$15 Easy DIY Mod - Make Your Factory Mufflers Disappear
Here's a fun little mod you can do for $15 (max) and in under an hour.
I never liked how the bright, bare metal mufflers looks so prominent. C'mon, the factory painted the guard surrounding the gas tank black so it wouldn't be so obvious - they should have done the same thing to the mufflers.
I can't claim the solution is MY idea - I found a topic on another forum that recommended using the BBQ Grille paint for this purpose.
SUPPLIES:
*Scotchbrite pad or sandpaper
* Masking tape
* Newspaper
* Paper towels
* Windex with ammonia
* Rubbing alcohol
* Black paint for refurbishing you bar-b-que grille (rated for 1200 degrees)
I hosed down all surfaces of the mufflers that could be seen from the back and sides with Windex and scrubbed them with the Scotchbrite pad to remove 9,000 miles worth of road grime. I dried off that muck with paper towels. Then I poured the alcohol on more clean paper towels and cleaned any remaining residue from mufflers. (I repeated that step until fresh paper towels looked clean after the final rub down.) I masked off the bright exhaust pipe tips (and everything that I didn't want to have over-spray) and started spraying light coats of paint on the mufflers. I went back and forth from side to side until I was satisfied that everything was coated evenly.
The end result was a surprisingly close match to the color and texture of the flat (satin?) black gas tank guard.
Now, in most lighting conditions, the mufflers are much, MUCH less noticeable and no longer draw your eye from the beautiful, clean lines of the painted bodywork. This works so great because everything is under the car and in the shade.
I waited a few months before I posted this to see how it would hold up -- still looks perfect! Before and after photos are below. I did my best to reproduce the same lighting and even boosted the contrast of the "after" photo. In fact, if you compare the two, you will also see that I also took the "after" photo from a MUCH lower angle so the mufflers *should* be more prominent.
Have fun!
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2008 GT Deluxe Dark Candy Apple Red, 5-speed Mods: MGW short throw shifter (Roush was too loud!), Magnetic Black-out, Sequential Signals, Midwest Auto Gear plenum cover - fuel rail covers - radiator extensions - shock tower covers - mirror covers.
I used brush-on flat black wood stove paint and disposable sponge brushes. It seemed a little easier to control than spray since I was too lazy to pull the mufflers off.
I used brush-on flat black wood stove paint and disposable sponge brushes. It seemed a little easier to control than spray since I was too lazy to pull the mufflers off.
It's held up fine for over two years now.
What an even BETTER idea! Most of the time I spent (< 1 hour) was on taping and masking. Plus, I bet you didn't have to spend any time on my last step - sweeping the overspray off the concrete in my garage floor.
(I love this forum!)
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2008 GT Deluxe Dark Candy Apple Red, 5-speed Mods: MGW short throw shifter (Roush was too loud!), Magnetic Black-out, Sequential Signals, Midwest Auto Gear plenum cover - fuel rail covers - radiator extensions - shock tower covers - mirror covers.
I did mine, with out any prep, just wiped em off with a damp rag, and used regular old Krylon flat black, 3 years later, and not a problem. no bubbles peeling, or flaking. took longer to R/R the mufflers than it did to paint em.
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$15 Easy DIY Mod - Make Your Factory Mufflers Disappear 
