My Red '97

[78F350]

Yesterday late in the afternoon I decided to install the Dansk muffler. The weather was nice and I thought I'd be able to have it done before sunset, so I did it in the driveway.
You don't have to take the rear bumper off to remove the muffler, but after doing it once, I realized that 'bumper off' is the way to go.

• Raise the spoiler and remove the top, then unbolt the spoiler from the lifting arms.
• Unscrew the bumper cover from the car - 3 under the spoiler, 2 at the top of the fender wells and I think it was 6 across the bottom.
• Remove the bumperettes, 1 bolt each, inside at the bottom.
• Pull the bumper cover out, then disconnect the license plate light.
• Remove 2 bolts for the bumper reinforcement bar. Heat shield attached to the bottom should come away with it.
• Now you have enough space to access the bolts and supports for the muffler and room enough to remove it.
• Dealing with the rusted bolts on the exhaust may require uttering some sacred words and a small sacrifice of blood. Use penetrating oil liberally and have a breaker bar handy.
• After the bolts on the clamps are loose, I like to pry them wide open with a small pry-bar or heavy screwdriver before trying to move them.

It got dark earlier than I expected. Then my wife came out to say that dinner was cold and she put it in the microwave for me to reheat when I was ready. "I'm almost done." I ignored a couple phone calls from my boss. *Why is he calling this late anyway.* Oh, late..., yes, it's almost 7:30 pm. I paused work on the car for a moment to text my boss: "I'm just 'finishing' an 'easy' job and will call back as soon as I can." He restores old Mustangs and I knew he'd understand.


Eventually it was done. Nothing was particularly difficult, but working with the old bolts and getting everything lined up right to mount the Dansk took a little more effort than I expected.


Most of it is covered by the bumper and the change is subtle, but I like it a lot.