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[Boatman]

If you have access to air, this does a great job.

Like fthngrg stated, good lighting is a must.

[CVORick]

If you have access to air, this does a great job.

Like fthngrg stated, good lighting is a must.

AH!! The famous "Pneumatic (Air) Dremel"!!!

[HDDOCFL]

If you have access to air, this does a great job.

Like fthngrg stated, good lighting is a must.

I have used that bit on three sets of baffles and have found nothing better.    Doc

[Boatman]

I have used that bit on three sets of baffles and have found nothing better.    Doc

That bit literally cuts the welds like butter.   I take my hat off to the guys that use the dremel style wheels.

[dartman]

That bit literally cuts the welds like butter.   I take my hat off to the guys that use the dremel style wheels.

Boatman, I have both, but returned to the dremel after I slipped and cut through the muffler shell like butter, the Dremel Grinding bit is more work but its a lot more forgiving and allows for human error, fortunately I broke through exactly where the hole needed to be drilled for the attaching bolt.

[Dan_Lockwood]

I have two sizes of the spring loaded center punches.  I used the larger one, but the smaller one would have worked just as well.

I then drilled a pilot hole with a 1/16" drill bit to get it started.  In my opinion, NEVER try to drill the full size hole on the first go.  I also use Unibits on all sheetmetal drilling like this.  They make a nice round hole and you just keep going in deeper to the desired dimeter is met.

As for the welds, I tend to use my air grinders a lot and did so on the mufflers as well.  I used a carbide sort of square cornered bit and just kept going back and forth over the welds until I was certain I was through the welds.

I used a suggestiion that someone else gave, once you're through the weld, tap inward on the original baffle.  This does two things, it breaks loose any minor bit of weld you may not have ground away and it gives you clearance to go back in and clean up the weld area before trying to pull out on the baffle past the weld bumps.

I used to do a lot of 2-cycle porting work in my very younger days so air grinders are kind of like old home week for me.  But I can see how a Dremel with its somewhat slower less aggressive nature would be better for someone to "sneak" up on the weld without over grinding through the muffler shell.

Sorry for rambling on this, but my means to the end are not that much different than everyone else here.  Just take your time and don't over grind.

[gg]

Dan, thanks for the unibit suggestion. Is that the sort of bit that gets progressively larger?

[Boatman]

Boatman, I have both, but returned to the dremel after I slipped and cut through the muffler shell like butter, the Dremel Grinding bit is more work but its a lot more forgiving and allows for human error, fortunately I broke through exactly where the hole needed to be drilled for the attaching bolt.

If it weren't for the info rec'd from this website,  I am sure I would have went thru the can(s) too.   Nice, slow, and a lot of light needed for these 54 year old eyes.

 

[grip]

Take your time when grinding out the spot welds. I used a Dremel with a carbide tipped bit and took my time grinding. I agree with others to start on the top part of the spot weld, leaving the part that connects to the inside of the muffler can until last.  This is where patience will pay off, because the can looks fairly thin, and a carbide bit would probably grind through it if one were not careful.  I rested the end of the can on a block of wood, and used a shovel handle through the upper end of the can to break the old baffle loose.  I used a center punch to make sure that the drill bit didn't move on me, and like others I started with a smaller drill bit and worked up. Honestly, I was very paranoid about doing this myself, but after I finished I can tell you that it's a piece of cake.  Well worth the expense.  The fullsac cores were a much better option for me, and the sound of the 2" baffles is just what I was looking for.  For $120 bucks or so this can't be beat.

[Deuce Bigelow]

I just did this last night on the CVO mufflers I'm putting on my "soon to be here" 2010 FLTRX..
I used a dremel with a #420 cutting disc...It went through the spot welds very quickly!

it took me about 20mins to get both old baffles out, that includes time spent taking the heat shields and end caps off each muffler.


one question I have is, are you guys leaving the insulation in the muffler or taking it out???
hwat is the difference in sound with it in VS out??

[US.Army.Retired]

I left the insulation in and love the sound.  Fullsac is the best 

[gg]

Deuce, your insulation question depends on what sort of sound volume you want to hear at idle, at accleration and at crusing speed. Additionally, the insulation will affect whether the sound is sharp and maybe tinny (w/o insulation imo)or if it is deep and sort of rumbling (with insulation). Since you can remove the baffles, reuse what the original mufflers came with and try it both ways and see which you prefer.