The very month that I have to smog my truck, the stupid hangers let go on my tailpipe, and the pipe has to be replaced due to the damage (there are two holes from where the pipe was either welded to the hangers and the weld broke away, or where the pipe wore through from rubbing on the hangers, and the pipe is all bent to hell from the five minutes it took me to figure out there was this funny sound coming from the back of my truck....). I found a diagram that shows me the tailpipe itself appears to be separate from the muffler - is it something so simple as a bolt-on? FYI - 1991 f150 4.9L I6. Someday I'd love to do a whole new system, this is not the time... so I hate to say I have to cheap out, but I need to cheap out... Any help appreciated - the pipe itself does not appear to be very expensive, I've no problem doing it myself if that's all there is to it...

 

If the current system on your truck is the OE system or is an OE replacement the tailpipe and muffler may be welded to the joint. If the muffler is in ok shape you can cut the tailpipe off at the muffler outlet and install a new tailpipe. The new tailpipe will probably have to be expanded to fit the muffler depending on the muffler outlet configuration. You could just put a turndown after the muffler for the time being if it is legal in your state to save some cash.

 

Thanks for your reply dkf - I crawled up under there (dirt driveway, yuck), and as you noted it's a welded piece. A co-worker gave me a referral to a local muffler shop and I had the tailpipe replaced, plus when I picked the truck up the tech told me he found a crack on the front side of the muffler that he welded back up, but otherwise everything else was good. All-in-all he charged me $80 for the whole she-bang, and it was done in about four hours. I budgeted for a little more (ie, "worst case scenario"), so I'm happy. Not sure what the etiquette is here, but I would like to extend the referral to anyone in the metro-Phoenix area (West side) looking for muffler work. Guess you can PM me for the info...