Eric,
Based on my experience, I suggest you use the correct brackets now to avoid a
possible bigger repair bill later.

The upper half on both muffler brackets on my '87 Westy was corroded beyond
repair so I tried a similar fix but instead used large hose clamps wrapped
around the muffler and the remaining lower bracket. A couple of months later, I
discovered a crack in one of the exhaust pipes. This very same pipe had been
replaced only a year or two previous. Maybe just a coincidence but my suspicion
is the makeshift muffler bracket allowed the muffler (and the rest of the
system) to bounce around too much, stressing out the joints. Ultimately, I ended
up paying the big bucks for the correct VW brackets (ouch!)

Like the man says, "You can pays me now, or you can pays me later".

Roy Olynick
'87 VW Westfalia GL
(till death do us part)
'91 Honda Civic SE
'01 Honda Civic LX
www.autobahn.mb.ca/~rrh/Westy_Home.htm

| | I also heard that a much cheaper solution is to use pipe tape (the metal
| strips with holes drilled every inch or so) to brace it.
|
| Has anyone else done this?  Is it a viable solution, or might it cause
| problems that will end up costing me more than the muffler brackets down the
| road?