Got my Borla exhaust today. The box looks like it has been to hell and back but all the pieces to the kit are in there. I will be installing it tomorrow night after I get home from work. I'll write again then.

 

I went to install my exhaust today and when I opened the box I was a little concerned (more like completely pissed). The order form from Borla said extended cab short bed, my truck is a standard cab short bed. I went and got my order form from truckperformance.com and on there the order was correct for my truck. Much to my surprise (and pleasure) the exhaust fit my truck like a glove. Explain that. Are the two kits the same for extended cab and standard cab, or did Borla just put the wrong paper in my box?

The exhaust is great, not quite as loud as I had hoped (I am used to headers and side pipes, old Jeep chevy 350 motor) but it sounds damn good. I have only gotten to drive it a little bit though, so time will tell. It did seem to make my truck quicker.

All in all, I am happy and my truck sounds good. I hate driving vehicles that are stock.

 

Which Borla did you buy?

 

It will get louder, the more you drive it. Mine did.



------------------
1998 F-150 XLT Supercab 4X4

• Silver Metallic Clearcoat
• Med. graphite cloth interior
• 4.6 l. V-8
• Off Road Package
• 3.55 Reg. Axle
• Am/FM/CD factory radio
• Captains Chairs
• Borla Split Rear Dual Exhaust
• Bedliner
• Hood deflector
• Ventshades
• Trenz billet #5 low clearance antenna

 

I don't remember seeing a name to go with any of the Borla kits. It is a side exit stainless steel kit with dual angle cut round phantom tips (they look the same as the intercooled tips, I don't know what the difference is).

Jag,
I am glad to hear this. How long do you think it will take?

 

Stump-Jumper:

Funny you say your box was smashed up. My Borla box was really beat up too. So much so that I was afraid to open it and find out that some pieces would be missing and I would have to return it. Fortunately everything was there. I'm hoping tommorrow is the day it gets installed. I might get a garage and some help from a friend, but if not I can probably do it outside since there is no rain in the forcast. Did you have to hacksaw the stock exhaust out or did it just unclamp? What did you do with your stock exhaust? Store it or toss it?


Got my Borla exhaust today. The box looks like it has been to hell and back but all the pieces to the kit are in there. I will be installing it tomorrow night after I get home from work. I'll write again then.[/QUOTE]



------------------
1999 F-150 XLT Supercab Longbed
Black/Silver, Dark graphite interior
5.4L Automatic

Additions:
* Ford molded mud flaps from local Ford dealer
* Lund Trident bug deflector from carparts.com
* Fumoto drain plug valve from fumotovalve.com

Mods:
* Superchip from Performance Products (Mike T.)

Mods coming soon:
* Borla split rear exhaust from truckperformance.com
* Airaid FIPK from f150online
* Poweraid from f150online
* JBA Headers (Jet-Black coated) from f150online

 

DeaconDoug,

I was wondering what happened to you. I was waiting to hear how your install went but I know now that you have not yet done it. There were pieces missing from my kit, but luckily it was only a few exhaust clamps. A quick trip to Auto Zone and that problem was solved. The install took me about 1 1/2 hours to complete (a little longer than it should have). No, I did not have to cut anything. The were 2 things that held me up. The first was getting the old exhaust off. After unclamping it, it just did not want to come loose. My buddy had to go grab the stock tailpipe and wiggle it up and down while I pounded on the muffler with a mini sledge hammer. It eventaully came loose. The other problem was working with those rubber hangers that Ford uses (big pain in the butt). To get them loose I had to use a floor jack to jack the muffler up (they are like big rubber washers) this released the tension off of them and allowed me to muscle them off. NOTICE: I said muscle, mine were not easy to remove. After I got those loose I just fished the old exhaust out over the axle and that was that. Now, do yourself a favor here and start the truck with no exhaust on it It sounds awesome If you spray WD40 on those rubber hangers before you try to put them on the new exhaust, you will be on easy street. The new exhaust went on in about 10 minutes.

Good Luck, Tell me how it goes.

