became exempt from emission tests before my 88 did due to being older, and my 88 had burned out it's cat due to a spark plug wire coming off of the ignition "brick" resulting in raw gas flowing through the cat. so I put the cat off the 86 on it in order to pass emissions. It is a Rodney Dickman cat.

[Fierofool]

I may not get home for another day or two to look.  But, I have a dual exhaust system with Formula style tips that has the heat riser shield.  I dont think it has the converter on it.  I always thought it came from an 88.  I think i got it from Pat.

[TopNotch]

I may not get home for another day or two to look.  But, I have a dual exhaust system with Formula style tips that has the heat riser shield.  I dont think it has the converter on it.  I always thought it came from an 88.  I think i got it from Pat.

Not from me. I did replace the muffler on my 88 duke, because it had a rattle in it, but I still have the old one.

[Raydar]

I've got a cat-back dual system that came off a parted-out Indy. I don't know if it will fit on my coupe or not. (Although I'm pretty sure I can "persuade" it.)
I was going to use it with the Fiero Store test pipe, and eliminate the cat altogether.   

[Fierofool]

I think the systems are pretty much the same (bends) after the catalytic converter.  All systems will pass through the notch in the cradle and will hang at the same points, whether single or dual.  You could probably drop the original, put it on a big sheet of cardboard and trace it to see if the mods would match up. 

[f85gtron]

Not quite inline with what you originally asked, but you can take it or leave it accordingly:
Pipes sound too tinny and drone. Install a resonator or glass pack to keep the lower tones in the exhaust note.

[Raydar]

Ron,
Point taken. I'm just trying to get *some* kind of sound out of it.
Having said that... one of the most pleasant sounding Fiero systems I've ever heard (at least to my ear) was a cammed 3.4, through an Ocelot exhaust, with no cat. Similar to the Formula fastback at Charlie's. (I don't know if that one has a cat or not.)

If mine sounds like azz without the cat, I can always add it back. I also have a "Rodney" cat, in storage. Might be preferable to the ancient stocker.

[TopNotch]

I had to put a straight pipe on my silver Formula, because the element in the cat broke loose, and was rattling around. I didn't get anything special from the Fiero Store, just a piece of exhaust pipe from a parts store. It's louder than with the cat, but sounds OK (not tinny or anything like that).