Steeda CAI, SCT & Borla muffler Install tips!
1/19/06, 12:06 AM
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A thank you to the Fraters of Tau Kappa Epsilon, Xi Chi Chapter @ Southern Poly for their assistance with these modifications! We had a great time on Sunday getting these mods on. This post will have 12 pointers for the installation of the Steeda CAI, SCT X-cal2 tune and Ford Racing (Borla) Exhaust. I'm a TKE Alumni from MA who moved to GA w/ a job relocation. I offered a work project $$$ donation to the chapter for their assistance with these mods. All turned out well..
Pointer #1:
Start with the muffler. This is the most difficult part of this upgrade. Notice from the pic that we put the car on jack stands & its secured well. We have a socket set w/ all the common socket sizes, can of WD40 (safety glasses also for spraying the WD40 when prone under the car). All the parts we are putting in are circled off to the right of the picture. Notice a rubber mallet (this was VERY useful) was also at hand. The orange-colored round part you see is a counter weight that the Ford factory installed on the old muffler. That little weight is bolted to the front of the stock muffler and rests inside the rear bumper...
Pointer #2:
The third hanger on the stock muffler (the hanger farthest back on the muffler -- near the connection to the mid-pipe) was a pain to get un-hooked. Here the stock muffler is almost out except for the one remaining rear hanger. Ultimately patience & pointing the stock muffler down to 6'oclock low position allowed us to manuever the old muffler off the car. New muffler is now on its way.
Pointer #3
The old stock muffler will have some things not needed & don't have to hassle with. 75% of our time on the muffler install was getting the stock muffler off.
The circles show (starting upper left & clockwise of muffler)
Pointer #4:
Always keep your paperwork & instructions. Even the best installers will need them as a reference. This shot shows the boxes for the muffler& Steeda CAI & SCT tuner -- our mods for Sunday afternoon.
Pointer #5:
The remaining 25% of the time is spent on installing the new muffler & use the new hardware supplied with the new muffler. Note the
new muffler has only 2 hangers & the hanger rails are MUCH longer than the stock muffler. Also shown in this picture is the new mufflers mid-pipe clamp. Borla puts new hardware/clamps in with the muffler so the install is a snap & no need to re-use or go out and buy new mounting hardware. Thats a nice plus IMHO and makes the slightly higher price of this muffler worth it. On a side note, this view of the Ford Racing Muffler shows that the body of the muffler appears to be identical in size to the BORLA V6 muffler. The Ford Racing Muffler is made by Borla for Ford, but I have no idea why the 'Borla' muffler is $399 and the Ford Racing muffler is $240.
They appear to be the exact same muffler.
Pointer #6:
Some minor tweaks & adustments may be necessary to get muffler centered. We did spend a few minutes tightening some bolts and adjusting the mid-pipe to get the muffler centered in the cut-out in the rear bumper. All in all only minor tweaks should be necessary. Muffler looks AWSOME on the car. BTW: the mid-pipe on the V6 muffler is 2.5" mandrel bent. They don't just mandrel bend the GT pipes. The V6 pipe is mandrel bent as well. All in all the mid-pipe on the car is a quality piece.
Pointer 7:
Do NOT start the car yet. Don't let the ECM try to learn the new muffler. Resist the temptation here to want to hear the new muffler. Go ahead and re-flash the ECM for the new Steeda CAI. The Steeda CAI is a top quality unit and does require a reflash. I bought my Steeda CAI & X-cal 2 from Brenspeed.com. We reflashed and THEN went to work on installing the Steeda CAI. Once the car is reflashed keep the car un-started until the Steeda CAI is in.
Pointer #8:
Buy a quality CAI. Yes we now have all kinds of CAI's out there but don't go cheap. That shiney piece is the inlet tube which houses the Mass airflow Sensor and connects to the cars 'air snorkel' tube. The Steeda piece is FULLY polished both inside and out for NO rough surfaces. This is IMPORTANT for the best power gains. The tube portion and flat plate are TIG welded -- all very high quality. Also, the Steeda piece uses good old 'STANDARD' 1/2 inch nuts! No need to go Metric! The Steeda CAI is a quality American made piece and is recommended......
Point #9: Do NOT attempt to install the rubber gasket seal around
the Steeda CAI heat sheild this way! Learn from our mistake!
We tried to install it by hand & starting at the bottom of the heat shield. This caused a lot of :scratch: and ultimately we took a break after much :bang: trying to get the
:angry: rubber gasket on.
Point #10:
Install the Gasket this way. Take it to a steady surface. Start at the TOP of the heat sheild and work your way down. Gently TAP the gasket in place w/ rubber mallet. Do not put away rubber mallet after the muffler install is done. You'll need it for this part. This method is much better.
Point #11:
Watch the other guys fingers & don't rush!
