Question About Front Plate

[nicocorea]

My next project is to remove the front plate from both of my mufflers. Just so there's no confusion over nomenclature, by "front plate" I mean the plate that's closest to the front (engine) end of the muffler, the plate that has a single hole in it.

So far I've only removed the baffles. My mickeys and front plates are still in place, and I want to leave only the mickeys in place. For now, I only want to remove the front plate.

My plan is to remove the mufflers, insert a hole saw into the front end of the muffler, and drill out the front plate.

I'm hoping that those of you that have messed around with the mufflers before might be able to comment and advise me before I get started.

A couple of questions I have right away follow:

1) How far from the front of the muffler is the front plate? Will I need any sort of extension or will the hole saw I used to debaffle reach?

2) I assume I can use the same hole saw I used for the baffle removal. Is that true?

3) Also, are there any pointers or things to watch for when removing or re-installing the mufflers?

Thanks!

[07M50zAllDaWay]

Nic,
I think most folks that demickeyed used a 2 3/4 inch hole saw, rather than the 3in we use to debaffle. I would assume the same is true for the 3rd plate.