Broken welds on inlet of muffler on 6.9

[cdw904]

So, I have a question about the exhaust on my 1980 450SEL 6.9 .  I recently discovered that the welds at the inlet of the muffler are broken. I've briefly tried to locate another new muffler but it appears to be NLA.

I suppose a muffler shop could TIG weld the existing muffler but I have another thought that goes against my inner MB purist mentality.

Has anyone replaced the OE muffler with a muffler that has a bit more "throat" to it? I don't want something that sounds like the General Lee from the Dukes Of Hazzard or glass packs. I'm just toying with the idea of something a little more tuned.

I'm wondering if an E55 AMG muffler would physically fit and if it would have an acceptable flow that provides an acceptable amount of back pressure.

Thoughts on this? Am I out of my mind for even thinking about modifying the exhaust?

Appreciate your opinion in advance!

[daantjie]

Check with Timevalve I think they are in one of the southern states.

[ptashek]

On of the guys here, Type17, has a custom made stainless steel setup in his 350SE. Can't recall if it's the whole thing, or just post-downpipe.

It has a deeper bass and growl to it, but not in a disturbing way. I personally liked it.

You can immediately tell it's not stock, so the purists may come calling with pitchforks at the ready