Need A New Left Cross Over Pipe
 

CAR: 1982 380SL 130K. registered in Arlington, VA

Both lead pipes badly rusted, the left crossover is literally broken in two.

Shop wants approx $2k to replace with new cats, etc.

Car no longer must pass inspection.

I cannot afford OEM system

So here where I am soliciting your advice: Do I:

A. Replace the system front to back, not OEM

B. Replace w/o cat.

Fake it, transfer m registration to a less "affluent" area, and don't worry about it.

Thoughts from the learned throngs?

Jim

Timevalve.com sells replacement pieces. If you are going to keep the car for a while, then a complete Timevalve system might be an option.

The Meinecke (sp?) shop in Falls Church is a good resource for repair/installation.

Euro vs US
 

Chuck,

I plan on keeping this one a long time.

Is there anything gained by going w/o a cat, by say geting a Euro exhaust from Timevalve?

or

Just go with what the engineers intended in this application?

You might gain a few horsepower and save a couple of bucks, but at the cost of dumping some extra carbon into the air. And you would be at risk on the safety inspections, since a cat is a safety item on post-1977 cars.

I also think that VA is going to get tougher on older cars given the worsening air quality situation and general tend toward going green. They have closed the loophole on antique plates and may follow California's lead on older cars.

So my advice/opinion is to go with the cat version.

Going with the Cats
 

Thanks for the advice. I am going to take it and get the cats.

Not worth a few bucks in the long run, and I can see Virginia taking a hard line on this in the future.

Thnks again,

Jim