Hi again guys,

Turns out that the clanking noise I described in the previous thread
on chain slap was coming from inside the right catalytic converter of
my 380sl.  It's particularly noticeable when I start the car on cold
mornings, and dissipates shortly afterwards, as it warms up, for
reasons I don't fully understand.

I had a custom mufffler shop put the cat  -- - a Walker universal, I
think -- on  for me about 5 years ago, because the straight pipe
system they had made for me was too loud. So, replacing the cat at
this point should be fairly easy.

I suspect that something inside the cat, like a baffle,  broke off,
but why it stops shortly after the car starts running is a mystery.
Has anybody seen this before, and does anyone happen to know who makes
the best universal cat. At this point,  I'm considering Goerlich.
Magnaflow, Eastern, and D.E.C.

Thanks very much for any advice anyone can give me on cats, and for
the previous responses.