Just Because you said I couldn't!

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So I've been looking for a new (new to me) muffler for the cracked holy one on my Ranger 8 that deafens me. Welllllll, after going to the local small engine shop, I came up with my own solution. For starters, the muffler is on an Onan engine, which can be hard to find parts for. The small engine shop, or maybe just the jerks behind the counter couldn't/wouldn't help me unless i had a serial number/model number. So you're telling me you can't do a search for a 16 hp Onan engine? Yea, whatever. Grrr. This machine is  maybe 15 years old or better, and after 20 mins with a flashlight and looking at the faded numbers all crooked, I got what I thought were the correct numbers. Back to the small engine shop. TWO HUNDRED SIXTY NINE DOLLARS  for an effing muffler? You kidding me? Lemme think here. Ok, how about a new manifold and ill make my own? $279? HAH never mind. How 'bout that $32 Sten's muffler for a cub cadet and an 18" piece of 1 1/2 exhaust pipe? Perfect. Then they tell me I wont be able to do that because the metal is rusty and thin and i won't be able to weld it. Excuse me, but just because YOU CANT doesn't mean I cant! The hardest part was tapping out the three broken off bolts in the exhaust manifold because they were rusted solid and the engine is aluminum, and the bolts were steel. Not a good combination. The fourth bolt came right out. Worked on the exhaust today, picked up a fancy flapper for the top today at TSC to ward off any rain water, and will finish progress tomorrow. I'll take some pictures for all to see. Anyone else ever want to slap a someone thats supposed to be in " customer service" and has serious attitude issues?
Reply:Originally Posted by jwolf Anyone else ever want to slap a someone thats supposed to be in " customer service" and has serious attitude issues?
Reply:Originally Posted by WakonTonka The "manager" at a local TSC today was such a pompous jerk!  The young man who brought me back to see the "manager" was rudely dismissed by him. Then, he was all huffy and did what always makes my day - he never listened to me, answered questions that I did not ask (sic) etc. Yeah, like I will buy my Zero Turn from him.
Reply:Did you try ebay I needed a muffler for my kohler ch13 and the local people wanted $179.00 I ended up lookingon ebay for a few weeks and got a nos for $69.00 with free shipping. I tryed welding mine with my mig and it worked for about 3 hours then the vibrations of the engine broke it off. Hopefully you will have better luck then me but welding a rusty muffler has never landed me more then about 5 hours of run time before it cracked. lol That being said local customer service is non existint around here any more. Its hard to consider paying more for something local when I have to be treated like a pos. I could have sat on my butt ordered it online and have it sitting at my front door in 3 days. More then likely sooner then if I went and had to order it at a local store and pay for fuel to get there.Vantage 300 kubota ,miller 304 xmt ,lincoln ln 25 pro , ranger 305 G, plenty of other tools of the trade to make the sparks fly.
Reply:Some people are just mean and some just need to make you look small so that they look bigger  (bullies). A couple other of the big reasons for this is if they are short or bald, or heaven forbid short and bald.Miller thunderbolt 250Decastar 135ERecovering tool-o-holic ESAB OAI have been interested or involved in Electrical, Fire Alarm, Auto, Marine, Welding, Electronics ETC to name a just a few. So YES you can own too many tools.
Reply:Hey jwolf , if you want to have some fun at this guys expense chances are this is not the first time this has happened call they're district office or corporate HQ's and tell them what happened , belittling the employee and everything in front of customers and be sure to mention NOT buying the zero turn because of him! that  will get they're attention, give it a try  . i hate a**holes like that i am sure there is some good guy waiting to take that jerks job . good luck. chris
Reply:Something wrong with bald? Some people just don't belong in customer service / management positions.Yes wolf, post up some photos of the project.  An acquaintance of mine and I have discussed on a number of occassions building mufflers for older, small (4-6K) home back-up Onan generators with CCKs that he deals with on a regular basis to quiet them down.  A loud generator running all night that reminds your neighbors they don't have power for their lights and window AC units isn't very nice. MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:ah the ole you cant do that motivator. works every time. as a side note on the broken off bolts when in aluminum i weld nuts to the broken bolt crank heat up and really burn it to the broken stud.put socket and ratchet on and hold steady pressure and they will almost always come right out.sometimes might take a few tries or may require shocking with hammer but have gotten good at it and have never had one that would come this way.the heat from welding it expands the aluminum more than the steel and viola out she comes.hope it helps someone on their next project.