Honestly, though, the true pointer here is this job can be done in 1/4 of the time w/ 2 people than if 1 person tryed to do this solo. The gasket tapped in nicely... Notice how we saved the BOTTOM of the heat shield for last. Start at the top and work towards the bottom.. Notice how shiney & polished the inlet tube is...
Point #12:
Anticipation. We are almost done. After installing the Mass Airflow Sensor & 2 rubber grommets which are recovered from the stock airbox we checked for fitment. Be sure to open/close the hood a few times to ensure you a proper seal with the heat shield and double check all connections & hardware.....
ENJOY!!
The car cranked RIGHT up. The muffler sounded AWSOME :shock: when we first started it up! The exhaust, esp at idle has an awsome bass quality to it PLUS all the strong-running benefits of the Steeda CAI & custom tune.
Now that we've been to school on this, and hopefully some knowledge has been passed from these pointers, these mods start to finish should take only 60 - 90 minutes with the tools needed on-hand. Steeda & Ford Racing/Borla have detailed instructions and outline exactly what tools are needed for the job.
CAI & custom tune & aftermarket axle-back exhaust is one of the BEST bangs for the buck for a performance upgrade on a bone stock car! Enjoy!
Pointer #1:
Start with the muffler. This is the most difficult part of this upgrade. Notice from the pic that we put the car on jack stands & its secured well. We have a socket set w/ all the common socket sizes, can of WD40 (safety glasses also for spraying the WD40 when prone under the car). All the parts we are putting in are circled off to the right of the picture. Notice a rubber mallet (this was VERY useful) was also at hand. The orange-colored round part you see is a counter weight that the Ford factory installed on the old muffler. That little weight is bolted to the front of the stock muffler and rests inside the rear bumper...
Pointer #2:
The third hanger on the stock muffler (the hanger farthest back on the muffler -- near the connection to the mid-pipe) was a pain to get un-hooked. Here the stock muffler is almost out except for the one remaining rear hanger. Ultimately patience & pointing the stock muffler down to 6'oclock low position allowed us to manuever the old muffler off the car. New muffler is now on its way.
Pointer #3
The old stock muffler will have some things not needed & don't have to hassle with. 75% of our time on the muffler install was getting the stock muffler off.
The circles show (starting upper left & clockwise of muffler)
- The 3rd hanger rail. Notice how its almost 90 degrees bent. Hence why we had to undo the other 2 hangers first and then slide this hanger off last. THANKFULLY the Borla/Ford Racing Exhaust does away with this 3rd hanger.
- Mounting rail for muffler weight.
- The muffler weight. This rubber doo-dad was attached to mounting rail and was up inside the rear bumper. I have no idea what engineering purpose this thing served. Maybe to keep vibration/drone down on stuck muffler? I dunno.
Pointer #4:
Always keep your paperwork & instructions. Even the best installers will need them as a reference. This shot shows the boxes for the muffler& Steeda CAI & SCT tuner -- our mods for Sunday afternoon.
Pointer #5:
The remaining 25% of the time is spent on installing the new muffler & use the new hardware supplied with the new muffler. Note the
new muffler has only 2 hangers & the hanger rails are MUCH longer than the stock muffler. Also shown in this picture is the new mufflers mid-pipe clamp. Borla puts new hardware/clamps in with the muffler so the install is a snap & no need to re-use or go out and buy new mounting hardware. Thats a nice plus IMHO and makes the slightly higher price of this muffler worth it. On a side note, this view of the Ford Racing Muffler shows that the body of the muffler appears to be identical in size to the BORLA V6 muffler. The Ford Racing Muffler is made by Borla for Ford, but I have no idea why the 'Borla' muffler is $399 and the Ford Racing muffler is $240.
They appear to be the exact same muffler.Pointer #6:
Some minor tweaks & adustments may be necessary to get muffler centered. We did spend a few minutes tightening some bolts and adjusting the mid-pipe to get the muffler centered in the cut-out in the rear bumper. All in all only minor tweaks should be necessary. Muffler looks AWSOME on the car. BTW: the mid-pipe on the V6 muffler is 2.5" mandrel bent. They don't just mandrel bend the GT pipes. The V6 pipe is mandrel bent as well. All in all the mid-pipe on the car is a quality piece.
Pointer 7:
Do NOT start the car yet. Don't let the ECM try to learn the new muffler. Resist the temptation here to want to hear the new muffler. Go ahead and re-flash the ECM for the new Steeda CAI. The Steeda CAI is a top quality unit and does require a reflash. I bought my Steeda CAI & X-cal 2 from Brenspeed.com. We reflashed and THEN went to work on installing the Steeda CAI. Once the car is reflashed keep the car un-started until the Steeda CAI is in.
