Temperature effect inside cab

My 1987 V12 catalytic converters are intact as from the factory. My question is if i gut them would this reduce their operating temperature significantly. Car is a pleasure to drive but not in the summer due to heat coming from under the hood. AC is not working and has not for years. Have to fix my heart first and if repair go OK will get AC working.

Hello Don,

Fix your heart ? Wow. Yes, I would rather have a working pumper than a running V12 engine. Best of luck on that. As for your question…a cat converter works at temps that are higher than the exhaust pumped out of the cylinders…just to burn up all those residual bad gases. There’s a ton on info on the net about the temp differentials. pre and post cat. My V12 cats use to turn the grass brown if parked in the yard. It’s a wonder the grass didn’t catch fire, and then the car. Saw that happen on TV to a police car on the show “Cops”, that got stuck in a pasture while chasing a bad guy. So, I suppose the question may be, is there any insulation buffer above the cats and the floor ? Maybe adding that is better than gutting the cats ? Not sure gutting the cats is going to reduce heat from the engine compartment. You are basically sitting on the cats. SD Faircloth

I removed my cats on my 88 V12. Engine bay still gets hot. About the only thing it helped is the heat around power steering rack, i was able to remove the shields for rubber boots. Also easier to change oil filter. Only con, my exhaust is much smellier. And you’ll have to relocate O2 sensors.

Like others, I redid my entire visit exhaust, went to European down pipes which have no cats or honeycomb restrictors, and went to a single pair of cats back behind the transmission, above which there is a heat insulation fiber board. I noticed little or no difference in under hood temps and zero difference in engine operating temp.

That’s a major benefit.

In my 1995 there is pretty substantial “black rubber” insulation under the carpet. I assume it is sound insulation but it may also provide some thermal insulation. Looks to ge about 1 1/2 inch thick high density