Anyone dented their muffler? No! on purpose to clear the axles.

gggGary

gggGary

If not now, When?
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Changing mufflers on "madness". Getting rid of the straight throughs, Uh anyone hate their neighbors? Had a decent set of Emgo's like this on the shelf;
0000-Emgo-Dunstall-Replica-Universal-Muffler-Chrome.jpg


but would like to get them nice and close to the bike which means they hit the axle. So anyone have a good method to make nice neat "dents"? They will need to be about 1" x 3" Not sure of the internal construction, they aren't straight thru I can't see daylight, but don't know beyond that. I don't see any welds for bulkheads or anything. Some heat? Was thinking of using the side of a big impact socket as a kind of a shaper instead of directly wailing on it with a ball peen. It won't be in direct view so I guess....
 
If you take your time moving the metal, you should be able to do a good job using the socket as a dolly. The key is to get the full area stretched enough from lighter influence before you try for real depth. How far do you need to move it? If it's about 4 inches in diameter where you want to move it, you can probably work 2 inches radially by 4 inches lengthwise into around an inch of depression and keep it on the axle side pretty easy. Start at the axle line and work it back and forth until you get movement. Focus your depth on the lower side and then comb it up toward the top to avoid a collapse on the upper 3rd, just in case you get moving too quick. Once you have a flat worked out, you can work the edges out with the ball peen, or the socket. Just bounce a 12 ounce like you are trying to do a drum roll. Or, and I KNOW this is against the rules, I have used a brass hammer to drive the ball peen so I can regulate the impact point well. Repetition gives better results than high force when you are stretching or compressing sheet, in my experience. Of course, I'm usually trying to get the dents OUT!
I already know you possess the patience for it. Hope it works well for you.
 
Maybe not beautiful but the "dents" worked great,
brmm brmm 001.jpg
too bad the pipes were so quiet I couldn't stand them!
 
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