OK exhaust guru's... I would like some thoughts and opinions...

92 F150 5.0 Auto

Basic yard truck and back up DD.

Piecing together my exhaust.

At this point no engine or power mods.

POSSIBILITY (eventually) of doing Explorer intake swap.

Ordering these headers:



Summit Racing SUM-G9035 - Summit Racing® Truck Headers - Overview - SummitRacing.com

and this cat:



Item Details

And I have a brand-new. still-in-the-box one of these laying in the garage:



Here is the catch...

I was gonna run 2.5" pipe and a 2.5" converter.

I thought the muffler was 2.5" in/out.

It's not. It's 2.25".

What do you guys think?

Will running 2.25" pipe and a 2.25" converter make that big of a difference?

What about running all 2.5" until I get to the muffler and stepping down there?

Just trying to save a little $$ using parts I already have...

Unlike some people, I am not just looking for ways to make my truck "sound mean" or make it "louder" just for the sake of it being loud and I certainly am not trying to make it crackle and pop, and sound like a poorly tuned engine with multiple exhaust leaks...

Thanky...

-cmc-

 

Yeah a 2.25" catback will be fine, those components will flow better than the stock stuff(assuming you gut or remove the stock cats) so you will still see power gains.

 

Yes, stock cats and Y-pipe will go away and be replaced with a custom y-pipe bent by a reputable local shop (they do work for the FD and also give FF's a discount).

That will feed the new single cat.

Next question is where to put the longer run of pipe...

BETWEEN the cat and the muffler or after the muffler?

I am going to do a simple side exit in front of the rear wheels.

-cmc-

 

Yeah, 2.25" will flow well enough, and those components will flow better than stock. You should be good. The 2.5" would have been good too, but not necessary.

 

Cool.

And thanks.

Next question...

 

Put the muffler about midship of the truck with the cat close to the stock location.. do not put the muffler towards the rear or you'll have a bad droning problem in the cab. Summit has a few Y pipes with cat converters for these trucks(see link) and the Bassini Y pipe is available with and without a cat. Another thing you could do if the stock Y pipe is still solid(it is stainless) is cut it off just behind the Y and remove the honeycomb from that first section, and then attach all your aftermarket parts behind that.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MPE-93307/

 

I'd go 2.5" after the cat. The exhaust shop probably doesn't have a mandrel bender and will collapse the pipes at the bends. If you can find for your truck, long tube headers would be a better option.

 

Thanks.

I thought about using a direct fit y-pipe/cat kit, but I am pretty sure having the pipe bent and pieceing it together is simply more cost effective...

Since I am not going for super high performance, just upgrading 18-year-old OE stuff cost does play a pretty big role.

Summit has a 2.5" in/out universal fit cat for $56.



Walker Exhaust 15038 - Walker Super Converters - Overview - SummitRacing.com

Remember, I've got the muffler laying in the garage too (it was originally for my Grand Cherokee... I ended up using a Flowtech Afterburner on that... and never returned the Dynomax).

Gonna swing by the shop in the morning and get a price from them to bend and weld the y-pipe, and weld in the cat and muffler.

Getting the cat close to stock location will be easy enough. Then a short intermediate pipe to clear the tranny crossmember and the muffler.

Thinking a longer pipe after the muffler, then a 45 degree elbow and a tip exiting just in front of the rear spring hanger.

Make sense?

-cmc-

 

Yes that cat is cheaper, and while you won't notice a difference in airflow, do you really want to go cheaper? The Eastern Cat from Bear River has twice the warranty but it not double the price. A $56 cat can only be so cheap by removing all the quality features and stripping it down to a minimally functional unit. Catalytic converter are not commodities, there are vastly different quality variations between brands and product lines. The Eastern cat has a longer warranty because it has the latest generation OEM coating techniques, better insulmat, thicker steel, and is built to be the last converter you will ever need, so much so that they guarantee them for 5 years. The cheap walker cat uses less precious metal (less durability), cheaper insulmat (this results in the converter rattling loose over time), thinner steel (part warps and flexes as it heats up), and is engineered to have an ok chance at lasting about 2 years which is the minimum allowable federally mandated warranty.

I recommend that even if you don't want to spend a lot on this, there are some parts where you will get a lot more for only a little more money. I might add that the Summit description at the bottom of the page does not apply to this part#. This is an ordinary cheapo converter. Summit knows next to nothing about converters other than that they can make money selling them.

 

Thanks dude. I appreciate your knowledge and insight... that is why I posted this series of questions here... because I know there are people like you with A LOT more knowledge than I have...

(If any of you have questions about JEEP suspensions, lemme know... I've been wrenching on them for ten years... heh.)

I know there are times when price can simply not be the deciding factor.

RockAuto has a 2.5" Eastern converter for $69... about $15 cheaper than BearRiver before shipping...



http://http://www.rockauto.com/catal...amecatalog.php

Different part number though...

What do you think of Magnaflow converters... I have heard some people swear BY them and others swear AT them...

There are tons on eBay for about the same price point.

Thanks again!

-cmc-