------------------
'98 4.6 5sp. 4x4 ORP (Fully loaded, Power everything).

Mods.
- Modified Air Box
- K&N
- Borla Stainless Steel Exhaust

Future Mods.
- BBK High Performance Throttle body
- Superchip

 

Hey Guys,
When I did my Gibson last weekend I found a few tricks from familyride in the thread "finally got my gibson sweptside installed". I used a sawzall to cut the old one off. The hanger that goes through the rubber mounts came right off after I cut the end stops off! There are some other tips in that thread too.
Chuck

------------------
'98 F150 xlt 4.6 auto
4x2
moonlight blue metallic
snug top shell
k&n filter/ modified air box.
alarm and
A BIG DOG - Rosco - Akita
bugflector/rain guards

superchip and Gibson sweptside exaust

AIR FORCE 1 soon

one day....lift kit and posi and tires
15 city -16.5 hiway mpg ? may change
ATV's
'86 Suzuki Quadracer 250
pipe/ported/JP racing swingarm/works shocks/powder coated/NICE
'85 Yamaha Tri-Z 250 3 wheeler - pipe/ported
'83 Yamaha Tri-moto 200 for the wife
'97 Yamaha YZinger 80 for the 7 year old

 

It took about two to three weeks. Like you, I was a little disappointed at first, but it is definitely louder now and I did notice a power increase.

Just curious on your installation...did your muffler bolt directly to the pipe from the cats or did your kit come with a pipe to install between the two? The reason I ask is this....maybe the kits are identical with the exception of the pipe I'm talking about. It would be about the correct length to make up the difference in length from a regualar cab to a supercab.

BTW, what do you think of those tips?



------------------
1998 F-150 XLT Supercab 4X4

• Silver Metallic Clearcoat
• Med. graphite cloth interior
• 4.6 l. V-8
• Off Road Package
• 3.55 Reg. Axle
• Am/FM/CD factory radio
• Captains Chairs
• Borla Split Rear Dual Exhaust
• Bedliner
• Hood deflector
• Ventshades
• Trenz billet #5 low clearance antenna

 

I know, if I would have had a sawzall I would have cut those hangers. I don't own one and neither does my buddy, I asked him.

Jag,
I have driven my truck about 50 miles since the install and I can tell it is getting louder already. This makes me very happy. I wonder how that works. Do the baffles go through a break in process? I will be watching for the next couple of weeks for changes in the sound. I like the tips, they are the signature of Borla. They are definitely unique. What do you think of the tips on your Borla kit?

Actually it did come with a short pipe that I didn't use. I thought that it was an adapter because it is only about 8 inches long and different sizes in diameter on the two ends. I just clamped it on to the pipe coming out of the cat. It fits great. Maybe that would make my kit work for an extended cab. I don't know.

------------------
'98 4.6 5sp. 4x4 ORP (Fully loaded, Power everything).

Mods.
- Modified Air Box
- K&N
- Borla Stainless Steel Exhaust

Future Mods.
- BBK High Performance Throttle body
- Superchip

 

Hi Stump-Jumper,

I wish I could have installed it right when I got it, but with the 3 W's (work, wife, and worship) I've got little time for much else. Unfortunately my knowledgeable friend is going out of town and so I'll have to give it a shot outside by myself. After looking at my schedule this is the last free Saturday I have for 6 weeks, so I've got to do it tomorrow. Thanks for the tips! I'll look at it tonight and spray WD-40 all over the place and go at it in the morning. This will be my first exhaust changeover, so all the info I've been getting from you and others on this message board have been extremely helpful. I'll definitely let you know how it turns out.

Did you happen to throw out your stock exhaust?

------------------
1999 F-150 XLT Supercab Longbed
Black/Silver, Dark graphite interior
5.4L Automatic

Additions:
* Ford molded mud flaps from local Ford dealer
* Lund Trident bug deflector from carparts.com
* Fumoto drain plug valve from fumotovalve.com

Mods:
* Superchip from Performance Products (Mike T.)

