Borla Woes - Any Advice on this Updated Cluster?

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Deanwam8

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So for anyone who has not read my below post - this is my updated situation:

Bought a FL truck and had it shipped to NY - unknowingly without cats
It has:

Borla Long Tube Headers - Borla S-Type Exhaust
NO CATS
AirRaid CAI
37" Tires
It is under a 5-Star Tune - HOWEVER, I do NOT have the original device and therefore no way to revert to stock (which I have to do in order to get my monitors back on - eventually pass inspection..then retune)

I am trying to find the best balance between some measure of quality and lower cost (I did NOT plan on any of this and money is an issue)
I called Borla - the rep said there is no way to mount CATs to their headers at all - they aren't built that way. He said I will have to remove them and either replace with another brand combo of headers/cats (which he then insisted I would NOT pass NYS inspection) or preferably return to all stock Ford CATs and manifolds. I can of course keep the Borla exhaust. I called the performance Raptor shop in NJ (well known on this board) and they quoted me 8 hours of labor to remove the current headers, then if I were to replace with a stainless works header/cats combo...then purchase of a 5-Star tune...I could also pay the insane amount for OEM cats and get exhaust manifolds and it would be comparable cost-wise.....but they were talking almost 4K after tax. This is not possible for me. Does anyone have ANY suggestions for me at all? Should I just go back to stock? Are there any after market more affordable cats I can use with any setup (headers or stock exhaust manifolds) to reduce cost? Anyone want to buy Borla Headers? lol...Can anyone explain why I was such a ******* for not asking if this truck was NYS legal before buying? lol...thanks in advance... :(
 

Steelhead

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I, too, have an extra set of Borla headers lying around in storage. I found a local custom shop that mandrel bends custom tubing. It may bee cheaper to find a place that could custom build pipes/collector and add cats with sensors to! Its not impossible! I wish I had more time to get out and see what the cost is to do such a job!!
 

Jimster58

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So for anyone who has not read my below post - this is my updated situation:

Bought a FL truck and had it shipped to NY - unknowingly without cats
It has:

Borla Long Tube Headers - Borla S-Type Exhaust
NO CATS
AirRaid CAI
37" Tires
It is under a 5-Star Tune - HOWEVER, I do NOT have the original device and therefore no way to revert to stock (which I have to do in order to get my monitors back on - eventually pass inspection..then retune)

I am trying to find the best balance between some measure of quality and lower cost (I did NOT plan on any of this and money is an issue)
I called Borla - the rep said there is no way to mount CATs to their headers at all - they aren't built that way. He said I will have to remove them and either replace with another brand combo of headers/cats (which he then insisted I would NOT pass NYS inspection) or preferably return to all stock Ford CATs and manifolds. I can of course keep the Borla exhaust. I called the performance Raptor shop in NJ (well known on this board) and they quoted me 8 hours of labor to remove the current headers, then if I were to replace with a stainless works header/cats combo...then purchase of a 5-Star tune...I could also pay the insane amount for OEM cats and get exhaust manifolds and it would be comparable cost-wise.....but they were talking almost 4K after tax. This is not possible for me. Does anyone have ANY suggestions for me at all? Should I just go back to stock? Are there any after market more affordable cats I can use with any setup (headers or stock exhaust manifolds) to reduce cost? Anyone want to buy Borla Headers? lol...Can anyone explain why I was such a ******* for not asking if this truck was NYS legal before buying? lol...thanks in advance... :(

Seems like a decent shop would be able to easily fabricated something for you which would bolt right up to your headers - without breaking the bank. Lots of high-flow cats out there. I found one company, ACAT, which has a decent product:

https://www.acatglobal.com/

High-Flow being evaluated on a 2014 Raptor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=LBsykUC0PWU
 
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Deanwam8

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Update

I, too, have an extra set of Borla headers lying around in storage. I found a local custom shop that mandrel bends custom tubing. It may bee cheaper to find a place that could custom build pipes/collector and add cats with sensors to! Its not impossible! I wish I had more time to get out and see what the cost is to do such a job!!

Seems like a decent shop would be able to easily fabricated something for you which would bolt right up to your headers - without breaking the bank. Lots of high-flow cats out there. I found one company, ACAT, which has a decent product:

https://www.acatglobal.com/

High-Flow being evaluated on a 2014 Raptor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=LBsykUC0PWU

Thanks for the input guys...I have searched everywhere around my area for a shop willing to attempt to work cats into my Borla Off Road Headers...with no luck. Every one of them (and I've asked about 7 or 8) have said there's just no room or they dont do stainless welding etc...no one wants to take on the challenge. I feel like I literally have no choice now but to have my Borla's removed (10-14 hrs of labor) and replaced with either Ford OE cats and manifolds or a catted system with spacers/tune etc in order to pass inspection. Either way is 3-4K....I have called that ACATs sales dept. like 5 times to ask some questions and left a couple messages with the sales rep. She has never called me back....
 

