Excessive rust on the exhaust connection?

Thanks mightytacomightytaco for reviving this thread!
I'm finding this interesting also. I'm going to be doing the exhaust re-route myself and use stainless tubing.

The idea was unbolt the driver side ahead of the lower cat and fab/weld the re-route off the truck and bolt it back together. If that connection is as rusty (haven't looked yet) as some of these guys images, I may be hosed! Snapping a bolt where I can barely get to it makes for an expensive and frustrating day.

Edit: BTW...Looks like the nuts are welded in place and bolts are removed? I had assumed fixed studs and nuts would be removed. Or at least standard nut/bolt. Anyone have any experience taking these off? Thanks!

 

Here’s mine. 12K miles purchased last March. Built in Feb of last year. I wish you guys would stop posting stuff like this. LOL! Do you know how many times I've had to grab my flashlight and run out to the garage to look for timing cover leaks, rust and other things? I have sleep deprivation.

Your rust doesn't look to be what I would consider to be "reasonable" at this point. Unless you did park in the ocean or paint salt concentrate on your underbody.

 

NAPA does not have a magic clamp for this. I'm going to end up at a muffler shop and see if they can do something that does not include replacing a whole bunch of parts. It's a bummer that a stainless exhaust is getting dragged down by a rusty clamp.

 

I think my timing cover has been leaking since day 1. I just wipe it down between oil changes. It's free rust inhibitor.