Made a custom 3" TBE

Soarer · Post by **Soarer** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:44 pm

So, on the recommendation and guidence of Carlos, aka BXSS, I decided to make a custom 3" turbo back exhaust. Here's my supply list from Summit Racing:
1 four foot section of 3" straight pipe
1 large 180 degree bend of 3" pipe
1 small 180 degree bend of 3" pipe
1 Flowmaster Delta Flow Muffleer
1 Magnaflow hiflo catalytic converter
1 O2 sensor bung

From Home Depot:
1 3' section of steel rod about 3/8" diameter to make hangers

From eGay:
1 3" WRX downpipe

From local auto parts store
1 3" flexpipe
1 3" two bolt flange
1 can of high heat black spray paint

From my basement:
1 Lexus exhaust tip (I have extras if anyone else decides to do this project)

I'll give you a full write up with pics when I get a chance. I'm almost done with the project. So far it looks very, very nice.

New92 · Post by **New92** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:01 pm

Yes post some pics please, how much for the exhaust tip?

Soarer · Post by **Soarer** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:07 pm

I've got 3 left. You can have it for the price of shipping but only if you REALLY intend to do the mod.

Soarer · Post by **Soarer** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:25 am

Here's a link to some videos I made of the exhaust.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SeeeDubz

Soarer · Post by **Soarer** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:26 am

It's a little louder than I had hoped but hey, what do you expect from a 3" pipe?

It's badass fo shizzle.

Soarer · Post by **Soarer** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:30 am

So, she's all done and installed. Just went for my first ride with the new pipes. It sounds mean. I'm liking it so far.

It took a lot of hanging the pipe, removing it and cutting, welding, rehanging, removing, bending, welding etc. I'm very happy with the outcome though. I think it will last a long, long time.

Now I need to get me a tmic, fcd, injectors, boost gauge and crank this sucker up to whatever the vf11 can stand. Woooohooooooo!

dropdfocus · Post by **dropdfocus** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:36 pm

Pretty snazzy & lookin' good. Just curious why you added the flex pipe section? I understand what their purpose is for but since you have decent hangers & downpipe mounted to the stock tab, is it necessary or just for added security of removing stress from the piping?

So, total cost involved in making it yourself vs. purchasing a $700-$1,000 aftermarket 3" system?

BTW, you can definitely tell you're from NY in the videos. The accent comes through rather clearly.

BXSS · Post by **BXSS** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 4:41 pm

Glad to see you got the exhaust done!

asc_up · Post by **asc_up** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:55 pm

'flowmastuh'

damn i wish i had that accent. lol.

nice work though. seriously, that lexus tip is an awesome idea. looks great.

Soarer · Post by **Soarer** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:08 am

I put the flexpipe in as an insurance policy. Otherwise if the loop that goes around the rear axle hit the ground, it would transfer all that force up to the turbo. I'm sure something would crack eventually.

Let's see.... total cost wasn't as cheap as I thought it'd be.
pipes $80
muffler $80
Cat $70
dp $125
flexpipe $83
Flanges $10
Paint $5
Bung $5

BXSS · Post by **BXSS** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:24 pm

Wow, that is pretty expensive once you add everything up.

I totaled my SS exhaust cost as follows:

DP - $125
3" muffler - $25 (summit turbo muffler)
Tubing/U-bends - $75
3" Flex - $60
3" 2 bolt flange - $10
O2 bung - $5
Paint - $5
Butt-Clamp - $10

Total = $315

Which is more $ than I felt I spent.

A home-made DP would have cut $60-70 from the total cost.
Not using a flex pipe would have knocked another $60 from the total cost.

livestrong14 · Post by **livestrong14** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:45 am

Looks great! My overall exhaust consisted of the following:

GPMoto Downpipe- $90 craigslist
Magnaflow 3" Muffler- $100
3" Exhaust Tubing- $18 at cost
Custom Bent 3" piece- $36
3" Flanges- $12
Gaskets- $4

All together: $260 +- a couple bucks.

dropdfocus · Post by **dropdfocus** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 5:41 am

Soarer wrote:Let's see.... total cost wasn't as cheap as I thought it'd be.

Still, at $458 that's much cheaper than the cost of an aftermarktet system.

asc_up · Post by **asc_up** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:14 am

Ebay DP - $125
Espelir JGT500 Catback - $220
Hi-flo Cat - $150
Install - $125

Total: $620

The catback is normally $500 but there was a dent in the can so he gave it to me for $220 (what a steal) haha.

I could've saved some money by going catless but I sort of have a conscience

BXSS · Post by **BXSS** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 2:25 pm

Espelir is nice, you lucked out....

I'm not sure how much the e-bay WRX turbobacks (slanted N1 style) go for.

These may be a cheap option for folks who like that look, though they have to be modded to fit (there is a post in here somewhere with the detail).

I wanted a "sleeper look" on the SS - so I went with my homemade system & all tubing / muffler is painted low gloss black (makes the 3" piping look smaller than it really is).

Soarer · Post by **Soarer** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 5:00 pm

I love the sleeper look too. From the back, you'd think my exhaust was stock. That is, if you didn't know that tlegs had twin exhaust tips.

legacycentral bbs

A forum for 89-94 BC-BF(BJ) Legacy Owners and Fans

Made a custom 3" TBE

Made a custom 3" TBE