Reply:Originally Posted by ct from shawneeHey jwolf , if you want to have some fun at this guys expense chances are this is not the first time this has happened call they're district office or corporate HQ's and tell them what happened , belittling the employee and everything in front of customers and be sure to mention NOT buying the zero turn because of him! that  will get they're attention, give it a try  . i hate a**holes like that i am sure there is some good guy waiting to take that jerks job . good luck. chris
Reply:WOW must be something in the water. I got the police called on me yesterday over some coupons my GF was trying to use at dollar general store.  WTF happened to "the customer is always right"?On a similar note also, My uncle is an owner/operator truck driver. A few weeks ago he brings me the leaking heater core from his Peterbilt, and a new heater core from a chevy c-10 pickup. He had me straighten and flange the hose connections on the chevy one and weld a 3 " x 9" plate on the other end of it. The reason? a new pete heater core is $300 and he had to order it. The chevy one was $35 in stock at napa and he paid me $50 for my time and hassle.If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:Here's a few pictures of the muffler i retro-fitted to the welder. I re-used the manifold pipes, had to add an inch and a half to the ends to move away from the oil fill tube, and used an 18" piece of inch and a half muffler pipe to tie the two together and run to the muffler. I capped off one end of the pipe, put a fancy tractor flapper on top to keep any rain water out, and added a brace from the stock bracket on the muffler to the lift point on the welder. Turned put pretty decent i think. Oh and it's way quieter than before with half of one end of the old muffler missing! It was basically straight-piped! I had to wear earplugs just to think. It seems to run a little smoother now, maybe it needs a little back pressure? I also changed the plugs and wires and the air filter while I had her apart. Sorry the pictures aren't the best quality, I took them with my cell phone. Attached Images
Reply:Should of put a muffler on the other side. High Performance dual exhaust . Looks good. I had an old Hobart welder from back in the late 50s. The muffler was gone and it had a short peice of pipe coming off of the manifold of the 4 cyl. industrial engine. I cut a flange that fit where the pipe had broken off and then went to a muffler shop and bought a turbo muffler for a small car, had them bend me a peice of pipe that came out and turned the muffler across the bottom of the end of the machine. Worked like a charm and was very quiet. I hate bad customer service. I am a paramedic, that is about as customer service oriented as you get. We have very strict customer service standards. If you want to get run off from a job have bad customer service or patient care. I try and treat all of the patients that I deal with the way I would want my Mom treated if someone was taking care of her.
Reply:Originally Posted by 35chevypuah the ole you cant do that motivator. works every time. as a side note on the broken off bolts when in aluminum i weld nuts to the broken bolt crank heat up and really burn it to the broken stud.put socket and ratchet on and hold steady pressure and they will almost always come right out.sometimes might take a few tries or may require shocking with hammer but have gotten good at it and have never had one that would come this way.the heat from welding it expands the aluminum more than the steel and viola out she comes.hope it helps someone on their next project.
Reply:Are you welding a nut thru the center and onto the broken stud? The broken bolts I had a problem with were 5/16" and were pretty close to flush with the top of the exhaust manifold. We heated them up with a torch and smacked the top with a hammer and a punch, and they still broke. One broke off after hitting it with the punch, didn't even get a chance to put a wrench/socket on it. Do you weld on larger nuts so you can get a good weld around the inside? Thanks!
Reply:It works great on bolts broken off flush, even below flush. The steel weld wont stick to the aluminum (or cast iron) and the bolts usually come out with a few tries, you may need to try a few times becuase the nut will often twist off the first time or two.
Reply:Originally Posted by jwolfAre you welding a nut thru the center and onto the broken stud?