Long Islander1

Swapping out stock 997 with Fabspeed Max flow (which is now completed ) had a challenge with the passenger side exhaust bolt that was put in backwards and we had to remove the exhaust plate (3 bolts). On the driver side once the screw came out from the top the bolt slide right out.

On the passenger side the screw was on the bottom so the bolt had to be lifted up to be removed, with no clearance.

Long Islander1

Notice bolt

Fracture

you'll need to remove the 3 10mm (#16) bolts on P/N #23, the backside of the carrier
the M70's & M140's are in the correct position

hope this helps

http://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-p..._911_parts.php

Long Islander1

Yep thats right. But drivers side you didnt.

Petza914

When I did mine, I just sourced replacements, cut that bolt head off and replaced them inserting the bolt from the bottom. If I ever have to take them down again, I won't have to deal with that issue the next go-around.

Fracture

maybe the car had been serviced and someone reinstalled
the muffler on the support that way
maybe removed the muffler(s) and to service plugs and coils?

either way, doesn't Porsche want the bolt vertical in case the
nut works loose?

semicycler

The workshop manual does not remove those bolts to remove the mufflers. Instead they remove the three nuts #16 in diagram above, #3 in the diagram below. It's much easier that way. Plus the entire bracket you had problems with comes off attached to the muffler.