Hey MF,

I only thought of it because even power torque mufflers are at least $20 to $30 used, let along full crank mufflers, so for the cost of a $12 can of spray paint, I thought I might get a few more years out of them, it will be worth the effort. You don't have to removed all of the rust, just give it a good wire brushing and then a brief sanding to get rid of any last scale and then hit it. Oil based and lacquers don't breath like water based paint, so the rust is starved of oxygen and water, which it requires to do its thing. Not saying it will last forever, but hey...

I know you can get hold of mufflers off dead mowers, but those will eventually dry up with no more being manufactured.