I have a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 extended cab, 4x2, 318. It has been sitting under my carport since a month ago when i got her. I got it running and everything but still got a lot of interior and body work to do. My problem is when I crank it and and let it run my exhaust is up by my house and is turning my house black from the exhaust. I was thinking about cutting the muffler off and putting on a tip for the moment so I won't have this problem. So the muffler looks like it mounted on with brackets because I dont see any welding. Does anyone know if I can just unbolt the brackets and knock it out or do I need to cut it? another question is the exhaust isn't going to affect the gas tank is it?

 

The black soot is another problem you need to address. You are either running excessively rich, or, burning oil.... need to figger out which it is, and fix the problem.

Things to look at:
Bad O2 sensor.
Blown Plenum.
Bad (aftermarket) PCV valve.
Fouled plugs..... (should give it a tuneup just on general principles.)
Sticking injector. (not really high on the likelyhood list.... but, if nothing else seems to fix it, something to look at.)

That said, the clamps you see that hold the muffler on, crimp the pipes as well, so, unless you can heat the pipes to a nice cherry red, you aren't going to get it off without cutting it.

Muffler in no way affects the gas tank. Its on the other side of the truck.