Trying to hang the front muffler in cold weather and making a mess of it. Broke the clamps nuts off, ended up having to saw them off, still don't have the front muffler off. Is it essential to take the entire exhaust system off the car to install the front muffler, or can you do it The Frank Sinatra way? The idea was to unclamp and unhinge the hangers on the front and rear muffler and then yank the whole business out the catalytic converter, but I had to quit because of the cold. A mouse ran by my face in the garage while I was laying on my back underneath the old brick. He was freezing too. It's only about 30 degrees with light snow, but the temperature's dropping, so I quit.

But I have to finish. Do I have to take the pipes down? If so, will they withstand hammering without bending up? The pipes are a mish-mash of good and bad.

Also, do the bolts that fasten the header to the cat pipe have to be any special kind that can withstand heat? The header pipe is a cheap aftermarket done by a local mechanic. I'm trying to clean up the mess.

Always appreciative.
Cuddy