Snagged off a Bonneville.. It's a BEAST- Converter

**sledge** · 02-01-2014, 05:39 PM

All-
So I'm dying to know what this one will bring. It better pay well- Broke my %@#@ sawzall cutting it off. 1997 Bonneville- I swear the exhaust pipes were made of bedrock!

**Mick** · 02-01-2014, 06:33 PM

Can you weigh it to make sure it's not an aftermarket?

**Damotademon7** · 02-01-2014, 07:21 PM

Is that one of them double wall exhaust pipes ? I know some cars have the double wall pipe that's I have a hard time cutting threw. It's not just the double wall but the metal they use to. It burns a blade up fast and I don't use the cheap ones ether.

**sledge** · 02-01-2014, 09:49 PM

Mick- Its definitely an OEM.. no worries there.

Damotademon7: I think where I was cutting it was indeed double wall. I put a brand new Lenox blade on it, couldn't get it to "bite" stopped the sawzall and pulled it out to check the blade: It smoothed a whole line of teeth. I was like What the WHAT? So I changed blades again (up to the 3rd one) and I hear "PING.. Clang" as I literally see the end shaft that holds the blade into the saw puke all over the trailer. DAAAAMN!

**Mechanic688** · 02-02-2014, 12:56 AM

Sounds like double wall SS to me. Didn't find anything about it but a few companies mention using 304 SS

**WoodmanYoel** · 02-02-2014, 03:00 AM

I cut one of those converters off other day! You are right they are a pain in the ass! The metal is **** thick - I only got the rear side off and I had to rip the front part off with the 4x4 and a chain. I think I got $120 for mine! Its always best to go nice and slow with a zawzall lol

**sledge** · 02-02-2014, 07:36 AM

Looked at the end cuts- rear was single wall and front facing was double wall. The double wall was what did my sawzall in. I started with the front because I always work the most difficult cut first.. I knew the rear cut would be an easier reachable straight downward cut. I always do run my blade slowish to get my "bite", once I feel that bite, it is hammering at full speed. Generally I can get a converter off a vehicle in under 2 minutes. This one.. Ooooh *SHAKES FIST* HA HA!

**corycouch** · 02-02-2014, 09:09 AM

It's definitely a GM, there are two kinds of those and I always forget which is which. One is a high grade and ones a regular, the difference is the gap or the flat spot between the biscuits, ones a wider and the other is narrow. They both pay really well, if it is a high grade it will easy be over $100. If it's a regular it will be around your breadloaf prices

Edit, sledge, on those (breadloafs the same way) cut the rear single layer first(you can cut the rear from the bottom to the top similar to using a chainsaw on a log that has a dip on the ground)that will relieve the pressure causing the vibration on the front cut. Cut the front from the top to bottom

**sawmilleng** · 02-02-2014, 01:42 PM

I was told by a knowledgeable guy to check the pipes around a cat since quite a few are stainless nowadays. I think he meant on the inlet side but don't know for sure. Your magnet is your friend here.

Stainless can be a bear to cut. Zipcuts might be less painful to use.

Just a possiblility for another few dollars to be milked off a car....

Jon.

**sledge** · 02-02-2014, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by corycouch

It's definitely a GM, there are two kinds of those and I always forget which is which. One is a high grade and ones a regular, the difference is the gap or the flat spot between the biscuits, ones a wider and the other is narrow. They both pay really well, if it is a high grade it will easy be over $100. If it's a regular it will be around your breadloaf prices

Edit, sledge, on those (breadloafs the same way) cut the rear single layer first(you can cut the rear from the bottom to the top similar to using a chainsaw on a log that has a dip on the ground)that will relieve the pressure causing the vibration on the front cut. Cut the front from the top to bottom

Thanks brother!! Yep you are right, the guys at the core buyer will fill me in once I get there with the gaps and the biscuits. Should do just fine on it.. it was just a Son-of-a-biscuit to get off! But I got her.. Had to finish her off with a grinder!!

**Focker** · 02-02-2014, 11:11 PM

If you look at one end it will have a/c stamped in it.It so and the line goes all the way across then it is a large gm and should be anywhere from $100-$130

**SuperDave** · 02-03-2014, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by sledge42

Thanks brother!! Yep you are right, the guys at the core buyer will fill me in once I get there with the gaps and the biscuits. Should do just fine on it.. it was just a Son-of-a-biscuit to get off! But I got her.. Had to finish her off with a grinder!!

Funny, I like to start with the grinder, cut what I can and finish with the sawzall.

ps that is a Large GM 118$ from my buyer. Good score!

Was the Bonneville supercharged?

