[JuneBug]

My muffler heat shield finally rusted off this week, causing occasional rattling you would expect at startup and at red lights. It's the two front bolts that had the rust causing the plate to hang down (it's easily visible).

Now, can I just remove it completely and ignore it? I know they made it for a reason, so it must do something important. My only problem is that the two nuts/bolts that hold the heat shield have some significant rust. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

The reason for the heat shield is to prevent a fire caused by driving over dry leaves and grass. A catalytic converter can get very hot.

 

[JuneBug]

I remember when Japanese cars had cadmium plated nuts and bolts everywhere. The plating gave them a slight golden look, and they didn't rust! Guess they quit that to save a few pennies.