is what I'm looking at on the stock exhaust manifold (the part that looks like a large snake after having eaten a large animal), my catalytic converter? if it is, then by installing a header, would i have in the process, deleted my cat?

 

If it's on the manifold then, yeah that's the cat. If it's further down the exhaust you might be thinking baout the resonator. I believe with you 6th gen guys you just have to move the cat.

 

6th gen DX/HX/LX have the catalytic converter integral to the header.

If you buy a header, please, have a high flow or regular cat welded into the stock mid pipe, it saves the environment, and I'd like my kids to have a healthy long life too. not to mention, it doesn't really increase performance

 

Would my car likelypass DEQ without a cat?

 

car will most likely not pass emissions without a cat converter.

honestly, if you've all ready got a catback system, changing from the DX to EX exhaust isn't that hard

 

Also if you relocate the cat, you will need to extend your O2 sensor wires to place them accordingly. The DX/HX/LX O2 sensors are right on top and bottom of the cat, with the EX/SI cat placement the O2 sensors are under/behind the motor....

If you're looking to get the most power out of the set up (reason to remove the cat) get a High flow cat, I read a test that showed the difference between a high flow and no cat being only like 5hp... high flow over oe was like 17hp....

 

catless decreases performance of the engine

 

EX header,EX cat, EX catback exhuast (all from 96 of course), and you're all set on your exhaust system, yea the 6th gen DX's have the gay header/cat combo, but if you are just getting a header (and no cat-back) you can just get a cat welded into your exhaust system and be set for emissions

 

https://www.hondacivicforum.com/m_279591/tm.htm

just to add to this statement i guess

 

in most cases...yes

in my experience...no