**sledge** · 02-03-2014, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by WoodmanYoel

I cut one of those converters off other day! You are right they are a pain in the ass! The metal is **** thick - I only got the rear side off and I had to rip the front part off with the 4x4 and a chain. I think I got $120 for mine! Its always best to go nice and slow with a zawzall lol

Our Core Buyers are on the same level. Converter graded as a "GM" $120. Paid for the Sawzall. HA!

**sledge** · 02-03-2014, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by SuperDave

Funny, I like to start with the grinder, cut what I can and finish with the sawzall.

ps that is a Large GM 118$ from my buyer. Good score!

Was the Bonneville supercharged?

No Supercharger

Just the Supercharger alone will bring near $200. And I'm sure would have been the first thing to sell.. had the car had one. No worries though. Made out well.. all I care about He He!

**SparrowMetals** · 02-03-2014, 04:38 PM

Large GM, and $120 is a good price. The wider ones like that with the narrow gap between the biscuits are the good X-Body GMs. The narrow gap X-Body is usually found on the big Caddy Sedan DeVilles and Eldorados. Those beasts can bring you $150-160 each. Sadly, they're not all that common, but I do get a few of them pretty regularly.

When I first started out buying cats, I bought two of the wide-body, wide-gap Large GMs and paid X-Body on them. I quickly learned not to do that again

There are some standard Large GMs that look almost exactly like an X-Body. On the X-Body, the gap between the bricks is only about the width of a finger. That is the most important thing to look for. I've found that most of them also have a faint rectangular impression right in the middle of the heat shield, too, for whatever reason. Older ones look like an overgrown 4-Dot GM cat, but with six dots instead of four. These will still have the big bricks with the narrow gap.

This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about X-Body GM cats, but I hope it helps

**sledge** · 02-04-2014, 06:13 AM

Originally Posted by SparrowMetals

Large GM, and $120 is a good price. The wider ones like that with the narrow gap between the biscuits are the good X-Body GMs. The narrow gap X-Body is usually found on the big Caddy Sedan DeVilles and Eldorados. Those beasts can bring you $150-160 each. Sadly, they're not all that common, but I do get a few of them pretty regularly.

When I first started out buying cats, I bought two of the wide-body, wide-gap Large GMs and paid X-Body on them. I quickly learned not to do that again

There are some standard Large GMs that look almost exactly like an X-Body. On the X-Body, the gap between the bricks is only about the width of a finger. That is the most important thing to look for. I've found that most of them also have a faint rectangular impression right in the middle of the heat shield, too, for whatever reason. Older ones look like an overgrown 4-Dot GM cat, but with six dots instead of four. These will still have the big bricks with the narrow gap.

This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about X-Body GM cats, but I hope it helps

Ha.. Are you kidding? We LOVE this kind of information! I just got done eating breakfast and THIS was my dessert! Thanks Sparrow! Keep preaching.. All of us who deal with Cats.. love this kind of info.. and there are few people who possess it and are willing to share it!

**Focker** · 02-04-2014, 04:19 PM

seems like i was spot on lol

**SparrowMetals** · 02-04-2014, 10:12 PM

Glad I could help. One of the things that keeps my converter sellers coming back is the information that I share with them. My main local competitor pretty much begged me not to "educate" people too much, and not to "torpedo" him. Before I came along, he (and others) got really complacent with being able to get away with pretty much anything when it came to buying cats. Mis-grading, under-grading, buying $100 Toyota cats as a "foreign pre"... you name it.

It sounds like you guys have good, honest buyers. That's a good thing, as they can be hard to find in some areas. My big buyer that I sell to is great. I learned more from him in a half hour than I did from all of my past buyers in five years.

Before I got into the converter business, I would save up my cats from exhaust jobs and junkers that I parted out. I found out too late that I had lost a LOT of $$$ being cheated and lied to by bad converter buyers. That was really the driving force that made me want to get into the business. I enjoy helping my sellers and anyone else with IDing their cats. Plus, it's hard to find people who actually enjoy talking about these ugly, rusty things as much as I do. For that, I thank you guys. The SMF rules!

**sledge** · 02-05-2014, 06:09 AM

Sparrow-
Yes indeed, my core buyer is the best. We have a big grouping of core buyers in one little town.. and boy can you tell that some are shady. Doing this now for a while and it being in a small town, word travels fast about who is on the "up and up" and who will "take advantage of you in a second" Lucky for me I was introduced to my core buyer right off the bat and have never gone elsewhere!

**Focker** · 02-05-2014, 09:52 PM

Yeah you have to find someone good.That is why i make a 200 mile round trip when i take my stuff in.Been going to them for 5 years and are great and very honest.
But there are alot out there that cheat and lie because half of the people they buy from don't have a clue what is what and think i got 50 for that is awesome when they may have gotten 75-maybe 150.

I try my best to help people out on here with what it should be worth and stuff.the best i can.