Exhaust down pipe to elbow connection

Enjoyed reading the exhaust problems and solutions from all of you experienced guys. If you recall, I have my recently-purchased '88 TC with less than 3,600 miles. Well, with those few miles, I've already had an exhaust issue as well. It seems the previous owners drove it so little, they seldom were driving long enough to dissipate the condensation in the mufflers. So, when the car arrive, I found the bottoms of both mufflers rusted out with lots of holes. With the help of my son-in-law and his large shop and equipment, we cut thin aluminum plates to fit over the bottoms of both mufflers, affixed them with extreme high temp silicone sealant, and used stainless self-tapping screws to make sure they held. This worked perfectly. (Not crazy about the pinkish color of the sealant though...)

At any rate, this will work for the summer. Now my dilemma is replacing them permanently over the winter. I'd really love to go with a 3" DP into 2.5 inch mufflers and pipes, but then it's no longer original, is it? I guess I did buy it to drive, not to store, didn't I? Like they say, it's only original once.

Enjoyed reading the exhaust problems and solutions from all of you experienced guys. If you recall, I have my recently-purchased '88 TC with less than 3,600 miles. Well, with those few miles, I've already had an exhaust issue as well. It seems the previous owners drove it so little, they seldom were driving long enough to dissipate the condensation in the mufflers. So, when the car arrive, I found the bottoms of both mufflers rusted out with lots of holes. With the help of my son-in-law and his large shop and equipment, we cut thin aluminum plates to fit over the bottoms of both mufflers, affixed them with extreme high temp silicone sealant, and used stainless self-tapping screws to make sure they held. This worked perfectly. (Not crazy about the pinkish color of the sealant though...)

At any rate, this will work for the summer. Now my dilemma is replacing them permanently over the winter. I'd really love to go with a 3" DP into 2.5 inch mufflers and pipes, but then it's no longer original, is it? I guess I did buy it to drive, not to store, didn't I? Like they say, it's only original once.

I wouldn't be too concerned with keeping mufflers/exhaust original. Many upgrade the exhaust system. I took mine to a custom mandrel bending shop and had them create stainless steel 2.75 inch exhaust pipes that go right back to the axle. Similar to the 80's/90's stainless steel exhaust pipes that came stock on Mustangs from Ford. I believe the Mustangs were 2.25"

If you are determined you could look for 88 to 91 Lincoln LSC mufflers. Our 91 exhaust looked identical to the Turbo Coupe. Well mufflers and tail pipes up to the H-pipe. Obviously a different catalytic system for a v8 vs. I-4.

Thanks for the info, 88. I'll probably bounce this around in my head for a bit before I make a decision. There are a couple of exhaust specialists around here that I could get to do the work.

Thanks for the info, 88. I'll probably bounce this around in my head for a bit before I make a decision. There are a couple of exhaust specialists around here that I could get to do the work.

In another post somewhere here, an owner of a car that also had low mileage was concerned about keeping the car as stock as possible. The discussion turned to exhaust, and I made the comment: gone are the days when you could walk into a Ford parts department and walk out, $400 or so later, with two stock tailpipes with mufflers. I did just that in 1992 when it was time to replace mine.

You’re right that it’s only original once. Sometimes there’s no other choice and you have to go with what’s available.

You're right. Since I have no intentions of selling the car, it makes the decision easier.