Are the rear catalytic converter hangers important?

Hi,

I had a rattling sound coming from within the heat shield and was about to pull a trigger on a new rear converter when I brought the car to the mechanic to replace my wheels and he isolated the problem to a loose and rusted hangers that were causing the noise. Without even saying a word, he extracted them like teeth and told me to keep them in case I ever replace the converter. That got rid of the sound, sure, but now I wonder... can I be driving without the rear cat attached to the hangers with those rubber bushings? Any dangers? Should I find a replacement and weld it?

Thanks!

Only if you care about the bolts on either side of the midpipe shearing off.

thuzil said:

Only if you care about the bolts on either side of the midpipe shearing off.

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What's the probability of that happening? Also, what are my alternatives (are these hangers even sold separately)?

Just weld some if they're not