T/A exhaust question, how to remove and reinstall tip etc

[JH27N0B]

Last year after I got my T/A together and running finally, I drove it around the block a few times, and on and off a trailer twice to take it to and from MCACN.  The week after MCACN with maybe a mile on it, I started it up and drove it across the street to warm it up and take a few pix before parking it for winter.
While doing that I noticed the damn pax side exhaust tip had come loose.   
After I got it back in the garage I put the tip back in the muffler, and while tightening up the clamp I'd got from a well known Mopar supplier, the cheap SOB snapped like a twig.
I went to NAPA and bought some clamps, which look to be about 50% bigger diameter U bolts than the resto ones.
And put it on my spring chores list to get to in 2017.
So this year has almost come and go and I've done next to nothing with the T/A.  I got really busy with my side job and working on my convertible, but getting the T/A out and about before the season was over was high on my list.
So I've been getting stuff done on it the last couple weeks and got to the exhaust today. 
First off, I haven't been able to get the tip back out of the muffler.  I suppose if I fire the car up and run it a bit, it will fall out by itself again.  But looking for ideas for getting it loose short of taking the whole exhaust off that side?
Second, I see on the tip, there is a nipple about 2" from the end of the pipe where it goes into the muffler.
Is the pipe to go into the muffler until the nipple is adjacent to the muffler pipe end, in other words, is that nipple a gage to show how far the pipe should be inserted in the muffler?
These are NOS mufflers and NOS takeoff tips I had rechromed.
I found I have a exhaust pipe expander in my tools but I think its too big, so I just ordered a smaller one off ebay.
Now I just need to figure out how to get the pipe out of the muffler before it shows up in the mail!

[Cuda Cody]

I've always had a little bit of trouble getting exhausts apart after they have been on a bit.  They kinda don't want to come out once they have been clamped down good.  It might take a bit of muscle to get it out.  Do you have a lift to work on it?  That helps a lot.

[anlauto]

I missed the part where you said why you wanted to take it out again...

[JH27N0B]

I missed the part where you said why you wanted to take it out again...

Since my passenger side tip came loose so easily I'm really worried it's going to happen again.
I am not convinced it was inserted far enough into the muffler and that was part of the problem why it came loose.
The nipples are about 1-3/4" from the end of the exhaust tip pipe where it inserts into the muffler.  From that gage, they were inserted less than an inch into the muffler.
So I figured I'd pull the tips out, and expand the muffler pipe with an expander, so that I could insert the tip back in and hopefully far enough such that the nipple is up to the muffler exit pipe, so that I am confident the tip is inserted far enough in. Then I can crank the NAPA clamp down real good.
And then not worry about the tip coming loose again and maybe losing it.   
And no lift, jacked up less than 18" off my garage floor.

[anlauto]

Ahh...that makes sense.....I'm guess you can't push it in further either....

[1 Wild R/T]

I couldn't find a picture that shows it but those tabs that you mention as depth stops... I can't say for sure on a T/A but lots of stock exhausts use something like that with a matching notch in the muffler which when slid together locates the muffler so it can't twist on the pipe...

Oh, you won't like this but often once the pipes have been clamped the metal is distorted & a torch is the only way to get them apart...

[JH27N0B]

I've heard the original head pipes had those tabs.  I have NOS mufflers and tips but got my headpipes from Dales cuda shop. 
There are two of them on these tips, and they don't have slots on the muffler that they fit into.  That is why I suspect they are meant as gages so you can see how far the tip pipe inserts into the muffler?
Here is a picture of them on a spare NOS tip I have.  This is a drivers side, so at least if my drivers side falls off and gets lost I have a replacement.  Can't take any chances with the passenger side one though!! 

[1 Wild R/T]

After seeing the pictures I agree, depth indicator only.... Wish I could find a photo of the ones I was referring to...

Ok found this... It's close, The ones I've seen didn't have the twist slot, just the alignment slot...

[JH27N0B]

There is a single slot in the inlet pipe on the original mufflers and I remember "Floyd" (Bruce) talking about how he has some original headpipes for his T/A project, and they have tabs, so they must fit into the slot in the muffler like you were talking about.
They didn't match that on the repro one, though Bruce said he lent his NOS ones to Dales or one of the other big repro exhaust companies at some point to use to design repros.
From my picture, you can see the nipples are about 2" from the end, so that being the case, apparently the tips are supposed to insert almost 2" into the muffler?
Mine move a bit, I can see from a scratch they appear to be out about 1/4" from when I started messing with them.  Haven't managed to get them out any further though.

[1 Wild R/T]

2" in sounds about right...

As far as getting them apart, if the clamp broke before it compressed the muffler around the tip/pipe then you can probably get it apart... Lube & BFSI.... (Brute Force & Sheer Ignorance)  Maybe use a 2"-2 1/4" hole saw on a short piece of 4x4 so the 4x4 can be used to protect the pipe while you smack the 4x4 with a mallet.....

[JH27N0B]

I banged on it a bit with a rubber mallet, though I couldn't get much swing at it.
I think it can be removed, just more work and brute force.  Maybe get it loose by Thursday when my new smaller diameter muffler pipe expander I ordered on the 'bag tonight comes.  4 or 5 days of wrestling and swearing at it might do the trick!

[1 Wild R/T]

Start lubing it now...
Let chemicals do some of the work..

[JH27N0B]

I will.
Really wanted to get it out this year to the Saturday night cruise 2 blocks from my house.  Tomorrow is not looking good at this point, but maybe just maybe I can still make next Saturday for the last cruise night of '17.

[61K T/A]

I NEVER use pipe clamps. They suck.