'04 exhaust mod.

Just got new to me '04 that is stock with less than 5K miles. I've read all the exhaust posts and need a little clarificaton. My first thought was to drill out the (4) holes in the muffler end. First question: 2 of the 4 are insert the bit and drill--after drilling through, there's a hard surface behind--do I drill through this? Second part of the question: the other (2) obviously you can't get the 1/2" bit past the obstruction--do I just gouge out the interference with the bit until I get to another 1-2 plates to drill through? I realize there are numerous posts, but haven't seen the answers I need. Thanks.

Okay, I got a small light and can see that there is mesh behind the 2 straight through holes. I still to know the deal for the 2 obstruced holes.

Not totally following what you are trying to do but THIS THREAD pretty well covers drilling your exhaust. Diagram HERE

Your three easiest options:

• Drill a new hole between the two exit pipes.
  
• Insert a drill bit(at an angle) inside each exit tube to open them up inside the muffler.
  
• Use a hole saw and completely drill out each exit tube and shorten them.

Not so easy but still pretty easy if you can weld option:

• Chop the ends with a sawzall or cut-off saw and do a full gut.

[image: View Post]dutchinterceptor, on 18 December 2011 - 05:33 PM, said:

Not so easy but still pretty easy if you can weld option:

• Chop the ends with a sawzall or cut-off saw and do a full gut.

...Or if you can pay someone else $20-$40 to weld.   :happy:

The full gut is louder I believe but "cleaner" IMHO and you get the added benefit of losing some weight outta them cans.

So with the full gut, I cut the end cap off, does the end baffle pull out and that's it? I've been searching for hours and quite honestly it's hard to follow.

Full gut = sawzall the end off and the entire innards slide right out. Had a local shop weld the ends back on for $25 and she's good to go! You'll love the sound. Mine feels like the throttle is a little quicker to respond, too. Maybe revs easier with less back pressure? Did it 25,000 miles ago and no issues.

I cut the tips off with a sawzall and then used a hole saw to cut around the tips.  After the holes were cut, I wiggled the tips until I could fit the sawzall blade into one of the new holes and cut off the other tube/tip on the inside.  Once the first one was cut off, I put the sawzall blade into that hole and cut off the other one.  I had some cut marks on the end of the can but the bolt on tips cover that up.

[image: View Post]bones, on 18 December 2011 - 08:59 PM, said:

So with the full gut, I cut the end cap off, does the end baffle pull out and that's it? I've been searching for hours and quite honestly it's hard to follow.

Once you get the ends off, the "guts" are only in there by friction.  I've heard people give varying levels of difficulty to pulling them out.  Mine took a good amount of force and patience, but part of that might be that I found the pipes a bit awkward to hold on to and get leverage on.  Kinda like wrestling an octopus...

[image: index.php?app=gallery&module=images&section=img_ctrl&img=451] Cut the end caps off, pulled the baffles out. Album: carlitos92 Uploaded 20 Mar 2010 - 15:49


[image: index.php?app=gallery&module=images&section=img_ctrl&img=451] Disassembled the baffles; ready to get welded back together. Album: carlitos92 Uploaded 20 Mar 2010 - 15:50

carlitos92, I guess I'm a little slow. Do I reinstall any of the pieces at the bottom of the last pic? Do I just end up with a completely hollow tube with just the original end cap? Thanks for your help.

You got it. None of the guts go back in, so it'll be hollow. BTW - how long you leave the tubes attached to the endcap (seen in the last photo) will affect your exhaust note and volume. I cut mine as close to the inside surface as I could and got a nice, throaty sound that doesn't drone at all. It is louder, but never enough to get LE' s attention.