Hi folks,
       I'm  fixin' to replace the crappy muffler I got 6 months ago.  What
did I expect for $50?  Anyway, I am going to build another muffler mount out
of 1/8" steel.  The old one is getting a crack in it because I used 16 gauge
steel, too thin.
       So, I was looking at the exhaust and I noticed how much the muffler is
able to bounce up and down.  I also noticed that the headers do not bounce.
So, since we have the lovely rubber mounts on the muffler, is the flex joint
on the header flexing every time the engine moves or goes over a bump?  And
will that wear it out?  I also thought that the bouncing around puts stresses
on the pipes and joints of the system.  A previous muffler wore out at the
point where the pipe meets the muffler body.  Hmmm...
       My question is this: has anyone taken off these rubber mounts, and how
well is it doing without them?  I have tried to access the vanagon list
archives, but have been unable to get into them.  Any thoughts or experiences
along these lines would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

Bill Marshall
85 GL Tiico
Bradenton FL