I also got tired of wearing hearing protection while driving, so I ordered the Donaldson M070028 muffler & 2 clamps for it. I ordered the muffler from Filter Parts Pro in Arizona, and I am VERY happy with their service. I will continue to order parts from them when I can.
I didn't realize that the exhaust pipe will fit inside the muffler tubing; the muffler simply slides down over the exhaust pipe. I could have cut it a bit taller, but my mistake. It ended up working out quite well actually, as all I had to do was drill 2 new holes in the upper exhaust support bracket, and it didn't interfere with my high-rise air intake at all. The clamps make installation a snap, and they seal everything up quite well. And WOW what a great improvement!
Now I don't need ear protection at all, and my wife & I can actually carry on a normal conversation while driving, even with the soft top. I'm really anxious to get a hard top now, and fully insulate the cab to further reduce noise inside. But that Donaldson muffler makes a tremendous positive difference in noise reduction, I like it much better. It's one of my favorite upgrades (right behind the power steering & new seats). WOW! For the muffler, 2 clamps, and shipping, I paid just over $80 total. And it was well-spent, I highly recommend this upgrade. I haven't found any downsides to this at all yet, and doubt that I will.
Much better!!
I sanded the muffler & clamps thoroughly with 400-grit Wet-and-Dry, then cleaned the surfaces to be painted. I sprayed them all with Hi-Temp paint, then finished with good old Rustoleum Khaki flat. I've driven it several times now, and the exhaust got good and hot, but the paint didn't seem to mind at all. I still have to touch up a few spots on the exhaust pipe & brackets to match.
I did have to bend both mirror support arms to clear the muffler & mounting bracket. I don't have a tubing bender yet, so I had to use my vise...it's ugly but works for now. Someday I'll remove them again and clean them up, as well as de-rust and paint to match. I'm just happy to have the muffler & mirrors in place.
I intend to reinstall the mesh shield to protect against unintended contact with a hot muffler, but I need to fabricate some new mounts as the shield will sit out farther from the muffler than it used to with the straight pipe exhaust.