1 1/4" by 1/8" mild steel, a machinist's vise, a hammer and an angle grinder with a cut off wheel. You could do it with a hacksaw but no shower of sparks.
I took a piece of mild steel and bent it into a smooth arc using the machinist vise. Just bend the strap one small bit at a time, feeding the strap into the jaws of the vise until you work up a nice curve about the radius of the muffler.
There is a "U" on one end of the strap to hold the catch bolt/pin and a flat flange on the other end for the clamp bolt that closes the strap to hold the muffler. Both features are shaped with a hammer. Clamp the strap in the vise and work it with the hammer.
I did have to notch the strap to fit between the opening of the muffler hanger bracket.
Once I had the radius shaped, I cut it to length and marked where the bends would go. The "U" bend was formed around a bolt. That bolt was trimmed down and welded in place to form the "T" that catches the notches in the Hanger bracket.
On the other side is the flange that lines up with the hanger nut that clamps the muffler in place. I cut a notch in the flange for the closing bolt. You could drill a hole, but the notch is easier to line up and the grinder was already plugged in and the drill press is in my mother-in-law's basement.
This is the "U" bend for the bolt/pin that catches the muffler hanger bracket
The flat part that bolts up to the muffler hanger. I call this the flange and his picture shows before I cut the notch/channel for the clamping bolt
The strap with the "U" before welding in the bolt/pin.
The bolt/pin before welding and trimming off the ends of the bolt to form a stubby "T". Welding not necessary. Could just put the whole thing in the vise and clamp it down, but again - no sparks.
I finished bolting on the new exhaust system and the strap is holding the muffler nice and tight sitting there in the driveway. It seems to be a big improvement over the hose clamp that was holding up the muffler before.
