Hi Guy,
yes they are reversed. not sure if this will work, as normally cat converters are 3 stage, 1st is o2 sensor adjusts AFR, 2nd stage is reduction catalyst with Rhodium which separates the Nitrogen from the Oxygen, and the third oxidation stage combines the resultant oxygen with the CO2, suggesting there is a sequence to the events.
However, the VE/VF cats are supposedly only 2 stage, which when i cut open for a look found only 1 substrate, not the usual 2.
the ones on the cob at the moment are not cut open yet, so i have 3 choices,
1. Leave as is and try it out putting an O2 bung in the header end.
2. Cut open the cat, reverse the substrate and reweld close, the substrate is only packed in wrapped with some insulation type material which slid out really easy.
3. Discard and put an aftermarket unit in.
Haven't decided yet, at the moment, ive welded the cat to a stand and using it to support the merge collector while i run the header pipes, making sure its all going to fit.
I still cant decide if i'm running undercar system or live pipes even.
4th Anniversary on my Cob last month, how time flys!
This is about as retro "old school" as I can make the LS look, I need to finish the headers now and its on with the body.