There's plenty of threads on here about exhausts, but none of them seem to be conclusive. I'll be using the Magna Y pipe with one cat and can't decide if I want the longevity and drone of the Borla, or settle with the Bosal. I don't plan on keeping my low mileage '96, with original exhaust, for more than 5 years, and would like to hear some other testimonies. Also, what accessories (part numbers) should I plan on getting if I get either one of these kits, such as hangers, isolation blocks, gaskets, etc. I will have a local Cruiser specialist do the install. Thanks!
'96 Borla or Bosal Cat back?
- Thread starter AMX390
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I put a Borla single cat back on my 1997 2 weeks or 500 miles ago. If you use Borla, part# 14590 is what you want. It comes with hanger points and is a great fit. Includes the bungs for your 02 sensors. It is a good idea to install it a muffler shop in order to tweak the hanger locations.
I’d offer to unbolt mine and sell the whole thing to you, but, I don’t know how I would get it to the Lou?
devo
I’d offer to unbolt mine and sell the whole thing to you, but, I don’t know how I would get it to the Lou?
devo
Bosal is in general a pile of flaming garbage but St. Louis doesn't really get winter I'm assuming? If not then it will get the job done but any amount of snow, salt etc and it will look ten years old after one season. A quality muffler shop could do a much better job just doing crush bends and you can source new mounts etc for them.
LC4LIFE
Supporting Vendor
Mine has been running the Borla for nearly 20yrs. The first setup started falling apart about 4 years ago and they warrantied it, completely. The new cat-back was installed, but did have some alignment issues at the hangers. I would say it's not as quiet as stock or the Bosal, but its not very loud. No drone or anything like that, just a bit louder.
The sound is not a big issue. As stated above, not too loud but louder than stock.
It’s good stainless steel and that might get you 5 years out of it, even in the Lou!
devo
I have found the Borla sound intrusive ... BUT I am in Southern Ontario -- a real rust belt and the Borla has been bulletproof ... its at least 7 years now ... forgotten actually how long. BTW the factory muffler on my '97 LX450 was not very well designed and one of the tinny hangers broke -- twice ... which is why I finally went to the Borla. Quality wise I have nothing but good things to say about the Borla ... just wish it was a little bit quieter.
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Ok, great and thanks, Borla it is. Will the flanges from the Magnaflow Y and the Borla cat back line up and work together? Should I get other items such as gaskets or isolators? One cat does not throw any codes on mine right now, should I stick with one on the new install?
I believe that the cat flanges are universal and any exhaust shop will have gaskets. I used the Borla down pipe. You only have to worry about the distance from your cat to where the Borla cat back flange pipe starts. So, again, the exhaust shop should be able to make up the space with the cat delete pipe that replaces your second cat.
devo
devo
alia176
SILVER Star
I have the Bosal cat back with a SS oval shaped resonator from Summit (I think).. The tail pipe resonator from Bosal is just a magnifier of sound and I hated the way it sounded. I like a quite I-6 engine sound but a throaty V8 sound.
At that time, I made a mandrel bent 2.5" pipe up (bought a "J" shape pipe from CL) and over the frame rail and connected to the 2 1/8" Bosal system. This has worked out well for my application. I have a single Magnaflow cat (non CA ) 2.5" inlet/outlet so I did throw a "catalyst below threshold" CEL and did a cheap circuit to fool the ECU using caps and resistors or some such thing. During this fun exercise, I also shortened the downpipe by an inch or so in order to raise the cat even higher. Then, a new cat skid plate dealio was created.
I'm ready for a turbo
Oh, I ran w/o a cat for a short while and that sucked. That unburnt fuel vapor was awful for me and anyone spotting me while wheeling. It burns your nose internals!
At that time, I made a mandrel bent 2.5" pipe up (bought a "J" shape pipe from CL) and over the frame rail and connected to the 2 1/8" Bosal system. This has worked out well for my application. I have a single Magnaflow cat (non CA ) 2.5" inlet/outlet so I did throw a "catalyst below threshold" CEL and did a cheap circuit to fool the ECU using caps and resistors or some such thing. During this fun exercise, I also shortened the downpipe by an inch or so in order to raise the cat even higher. Then, a new cat skid plate dealio was created.
I'm ready for a turbo
Oh, I ran w/o a cat for a short while and that sucked. That unburnt fuel vapor was awful for me and anyone spotting me while wheeling. It burns your nose internals!
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This is what I did on my 96 LC.
I did it in two half-days in my driveway, fit up was excellent. I re-used my factory resonator/tailpipe. The only thing the list below doesn't include are the nuts and the gaskets for the O2 sensors.
I chose to buy the Toyota gaskets based on many statements from other folks n here, even though the wye and the muffler came with gaskets.
I also sprayed two coats of 1000°F clear paint on my wye and muffler and cats to extend it's life in the Kansas winters.
I have had it on for about 3 weeks now, and I had one major concerning rattle that turned out to be a heat shield. I have one more rattle that I need to chase down, but it's not very annoying.
Sound wise, the Bosal is nice and quiet, comparable to factory. It does have a little deep rumble when I back out of the throttle such as when slowing down on the interstate by backing off the throttle, but not in the least bit annoying.
I had one manifold stud that decided to back out when removing, so I installed a new one. I bought ALL hardware necessary, and I'm glad I did. I have a few left over because I chose not to use them, but it was well worth the "insurance policy" of having them on hand.
I was also able to do the removal and install without removing my WKOR sliders!
forum.ih8mud.com
I did it in two half-days in my driveway, fit up was excellent. I re-used my factory resonator/tailpipe. The only thing the list below doesn't include are the nuts and the gaskets for the O2 sensors.
I chose to buy the Toyota gaskets based on many statements from other folks n here, even though the wye and the muffler came with gaskets.
I also sprayed two coats of 1000°F clear paint on my wye and muffler and cats to extend it's life in the Kansas winters.
I have had it on for about 3 weeks now, and I had one major concerning rattle that turned out to be a heat shield. I have one more rattle that I need to chase down, but it's not very annoying.
Sound wise, the Bosal is nice and quiet, comparable to factory. It does have a little deep rumble when I back out of the throttle such as when slowing down on the interstate by backing off the throttle, but not in the least bit annoying.
I had one manifold stud that decided to back out when removing, so I installed a new one. I bought ALL hardware necessary, and I'm glad I did. I have a few left over because I chose not to use them, but it was well worth the "insurance policy" of having them on hand.
I was also able to do the removal and install without removing my WKOR sliders!
Bosal , your $200 cat-back option
I wanted to put this here for anybody thinking of re-doing there exhaust. When I started this project my exhaust was bad, really bad. It was leaking at the seal between the rear cat and the cat-back. Only one of the exhaust hangers had not rusted off and it was being held by some pipe strap...
forum.ih8mud.com
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More Pics for reference
I considered the Borla but really wanted to get away from the under the frame setup. If you're not wheeling much it should be fine. I ended up doing the Magnaflow y-pipe with the one cat, ditched the counterweight on the transfer case, and had an exhaust shop run the pipe over the frame behind the cat. They used a knock off Magnaflow muffler and no resonator, dumped behind the passenger rear tire. It's tucked up high and, while I can hear it on the road, I wouldn't call it droney. Was a ton cheaper than the Borla too. Good custom exhaust shops are a little hard to come by nowadays though.
