8237 muffler / mufler cover question.

[2cyclegreenmachines]

First off with help from forum members I completed my rebuild on the 1989 L21ZPN and its running great now. Now I am working on I think a 1979, 8237 Ser 9424117. I had to source a used muffler from ebay. Old one had bad rust out holes. New used one looks great and no rust out or soft spots. So finally, to my current question. The muffler has a pan inside with a vertical pipe welded to it to pass the exhaust gas from the top to the bottom. Can that pan be removed for cleaning the space between the pan and the muffler outer cover? If yes, how? If no, how do I clean out that space?
David in Dayton, TX