Heed This Advice

The next time you need to take your vehicle in for any kind of exhaust system work?
When they are done and hand you the bill, bite your tongue, smile, say thank you very much and walk away.

DO NOT, get angry, feel you are being ripped off or that you could have done it cheaper yourself.

None of the above applies.

As a matter of fact, if you have any extra money, tip the man.
Sounds crazy?

NOBODY ever tips their mechanic or anyone else who works on their car.
If you do that, I guarantee that guy will remember you.
He will remember you for the rest of his life.
He will treat you like royalty the next time you need something done.

How do I know all this?
I have been a mechanic for over thirty five years now.

I also just spent two and a half very miserable hours changing the muffler out from under my rig.
In 90 degree sweltering, muggy heat.

In my fucking driveway.

Not something I recommend to the average weekend warrior.
Here is a little visual list of what you will need to do this, I quit drinking so the case of beer isn't pictured but most guys would start there.
Big mistake.

Anyways, be prepared to have all this on hand plus a large selection of hand tools for whatever fasteners they might have used.

First, the new muffler.

Your application may vary wildly, they get pretty creative sometimes at the factory.

Here is an example of where mine was located.
Note that I spent 15 minutes trying to find the exact application with no luck.
The sonsabitches were so proud of themselves that no photographic evidence is easily obtained.
This view show a dual exhaust set up.
Mine is a single exhaust system. If mine had been like this I would have taken it in and paid to have someone else do it. There just isn't room to work underneath there in your driveway.

Notice the location and application here.
The bastards stuffed it up in there sideways on edge between the fucking gas tank and the differential.
This right here should be your first clue that bad things are in store if you proceed any farther.

Next up, the cutting device of your choice, I went with this,

While laying on your side it helps not to have a cord to be worrying about.
Get in there and hack the bitch out.
There may be exhaust hangers and what not in the way, do what you have to to get the damn thing out without cutting anything unnecessarily, like brake lines and shit.
Now I am just going to show you what else I had to use besides just about every creative cussword I know.

You may need more than one of these, they are know in the industry as BFH's.
Big Fucking Hammers

(Times 2)

(Times 4)

And last but not least, a very large dose of this.

So add the cost of all this equipment and tools up versus the cost of paying some guy who does this shit all day every day and do the math, then factor in the trip to the emergency room and all the lost wages because you tried to accomplish this half fucking drunk.

Take it in, pay the man and drive away.

You can thank me later.