Mods coming soon:
* Borla split rear exhaust from truckperformance.com
* Airaid FIPK from f150online
* Poweraid from f150online
* JBA Headers (Jet-Black coated) from f150online

 

No I did not throw my stock exhaust out yet. It is sitting in my garage for now. I probably will throw it out sooner or later.

You just need WD40 on those rubber hangers. They look like big rubber doughnuts, there will be two at the rear of the muffler and one back at the tailpipe holding it up. You'll see them.

Good luck tomorrow!

------------------
'98 4.6 5sp. 4x4 ORP (Fully loaded, Power everything).

Mods.
- Modified Air Box
- K&N
- Borla Stainless Steel Exhaust

Future Mods.
- BBK High Performance Throttle body
- Superchip

 

Where you at DeaconDoug? You were supposed to do your install yesterday and we haven't heard from you. I am waiting to hear if you got it or not.

------------------
'98 4.6 5sp. 4x4 ORP (Fully loaded, Power everything).

Mods.
- Modified Air Box
- K&N
- Borla Stainless Steel Exhaust

Future Mods.
- BBK High Performance Throttle body
- Superchip

 

 

Stump-Jumper:

Yes indeed! I got the Borla installed Saturday as well as the Poweraid and the Airaid FIPK! It was a nice sunny day around 40-45 outside. Good weather for working under your truck. I got started late around 11:00 and began taking the stock exhaust off. The hangers came off fairly easy along with the single bracket on the exhaust. However, the bracket was really clamped down on the stock exhaust so that I couldn't pull the muffler and exhaust piece out. Did your stock bracket clamp the pipe down alot or not? Well, thanks to your post I knew it would be tough especially by myself, so I talked to my wife ahead of time about the possibility of needing a reciprocating saw for the job. She understood.

Side note - She is really a great wife and recognizes that it is more expensive to have someone else do the job than to do it yourself most the time. So to spend the money for a $130 tool that will last for a really long time (I buy DeWalt) and can be used for other things most likely is the better thing to do. She has that forethought, big-picture thought process that makes me thank God that He has given her to me.

OK - so after pulling like crazy to get the stock exhaust and muffler off, I give up and go to Lowe's and pick up the DeWalt reciprocating saw and come back to saw it off. I proceed to cut the pipe just in front (on the CC side) of the crimped portion. Done. I wiggle the exhaust out bringing it towards the front of the truck over the rear axle and begin installing the Borla. Now remember, I have the extracab longbed and these pipes are going out the back, not out the side. So there is alot of pipe going in under there. I begin to assemble this underneath and because I had to cut about 3-4 inches off of the existing pipe I'm not able to fit all the pipes completely into each other. After rotating the muffler a little and using all the play the hangers gave me, the Borla exhaust came together for a nice fit. I'm really impressed with the symmetry of the pipes, the sound, the appearance, and of course the performance. I did start up the engine like you said with the muffler off and it was really cool! I would like to see Borla make their pipe that joins their muffler to the stock exhaust a little longer so that if you have to cut the exhaust (like I did) then you have that extra length available, otherwise you don't have much leeway. I didn't track the time it took me exactly, but I figure I was under the truck for 2 to 2.5 hours. Since I had all day until dark I took my time and didn't rush anything (except when driving to Lowe's ).

I broke for a late lunch and began installing the Poweraid and Airaid. Those things weren't too hard to install either. That Airaid looks real nice under there. I drove it and it really seems quicker. I don't like it real loud so the Borla sound was nice. I bought Borla for the quality and I believe I got the best. Maybe I can get some photos and post them.

------------------
1999 F-150 XLT Supercab Longbed
Black/Silver, Dark graphite interior
5.4L Automatic

Additions:
* Ford molded mud flaps from local Ford dealer
* Lund Trident bug deflector from carparts.com
* Fumoto drain plug valve from fumotovalve.com

Mods:
* Superchip from Performance Products (Mike T.)
* Borla split rear exhaust from truckperformance.com
* Airaid FIPK from f150online
* Poweraid from f150online

Mods coming soon:
* JBA Headers (Jet-Black coated) from f150online