Jimster58

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Thanks for the input guys...I have searched everywhere around my area for a shop willing to attempt to work cats into my Borla Off Road Headers...with no luck. Every one of them (and I've asked about 7 or 8) have said there's just no room or they dont do stainless welding etc...no one wants to take on the challenge. I feel like I literally have no choice now but to have my Borla's removed (10-14 hrs of labor) and replaced with either Ford OE cats and manifolds or a catted system with spacers/tune etc in order to pass inspection. Either way is 3-4K....I have called that ACATs sales dept. like 5 times to ask some questions and left a couple messages with the sales rep. She has never called me back....

Sorry those shops are having such a malfunction thinking outside of the box or making a creative/resourceful suggestion to help you out.

Do these shops only do bolt-on work?

I just looked at a photo of what I'm assuming are the same headers - at RPG. A decent shop should be able to easily fabricate (reasonably and inexpensively) a non-stainless y-pipe, which incorporates cats, and be able to connect correctly to both the headers and downstream exhaust system, single or dual.

Plenty of shops around that still fabricate custom headers - worse-case, find a shop like that and tell them what you need. I'll bet it's a whole lot less than the ~$1500 oem new from even a place like Tasca Parts, and certainly less than the $3-4K you were quoted.
 

Steelhead

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Well, that's a bummer!! I would replace the headers with another set of headers, anyways! Then you can sell the Borla's and recover some funds and or cover the costs of replacing them! You will also notice how good the Borla headers are, once they're gone! In fact, you will also miss any headers, if you just replace with OEM manifolds. You will see how restrictive they are and the performance drop in your truck!

I agree with Jimster58, too! Do what you have to do!! good luck man
 

EricM

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I have some advice- man up, buy a welder and learn how to weld. Problem solved.
 

Jimster58

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Thanks for the input guys...I have searched everywhere around my area for a shop willing to attempt to work cats into my Borla Off Road Headers...with no luck. Every one of them (and I've asked about 7 or 8) have said there's just no room or they dont do stainless welding etc...no one wants to take on the challenge. I feel like I literally have no choice now but to have my Borla's removed (10-14 hrs of labor) and replaced with either Ford OE cats and manifolds or a catted system with spacers/tune etc in order to pass inspection. Either way is 3-4K....I have called that ACATs sales dept. like 5 times to ask some questions and left a couple messages with the sales rep. She has never called me back....

Dean - I just spoke with a rep at Summit Racing...who was on the phone with someone at ACAT Performance...and confirmed that the part number for the high-flow metal-substrate cats shown in the Raptor video I shared earlier is:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/agc-100013/overview/

$171.99 each and they are in stock.
 
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Deanwam8

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Dean - I just spoke with a rep at Summit Racing...who was on the phone with someone at ACAT Performance...and confirmed that the part number for the high-flow metal-substrate cats shown in the Raptor video I shared earlier is:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/agc-100013/overview/

$171.99 each and they are in stock.

This is a great find...I just need to find a place that can fabricate an appropriate y-pipe for these that will connect to my existing Borla S-Type exhaust...thank you Jim! If I decide to proceed with a headerless system and just do cats and manifolds...this could easily save me almost a grand vs O.E. Ford cats...

---------- Post added at 10:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 PM ----------

Sorry those shops are having such a malfunction thinking outside of the box or making a creative/resourceful suggestion to help you out.

Do these shops only do bolt-on work?

I just looked at a photo of what I'm assuming are the same headers - at RPG. A decent shop should be able to easily fabricate (reasonably and inexpensively) a non-stainless y-pipe, which incorporates cats, and be able to connect correctly to both the headers and downstream exhaust system, single or dual.

Plenty of shops around that still fabricate custom headers - worse-case, find a shop like that and tell them what you need. I'll bet it's a whole lot less than the ~$1500 oem new from even a place like Tasca Parts, and certainly less than the $3-4K you were quoted.

I hear what you're saying...I am just tired of looking within a reasonable driving distance of where I live to find a reliable place that is experienced in fabrication...I cannot seem to find a place that is confident in working with my existing Borla headers...on another note, If I were to remove them and do a catted headered system, such as the Stainless Works one, are you sure I can pass NYS inspection with O2 spacers and a tune? I just would hate to spend the money on such a system...only to continue to be unable to pass...as I know headers will def still throw a code...thanks again..
 

Steelhead

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Absolutely, yes! If you get a catted header from SW. They will pass emissions testing. I also have had SW, and the sound is amazing. However, I found that moving from the 1-5/8” Borla tubes to SW 1-7/8” i lost significant low end torque. Which I did not like. But that rumble of SW! Wooo! Threw no codes that I can remember!
 
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