Sorta new to this so apologies if I am not including enough information for you guys to help me out. I've got a 85 Toyota pickup that is my daily driver and I am slowly going to turn it into a better wheeler while still keeping it as my daily. I am wanting to get some more power. Wanting to replace at some point the headers, cat, and exhaust. No leaks in exhaust, or issues with the cat or headers. All these parts are stock so lets just say that they are all in the same condition as well. On a budget so I cant spend all the money for all 3 parts at once. I will most likely be able to purchase the cat with either the headers or exhaust first. I think I am pretty set with purchasing those parts on LCE Performance. I am just not sure if I am going to run into fitting problems when trying to put on a aftermarket part to a stock part. Which combo should I purchase first? Thanks guys and ladies

31's. Nothing I have so far is meant for any serious wheeling. Bigger tires and gears will come in future. I just have read these small stock exhausts really limit the airflow

Do you have smog tests to contend with?

.. I've got a 85 Toyota pickup that is my daily driver and I am slowly going to turn it into a better wheeler while still keeping it as my daily. I am wanting to get some more power...

My experience is different.

My 1985 Standard Cab, 22R, 5-speed was my daily driver and serious rock crawler.

On my stock 1985 22R 5-speed, the exhaust upgrade with a Doug Thorley header, larger exhaust tubing, no cat, turbo muffler made a huge difference – especially at freeway speeds and noticeably improved torque between 2500 and 3500 RPMs.  After the header and exhaust, adding my Double Gnarly air filter mod made another very noticeable increase in torque at 3,000 RPMs.

I ran the stock 4.11 diffs with 31s, 32s, and 33s for many years.  It was my daily driver and I 4-wheeled it about every other weekend from Sonora Mexico to So/No California, to Moab.  Installing the "right" ring and pinions for larger tires will be a very noticeable change. My current 1986 XtraCab 5-speed with 30” tires and 4.56 ring and pinions is perfect for my driving style.  With 33” tires, 4.88 gears should provide an optimum torque/RPM range.

For a relatively simple (bolt-on modification), the performance gains with a Doug Thorley tri-y header with larger exhaust tubing was the biggest bang for my buck.

The modifications for power gains on my 22R was WAY more noticeable than on my 22REs.  Your elevation will have a big effect on how much any gain you will notice.  The condition of your engine – compression, valves, and state of tune (carb, ignition, valve lash) is critical for adding any power through modification to a stock 22R.

For more power gain - the next “bolt-in” performance mod I would do is a torquey cam – CompCam, Schneider, or a custom grind from 22RE Performance. 

For 4-wheeling – the next modification I would do is install a Marlin Crawler t-case and a rear diff locker.

When budget allows, then a front diff locker.

After those mods, going with a Weber and intake manifold would be my next consideration.

I wheeled the heck out of my ’85 22R, 5-speed, Standard Cab with basically a 4” lift and 33’s, MC t-case, and lockers.

Gnarls – That’s just my opinion – it may be worthless.

Do not expect a miracle from headers and exhaust upgrades, they are just a small part when building an engine....

The actual effect of exhaust system upgrades on 22s has always been a debatable topic for discussion.

I agree that “miracle” upgrades to a stock 22R is a happy thought at best.

Small incremental upgrades can be done and a basically bolt-on exhaust system upgrade is considered by most automotive enthusiasts to be an excellent first choice for cost/performance gains.

On my 1985 stock 22R, I would guess that based upon HP numbers touted by many exhaust experts, 10% increase is fairly common.  If my stock 22R rated at 96 horsepower got just 8% increase in power, then I felt a 7.68 HP increase.  So my stock 96 HP went up to approximately 104 HP.  Although that is a small 8 HP increase in numbers, that increase in torque when driving my 3100 lbs. standard cab down the freeway at 2,800 RPMs in 5th gear at 80 MPH was a huge feeling for me! 

Gnarls. 

If you live in Cali and need a new CAT then this is the best deal so far. I got my Magnaflow cat for $225.00.
Try this web site, I got the only on one. hottexhaust.com. Most places want 300, I saw some down to 279. And free shipping. I'm getting LCE headers using my CAT and going to the muffler shop.