--snip--
I had an aftermarket CAT installed on my 84 GL about 8 years ago.
It was a cheapo. I wasn't too happy about its look. But liked the
price (less than $100). So far it never failed any SMOG test.
--snip--

I wonder if, 8 years ago, a cat at that price without markup was pretty
close in quality/construction to OEM?

Cya,
Robert