Mufflers
I do not have a problem with the screws through the side of the seam or the RTV fixes. The rules do not officially allow it, but that can be fixed with a revision very easily for the APRA. I do have a problem with the welded mufflers for the discussed reasons of inspectability.
Good job to Mr Vargas for finding a good replacement screw.
Part of this problem is caused by the fear of the problem happening. This causes people to over torque the screw. If you think about it, once a person or his buddy have had a muffler come appart, they seem to have a lot of them in a much shorter period of time than it took for the first one to happen, because they start over torqueing. We have seen this many times in the past. Think about it.
You are much better off using lighter torque with a strong locktite and maybe the RTV on the seam. I like that too and feel that should be allowed as well, as long as the muffler can be disassembled for inspection. If a muffler is inspected and can not be disassembled, the person should be disqualified.
There are tools to inspect the inside of a muffler without opening it, but they are a little expensive to be having at races.
I will discuss the proper wording and work on a revision to clairify this issue. See you at the BASIN.
Jim