98 Camry Exhaust Fix
 

First off I'm a complete newbie when it comes to doing things on my car. With that being said, I'm not even sure of the terminology to use to describe my problem but I'll do my best.

I ran over a piece of tire on the highway and the exhaust got very, very loud. I took it to the shop and he said that it would cost $2,500 to fix the exhaust leak and he didn't recommend it because the car is so old. I got under and took a look and it looks like something I could rig but I'm not sure how.

Basically, where the front part of the engine joins the muffler is a joint with bolts on either side holding it together. That rusted out and I'm assuming the seal broke off. It seems loose but it seems like I could patch it. This junction is almost right below where the driver would sit in the middle of the car.

I went to O'reilly's and the guy suggested some black epoxy stuff that hardens when you knead it. I sealed that around the gap then wrapped it in very high temperature tape (said it could handle 1500 degrees). About 10 minutes after trying it out the junction caught on fire so I scraped all the crap out.

Anyone have thoughts on how I could fix this thing? I saw exhaust clamps that look like they may work but I'm not sure. Lots of exhaust gaskets, but those look like they are for the manifold which isn't what I'm looking for. Any help is appreciated!

Is it possible to post a photo of the area for better input?

There is a product call muffler tape that can be wrapped around the area, although not sure how long this fix would last.