Are you sure that it's a hole in your front pipe?

I just did the heat-shield-ectomy and got a little too macho myself. My put-put-put is coming from the gasket between the exhaust manifold and the front pipe. I tightened the mounting nuts and that helped somewhat, but I figure I'm probably due for a new gasket before too long. If I were you I'd check there before buying a new front pipe.

One way to look for exhaust leaks is to tape a shop vac to the tail pipe and rig it to blow instead of suck. Then spray some soapy water where you suspect leaks to be. Bubbles will form where the leaks are.