Pointer #8:
Buy a quality CAI. Yes we now have all kinds of CAI's out there but don't go cheap. That shiney piece is the inlet tube which houses the Mass airflow Sensor and connects to the cars 'air snorkel' tube. The Steeda piece is FULLY polished both inside and out for NO rough surfaces. This is IMPORTANT for the best power gains. The tube portion and flat plate are TIG welded -- all very high quality. Also, the Steeda piece uses good old 'STANDARD' 1/2 inch nuts! No need to go Metric! The Steeda CAI is a quality American made piece and is recommended......
Point #9: Do NOT attempt to install the rubber gasket seal aroundthe Steeda CAI heat sheild this way! Learn from our mistake!
We tried to install it by hand & starting at the bottom of the heat shield. This caused a lot of :scratch: and ultimately we took a break after much :bang: trying to get the
:angry: rubber gasket on.Point #10:
Install the Gasket this way. Take it to a steady surface. Start at the TOP of the heat sheild and work your way down. Gently TAP the gasket in place w/ rubber mallet. Do not put away rubber mallet after the muffler install is done. You'll need it for this part. This method is much better.
Point #11:
Watch the other guys fingers & don't rush!
Honestly, though, the true pointer here is this job can be done in 1/4 of the time w/ 2 people than if 1 person tryed to do this solo. The gasket tapped in nicely... Notice how we saved the BOTTOM of the heat shield for last. Start at the top and work towards the bottom.. Notice how shiney & polished the inlet tube is...Point #12:
Anticipation. We are almost done. After installing the Mass Airflow Sensor & 2 rubber grommets which are recovered from the stock airbox we checked for fitment. Be sure to open/close the hood a few times to ensure you a proper seal with the heat shield and double check all connections & hardware.....
ENJOY!!
The car cranked RIGHT up. The muffler sounded AWSOME :shock: when we first started it up! The exhaust, esp at idle has an awsome bass quality to it PLUS all the strong-running benefits of the Steeda CAI & custom tune.
Now that we've been to school on this, and hopefully some knowledge has been passed from these pointers, these mods start to finish should take only 60 - 90 minutes with the tools needed on-hand. Steeda & Ford Racing/Borla have detailed instructions and outline exactly what tools are needed for the job.
CAI & custom tune & aftermarket axle-back exhaust is one of the BEST bangs for the buck for a performance upgrade on a bone stock car! Enjoy!
1/19/06, 08:00 AM
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Awesome pics and congrats on the new mods! I know you're enjoying them. It's amazing what a new muffler will do for the sound on our lil V6's 
When you get a chance, some audio files would be fun
When you get a chance, some audio files would be fun
1/19/06, 09:11 AM
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A fantastic visual and written chronicle of your work! Great job!! I'd love to hear clips too!
but hey... someone tagged your license plate and rear bumper with purple spray paint!! :P
but hey... someone tagged your license plate and rear bumper with purple spray paint!! :P
1/19/06, 09:36 AM
#4
Well documented, good job. This one should be a sticky.
1/21/06, 06:02 AM
#6
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Also, the Steeda piece uses good old 'STANDARD' 1/2 inch nuts! No need to go Metric! The Steeda CAI is a quality American made piece and is recommended....
A nicely written step-by-step though
1/21/06, 09:23 AM
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Originally posted by rygenstormlocke@January 19, 2006, 12:39 PM
Well documented, good job. This one should be a sticky.
Well documented, good job. This one should be a sticky.
Thank you. If any other board members near Metro Atlanta need assistance w/ installation of power-adding mods to their Mustang Xi-Chi will assist for a donation. Send me a private msg to discuss.
The Chapter President drives a Mustang w/ Long-Tube Headers, Dual F40 exhaust, FRPP T-Lok diff, etc. They can tackle performance mods beyond those in this write-up.
1/21/06, 09:28 AM
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Originally posted by T-stang@January 21, 2006, 3:16 AM
How much time do you think I would save if I just cut-off that stubborn 3rd hanger with my Dremel?
How much time do you think I would save if I just cut-off that stubborn 3rd hanger with my Dremel?
1/21/06, 10:03 AM
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Originally posted by P_Kiley@January 21, 2006, 9:05 AM
Of course the whole rest of the car IS metric, so I fail to see a real advantage to that
A nicely written step-by-step though
Of course the whole rest of the car IS metric, so I fail to see a real advantage to that
A nicely written step-by-step though
:usa:
1/31/06, 03:45 PM
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Originally posted by T-stang@January 21, 2006, 3:16 AM
How much time do you think I would save if I just cut-off that stubborn 3rd hanger with my Dremel?
How much time do you think I would save if I just cut-off that stubborn 3rd hanger with my Dremel?
http://www.gefracing.com/Merchant2/merchan...gory_Code=TOOLS
This is an Exhaust Hanger Removal tool. This is basically a set of shears to snip the hangers off. If you want to simply junk the stock muffler this'd make REAL short work of removing it & probably save 15-20 minutes off your install time & send your stock muffler to the scrap heap.
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