help!! muffler screw problem

[myn8m3is8ndy]

I was installing some cat bypass pipes.
I removed the muffler. then removed the 2 rear cats.
I Installed the bypass pipes.
Then tried putting the muffler back on BUT now the bottom screws in the middle of the muffler wont go back in.

SO, My question is, is it okay for my muffler to just hang on the top mount??

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by myn8m3is8ndy

I was installing some cat bypass pipes.
I removed the muffler. then removed the 2 rear cats.
I Installed the bypass pipes.
Then tried putting the muffler back on BUT now the bottom screws in the middle of the muffler wont go back in.

SO, My question is, is it okay for my muffler to just hang on the top mount??

You need the bottom bolts. If the originals are lost or damaged you can use just about any nut & bolts.

[myn8m3is8ndy]

is the bottom bracket really needed?? cause i literally tried everything and it's not the problem of the screw. the screw and the bolt are just too far apart to be put together because the pipes are somewhat pushing the muffler back.

[jb92563]

The stock muffler is heavy so I would find another way to secure it, if the bolts dont align, so it can not bounce around as the flexing might break something upstream.

Surely you can find a longer thinner bolt with suitable washers and a locking nut,
or use a hose clamp through the existing misaligned holes to hold it steady.

[myn8m3is8ndy]

Originally Posted by jb92563

The stock muffler is heavy so I would find another way to secure it, if the bolts dont align, so it can not bounce around as the flexing might break something upstream.

Surely you can find a longer thinner bolt with suitable washers and a locking nut,
or use a hose clamp through the existing misaligned holes to hold it steady.

the muffler isnt bouncing around at all. it's perfectly still. even when i try to shake it or apply pressure to the muffler, it doesn't move at all.

[epapp]

But when the engine flexes, it will move itself, the headers and the muffler assembly. If those bolts are left out, the muffler will most likely cause a very obnoxious banging sound when going from acceleration to deceleration. Eventually something will break.

[Pdwight]

I know why you did this, you bolted the triangular flanges together and could not get the cat-delete pipes to go in place

I had the same problem, tried for over 2 hours to get this to work and got up and walked away from the car. Then it hit me what to do..un bolt the flanges and install the cat-delete pipes into the couplers and then bolt on the flanges..it worked perfectly then. I never had to touch the muffler.

[rdass623]

you may want to loosen the u-pipes to assist with alignment, or maybe shorten the cat delete pipes. I had to remove an inch from both pipes where the extension slipped on for proper alignment. be ready for a burning smell to come from the cat deletes for a couple hundred miles as the factory corrosion preventative burns off.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by myn8m3is8ndy

is the bottom bracket really needed??

Yes...........................