Pipe bender

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Choices, drive it with headers or open exhaust, get a buddy with a trailer, hire a towing company with a roll back, or buy a exhaust system to bolt on. You're making this way too hard.
I agree. I'm not making it hard lol I have tailpipes I just need down pipes. I have to break the engine in which I really dont want to do with open manifolds. And i really dont want to trailer my car for exhaust before I ever break in the engine. The pipe bender idea was just for multiple purposes not just this one it just stemmed from this one lol
 
I agree. I'm not making it hard lol I have tailpipes I just need down pipes. I have to break the engine in which I really dont want to do with open manifolds. And i really dont want to trailer my car for exhaust before I ever break in the engine. The pipe bender idea was just for multiple purposes not just this one it just stemmed from this one lol
Why don't you want to break it in with open manifolds?
 
I agree. I'm not making it hard lol I have tailpipes I just need down pipes. I have to break the engine in which I really dont want to do with open manifolds. And i really dont want to trailer my car for exhaust before I ever break in the engine. The pipe bender idea was just for multiple purposes not just this one it just stemmed from this one lol
Headers or manifolds?
 
I've always broke engines in with open headers, and even one with open manifolds. You might not hear loud lifters, but you'll hear engine distress. Then again, I could hear a set of Comp lifters over open exhaust.
 
For a little more than the pipe bender you can buy pipes made to fit. The bender won't make the flanges you need to hook them up to the manifolds. Exhaust_Parts
Yea that is exactly what got my mind to turning haha 220 bucks for a down pipe is ridiculous imo you can buy the flange and pipe for 14 bucks each. Probably what I will do as a temporary fix is buy two flanges and some of the flex pipe and plumb it in to my current exhaust then later on down the road I will invest in a full new 21/2 inch system after all I'm not even sure these manifold are going to work. They are magnum manifolds I'm gonna give them a shot.
 
Just watched a great video series on this topic he goes into alot of detail. Now I know the difference between a pipe and tube bender! I think I will just hold off on this project for now and order an exhaust system.

That guy is one of the best instructional video providers on YouTube for fabrication and welding. Taught myself mig and tig from him, weld.com’s channel, and Jody from Weldmonger. Wanted to go to an actual school for some basics but all the classes around here are thousands and gives you certs which seemed a bit overkill for just working on projects in my shop.
 
Just watched a great video series on this topic he goes into alot of detail. Now I know the difference between a pipe and tube bender! I think I will just hold off on this project for now and order an exhaust system.


We tried to tell you. lol
 
I was always told it was bad on the valves to run them with open or headers for extended periods of time. I've never understood it but it was one of those things I heard in trade school that stuck with me lol
 
I've heard the same thing, but I think it's just an old tale that got started on the dead pecker bench in front of a store when some kid went by with open headers....lol. Supposedly, the cold air will run back up thru the headers/manifolds and when it hits a hot exhaust valve....it will cause it to bend. It never made sense to me, because when you shut a motor with headers off.....the headers will still burn the piss out of you 20 minutes later! If they stay that hot, for that long, I would think that any cool air that went into the collectors is gonna get heated up long before it finds an exhaust valve. That's just my hillbilly way of reasoning, and I may very well be wrong...lol.
 
I was always told it was bad on the valves to run them with open or headers for extended periods of time. I've never understood it but it was one of those things I heard in trade school that stuck with me lol

Yeah, if you do it over and over and over and over again, maybe. I'd drive that beeotch right on up there. What's the difference between that and 20 minutes worth of break in?
 
Yeah, if you do it over and over and over and over again, maybe. I'd drive that beeotch right on up there. What's the difference between that and 20 minutes worth of break in?
I didnt plan on breaking it in like that either I had planned on getting a temporary exhaust in place to break in and tune with then doing a full exhaust later
 
I've heard the same thing, but I think it's just an old tale that got started on the dead pecker bench in front of a store when some kid went by with open headers....lol. Supposedly, the cold air will run back up thru the headers/manifolds and when it hits a hot exhaust valve....it will cause it to bend. It never made sense to me, because when you shut a motor with headers off.....the headers will still burn the piss out of you 20 minutes later! If they stay that hot, for that long, I would think that any cool air that went into the collectors is gonna get heated up long before it finds an exhaust valve. That's just my hillbilly way of reasoning, and I may very well be wrong...lol.
Yea it never made any sense to me either Its just always been in my head lol.
 
Look at a Merlin engine in a P-51, it has about 8" exhaust pipes and runs at -40F ambient air temp at 25000 feet. The cold air at the back of the valves never hurt these beasts.....
 
I was always told it was bad on the valves to run them with open or headers for extended periods of time. I've never understood it but it was one of those things I heard in trade school that stuck with me lol
our Ford 302 had the tube from the exhaust manifold to choke. it cracked at the manifold,and yes, driving an extended period of time did damage to the valve(s) and seat(s) on that side of the engine.
 
Vote for mandrel bends..
I've been doing it for 20 yrs or so. 1/3 of the cost of a muffler shop, it will be exactly the way you want it, and flow a lot better.
 
2FAA0754-908C-4919-8556-4D3C81279678.jpeg

X2 on the prefabricated U Bends.
3” up and over the rear axle in pic.
Beer, SawZall and a Mig Welder....
 
I made up my own tubing bender to build Dune Buggy Cages out of 1 1/2" .090 ths wall steel tubing. Other guys were using the Exhaust Pipe Bending Machines but they were crushing the inside corners. I made my own jig and dies ( 1" and 1 1/2" dies), the trick was to get it to stretch the pipe on the outside of the radius without crushing the tube, took some doing to figure that out. Not sure the same approach will work with 2" thin wall exhaust tubing.

How did you make the dies? I have a plan to make some for accessories for the 4x4, and so far I was going to use the ball turning jig on the lathe to make the concave forms, then cut the part in half to make the semi-circle. Just looking for some other ideas.

...not meaning to hijack the thread...
 
How did you make the dies? I have a plan to make some for accessories for the 4x4, and so far I was going to use the ball turning jig on the lathe to make the concave forms, then cut the part in half to make the semi-circle. Just looking for some other ideas.

...not meaning to hijack the thread...

2 pieces 3/8" flat stock cut to shape, 1 1/2" inner flat stock x 3 /16ths" bend to the shape of inner radius, weld a pass into the corners with the wirefeed, then 2 more passes with the wirefeed to give the corners the proper shape to hold the pipe without it denting. Final Grind internal welds to smooth to fit finish.
 
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