Misplaced Desire, Sincere Gifts, and Amends

I'm infamous for going off half-cocked.  This has gotten me in trouble more than once, and has sometimes hurt people I care about.

I wanted new mufflers for Nell.  When I installed the exhaust system 18 months ago, it came with inexpensive 2-chamber "turbo" mufflers.  The motor backfired when I was first tuning it, which caused the right muffler to blow a head seam.   I had a muffler guy weld the lower part of the seam back together when he installed hangars for the tailpipes 9 months ago, but it still leaks.  It doesn't rattle any more, but the exhaust is a little loud, and the exhaust leak is clearly audible when the car is idling.

I did extensive research... I may have even been a little obsessive about it, trading off sound and performance numbers from a variety of muffler manufacturers.  I wanted a performance muffler, not some "pedestrian" OEM can!  Yeah, perhaps my ego got a little involved.  The reviews were very positive for the product line I selected, and by my measurements the smallest model would just fit in the stock muffler location.

Amazon is great!  As a family, we tend to use the "wish list" function for gift planning.  I also use my Amazon "wish list" at other times just to keep track of the kind of things I may want, or to track prices.  I put the mufflers on my wish list.  I kept thinking "I need to re-measure the space for these mufflers", but I didn't get around to it.  After all, they were the smallest reasonably quiet performance mufflers available... of course they would fit!

My son surprised me by giving me a pair for Christmas!  It was a very thoughtful gift, and I am extremely grateful.

Today, I took Nell and the mufflers to my muffler guy to have them installed.

They don't fit.

Any early t-bird owners out there, be advised... Walker Dynomax 17730 mufflers will not fit.  You may think that they will, but they won't... they are about a quarter inch too wide, and won't allow enough clearance with the frame to keep from rattling.  I now have to send these big, heavy puppies back to Amazon.

I also need to make amends to my son, who went out of his way to get me something I desired.  It's not his fault that my desire was misplaced, and that my obsession blinded me to reality.  And I'm genuinely sorry.

As a recovering addict, it is often hard for me to fully understand how obsessions I pursue privately can negatively effect other people.  Perhaps this muffler experience is an important reminder.