The tailpipe on my 54 had holes rusted in it and I took it to Master Muffler here in Paris, TN. When we got it up on the lift, we found a rusted through place on the muffler as well. So, I began my search for a muffler and found one on eBay that was NOS. It is an after-market part from the period and should work well...pretty super find for only $45 plus shipping.  We also found a fuel leak on the new tank I installed several months ago. So, had to drop the tank and find the problem. It appeared the tiny seepage may have been coming from the sending unit electrical connection but wasn't really sure. So, I took it apart and used Permatex around the seal and tightened the nut holding the electrical nodule. If the issue had been just the loss of fuel, it was so miniscule I would have just left it alone since it seemed it could only have been a tiny amount of seepage, however, to get the exhaust off would have caused sparks from sawing the pieces off or even welding and the fumes might have created a problem. The tank is off and hopefully repaired and I will put it back on today. I need to do a shoutout to Waldron Exhaust in Centreville, MI. They manufacture better than OEM exhaust pieces (stainless) for hundreds of classic cars. My tailpipe was only $165. The owner of Master Muffler told me the new pipes were exactly like the original and he doesn't see that very often...the also include shaping the end of the pipe to conform to the original. The original becomes ovular for the last 10 inches of the pipe.  

I had a second issue that needed attention. I noticed that the car was sitting 1 1/2 inch lower on the driver side than the right. While on the lift, it was clear that the left-hand leaf spring had lost it's tension and was straight, whereas the right had a reasonable curve to it. So, I will replace both and thankfully, I found a company out of Kansas City who manufactures the springs and they were on the shelf waiting for ME! They will arrive by the weekend hopefully. The cost was a little over $500 including shipping. The company name is "General Spring" and the customer service couldn't have been better.