Hole in muffler. leave it, straight pipe, or thrush turbo muffler?

[mncontour]

I have a '99 Contour Zetec MTX with 186,xxx miles on it.
The car is stock except for a short ram air intake. The muffler on the car looks like an aftermarket muffler. The inlet of the muffler looks like its a little bigger than the rest of the exhaust. And it now has a 1"-2" hole in the bottom which is making the exhaust louder now. If it gets any louder, it might be too loud.
If I cut off the muffler and replace it with a straight pipe, will it be really loud? I searched YouTube but I could only find one video of a Contour with stock exhaust with no muffler. Its hard to tell what it sounds like, the speakers on my computer suck.
I like the exhaust to have a little rumble to it but I don't want it to be too loud either. And I don't want it to sound like a Civic.

What about a Thrush turbo muffler with cost about $30 at autozone.

Im on a tight budget right now. So I need to keep it kind of cheap. If I had my way, I would get the exhaust off of a SVT Contour but that will have to wait I guess.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

 

[Redlineracer12]

I'd maybe hit up a junkyard and look for a stock muffler in decent shape from the axle back? I guess I'm not even sure where the exhaust splits on a Zetec Contour, but if you could get that whole section in decent shape it wouldn't require any welding/hangers/adapters/clamps. That or go to a muffler shop and get them to weld on the cheapest normal muffler they have (or thrush turbo). I don't think you would like the sound with a straight pipe.

Where are you located?

 

[mncontour]

Right now I live in Blaine, mn. But we have to move by May 1st. We just have no clue where yet.

 

[jrichardson]

the exhaust splits all the way up at the flex section (atleast on mine it did) and depending on what state you live in a straight pipe, or that hole is illegal and won't pass safety/emissions. i know where i live it won't pass safety like that. just throw a cheap muffler on it so you don't have any issues with noise and put a better one on when you have the money would be my advice.

 

[mncontour]

In Minnesota we don't have emissions.

Im wondering how one svt muffler would sound? I mean if I could find just a driver side svt muffler and either have it welded on or clamped on after the axle.

I also found a SVT focus factory lunchbox muffler cheap. Does anyone know if that would work on a Contour and if the stock exhaust size is the same/close on both cars? Any idea how it would sound on a Zetec Contour?

Any thoughts?