Exhaust system question
 

A few weeks ago my catalytic converter was stolen. Appears to be sawzall'd between the O2 sensors.

I've been running a patch pipe while parts come in.

Found a replacement specifically for the 1997 V6 4WD 4Runner.

Found an aftermarket exhaust (JBA) from cat back. Looks nice....

I'm missing a single pair of nuts for the front O2 sensor, and a pair of nut/bolts to join the new cat and the cat-back system.

Here is my question - before I start taking things apart..... Should I (or even can I) replace any nuts/bolts that connect the header and the cat? I REALLY don't want to mess with it again.... I'm changing O2 sensors while I'm there. If I can do something once and do it right, I'd rather...

I'll be doing this in my garage - not a shop. Trying to live as cheap as I can (after all, its 2012). For a 15 year old truck its awesome, but I know getting the 4 nuts free is going to be a challenge. I'm hoping its possible with human strength and I can bolt the cat up to the headers.

Anyone done this?

Any warnings?

it should be completely possible to free up any and all hardware under there. with enough pb blaster and enough torque, you can free anything. it's a matter of being prepared to replace any overly rusted hardware if it breaks. the two bolts on the flange should be cake. the two nuts on the o2 sensor may be a different story.

Nuts on O2 sensors shouldn't be a problem - I am replacing the O2 sensors, so I need nothing from the old setup. I can cut wires if need be. Although, historically thats probably something I shouldn't do (I might need the old ones if the new ones don't work...). But, I plan on disconnecting them from the wiring and extracting old O2 sensors only if I absolutely need them. If I do end up needing them, I'll be able to bench the pipe and really crank on the nut until the whole bolt breaks...

I'm really anxious about the header / cat connection. There are 3 bolts, and another threaded connection.... I'm worried I'll snap a bolt on the header - and an hour job will immediately turn into a 6 hour job.

in theory you shouldn't have to mess with the header bolts. the Y pipe (collector/combiner) runs down from both headers to the flange before the cat. those are the only bolts you should have to mess with.

Ok... those are the bolts I'm worried about. Not the header, but from the Y pipe. They're a bit easier to get to - but rustier because they sit lower.

This is the one I bought:
http://www.magnaflow.com/02catalytic...irectfit=27301

There are 3 bolt holes, and a 4th threaded.

should be fine. just spray them, and let em sit for a while so the pb blaster has a chance to work its way into the nuts. then hit em with the impact gun and you should be just fine.

Thats what I'm thinking as well.

If not, looks like everything is low enough, I'll drill the studs out and bolt it in.

The Y pipe is ~ $200 I'm seeing - a nightmare to get to I"m afraid, but not breaking the bank.

really shouldn't be that bad. i just had all that apart on my truck not too long ago. once i had gotten it all broken free it was a snap. just make sure you spray the ever living $#&% out of the bolts and studs.

any luck?

Spray them down every day for a week, the heat from driving will help the PB Blaster seep into the threads. It should loosen things up for you. Good luck.

Mostly done. I got a JBA cat-back system, a Magnaflow cat, and a bunch of bosal parts/gaskets/hangers. Also a few nuts and bolts from Lowe's.

One piece not quite finished - at the Y pipe, 2 of the studs still have threads, and 2 of the nuts still had threads. Very nice studs I might say - they have a hex head on them to drive them in &/or anchor them so you can extract the nuts without removing the stud. I'd like to replace all 3 - but can't find the part with a pic I trust. Anyone have advice on this? I'm searching Toyota parts, not finding what I'm looking for..

After I get info on these 3 pieces - I'll post a complete part list in case any needs it in the future.

Feedback on the JBA system, installation was good. 2 guys in a garage got it done. It is a little twisted still, I may end up fine tuning it a bit to get it to look a bit better. Sound is a bit on the aggressive side for me. I wasn't looking for stock, more looking for something I wouldn't have to mess with in 50,000 more miles. It looks like it will last, supposed to be stainless... It does make my foot a little heavier though :D