Removing the muffler via a handful of bolts made the job MUCH easier. Didn't use a pipe spreader, just a rubber mallet.

 

Here it is.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B005ADY8V4/

Probably should have bought one years ago. I'll hold off until I get the stuff apart and see what I need. I probably have 6 different sized "Lotus Wrenches" (rubber mallets) also.

 

Yeah, I saw that, Greg, after I already order the Lotus part. So, gotta deal with what I have on the way.

 

I'm in MA and we have strict emission testing and have had no problem getting sticker with my GRP cat delete

 

Thats right, even in Cali it should work. For certification a manufacture most show compliance for 100k miles, they add bandages for degradation margin. The only other "test" to pass is the [non intrusive] visual exam. Thank you Lotus for all the undersheilds.

 

I started the install. Don didn't have the Lotus part in stock, none in the country, several weeks from the motherland, etc., but he did have a stainless one with the proper V band clamp thing, so I "upgraded" my order to that. I dropped the muffler assembly. After dinking with the cat, it finally got to the point that it wouldn't go back any further and still wasn't out of the muffler, so only 4 bolts and a vacuum hose and the whole assembly was down. Some Lotus Wrench and it was apart.

I bought that Amazon muffler pipe expander. It's really nice. I should have bought that years ago. Took seconds to expand out the muffler end, which is slotted, so just had to be bent open a tad. I really think a HF "make it round, sort of, again" tool would have worked for that, but, I've had my eye on that proper tool so now I have it.

At the moment, it's all bolted up and hanging in the right place. I just need to put the diffuser back on and get it off the ramps. I'm going to take this opportunity to figure out some place to put a battery connector and a trunk latch manual cable before I finish putting it back together.

I've owned a few Lotus over the past 40 years. 3 Europas (counting the 2 I have now), Stevens Esprit, Elise and this Evora. This car is the best built Lotus I have ever owned. I am continuously impressed with the quality of the parts and attention to detail. The exhaust hanger bolts had paint marks on them, race car style, so you can tell at a glance if they had loosened up, as one example.

 

For anyone browsing this thread and curious about passing emissions in California, I was able to pass today.

It was actually only a visual inspection and the car didn’t go on the dyno. The smog guy told me that as of 3 years ago you don’t need to put cars on the dyno if they’re 2010 or newer.

Edit: For the record, it was a 17 Evora 400 w/ GRP decat.

 

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I’ve personally heard the 400 decat, such an amazing sound. Beautiful car by the way!

 

I give you the answer mates! The 3rd kat remove is a good thing for the combustion system overall. Sounds get INCREDIBLE, everybody turns and take pics. AMAZING. For what concern performances, do not expect too much. the real benefit you would have reducing the cells just under the engine, where temperature and back pressure are really high. but becomes expensive and dangerous and non sense if you do not increase intake air pressure. Just as an example , for what concern performance, a Direct Air Intake well manufactured increase EVIDENTLY the performance itself much more than the 3rd kat remove (20 hp). Now I'm replacing the pulley to increase boost a little and later I'll decide the first kat (not revmoval , but reduce cells). this has a sense. Anyway, I purchased the GRP 3rd kat removal and I have hit brand new in my garage because when I lift my car for the very first time, I discovered that the ex owner, has already replaced it... so if anyone is interested it's brand new, GRP and I may give you very reasonable price. Cheers

 

By the way I have a brand new one from GRP never touched cause I was going to install and I discovered that the previous owner ALREADY replaced it... I can give discounted. Contact by PM