1988 beretta 2.0L exhaust question

I am working on a friends '88 beretta that he just got and the exhaust is shot. The muffler has more holes in it than swiss cheese and everything from the manifold to the muffler is heavily rusted. from what i have seen most exhaust systems that are original to a car are a one piece welded system so with this one i want to replace everything from the exhaust manifold back to the muffler. If i do that will the new parts just clamp together? How much room do i have to sepereate the exhaust pipe from the manifold (my lumina has no room at all!) I have used walker brand exhaust before and i will probably use them this time, On their website it shows the entire replacement exhaust system being clamped together. Are all replacement systems clamped instead of welded? I have done lots of smaller exhaust projects but never a whole system.

Thanks for any help.

Usually on aftermarket exhaust systems they are either clamped together or clamped together, no welds necessary. At points that were welded from factory they sell them as 2 parts, clamped together, or flanged together, ask your distributor.

There is nothing written in stone that you have to clamp anything together. I always weld because it is less expensive than clamps. As far as room to work on the down pipe goes, I have seen more room and I have seen less. At least GM has taken care of the rusty manifold bolts. Usually They come apart just fine without the use of heat. But if it does not start to turn fairly easy, I would use a torch just in case (as long as I could do it without burning up the car). Nothing takes more time than getting that manifold off so that you can drill out the bolts.

Two word's you need to hear, "muffler poop", I know it sound's stupid, but it could be your best bet.