Engine 2001 Corolla, Custom Mandrel-bent 2.5" Magnaflow Exhaust!

2001 Corolla, Custom Mandrel-bent 2.5" Magnaflow Exhaust!

Here are some pics of a custom 2.5" mandrel bent exhaust that I'm doing on the '01 Corolla that's in the shop. It's still under construction as you can see, but you get the basic picture





The old 2.25 exhaust, which was connected to a TRD Muffler (for sale)...

Will there be a catback kit for sale? How bout a axleback muffler? Which magnaflow muffler are you using?

Nice exhaust..but what's plugged into the other end of it??

nice, basically the same as mine but i have a dual w/no cat.

how much do you charge for labor for something like this?

I'd like to produce these and sell them but I'd have to build a large jig to make sure fitment was perfect every time... I'm going to if I have time but we'll see. Anyone interested? I'm using the 18" oval muffler with centered inlet and outlet.

What's plugged into what end of what?

The charge on this whole job for parts and labor was $950, which included the muffler, resonator, cat, piping, installation, and porting the header.

-Doc

a lil off-topic here but since there arent any aftermarket headers for the corolla...i was looking into porting the header. also, are there any gains from it?

how much does that cost?
if its a bit too much, im gonna see if i can find a DIY for it..

If the client already had a TRD muffler why switch that out?
How does the sound compare to the TRD, Doc? How much louder?

something might have gone wrong with the muffler like mine..

We're going with Magnaflow parts because we really didn't like the sounds of the TRD setup, besides the fact the the piping was poor. The idea here is to acheive a lower, deeper tone, I expect it to be quieter rather than louder. I'll let you know how it goes after it's all done, I'm waiting on a flywheel still so that I can bolt the engine/tranny in it's original position so that I can line up the exhaust correctly.

I did this setup as a package deal, I would probably charge $250 just to port the header. It's a lot of work.

-Doc

The other end of the exhaust, of course...I'm kinda hoping it's more than a stock 1zz..?
Good choice on Magnaflow -- I have one on my truck and love it.

I think it'd be a good idea to just mass produce the mandrel bent B pipe so the buyer could weld on any muffler they might decide to. The good thing is the b pipes for the 7th and 8th gen has the same bends.

Oh I gotcha! At this time it's a stock 1ZZ but in the spring it's coming back for a full custom turbo system.

What part are you referring to when you say "b-pipe"?

-Doc

Mid-pipe, maybe? You know, the after-cat section before the axle.
I may be wrong, tho.

for 2.5' i hope its turbo'd.

i think he said its stock for now.

The exhaust was done in preparation for a custom turbo system this spring.

-Doc

*thumbsup*

Okay, here are the completed pics.

Porting the header...before:





After:





Perfect fitment is the first step to a great weld:







Finished exhaust ready to install...











100% done, 3" polished tip at the end.

one question, with the amount of engine flex wouldn't you need a flex pipe, just wondering, i had this on before the turbo and still on there now.
Also how do you keep the CEL coming on with the 02 sensor far back even though it in the stock area. I had to put mine right next to the downpipe curvature, until i got the turbo then i moved it back further.

Yes, we are installing a 2.5" stainless steel flexpipe, I'm just waiting for it to come in. For the 02 sensors, you just need to make sure that you have one positioned before the cat (the primary) and one positioned after the cat (the secondary). The actual place that they are mounted isn't as important with a heated 02 sensor such as the ones used here.

So Doc, if this car is going for a turbo setup why would you want to port the stock header? You would have to replace the header for a turbo exhaust manifold right?

Just to give him a little hp boost in the meantime

Good observation by the way.

-Doc

Check this out. http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=230849

They got a picture of a Celica GT exhaust manifold vs. a Corolla manifold with flow numbers.

you can also use the bottom part of the current manifold to mate to the new turbo but then that would also require a lot of work. or at least it did for me when i switched over.