My heat shield resting on muffler..can I remove it?

no not too often..just the occasional construction traffic that's painful. no not a lot of idle time

It should be ok with a 1 inch air gap .. You can get clamps for that, looks like an EXTRA long hose clamp.. IF you can get your hand (flat) between muffler and floor pan don't worry about it, take the shield off.

thanks I will look at it again tomorrow with that in mind