How Do I 'Shape' An Exhaust Pipe???
Thread Starter
Bud2
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,237
Likes: 4
From: Warrnambool Victoria
How Do I 'Shape' An Exhaust Pipe???
I'm working on a project to suit my new 383. I need to turn a section of 3" round stainless pipe into an oval shape. What's the easiest way to do that???
Bud.
Bud.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 941
Likes: 10
Leather or heavy canvas bag willed with lead shot, and a raw hide hammer. You can shape it easily. Sand can be substituted
for lead shot but it wont work as well. Use the same set up to
form sheet steel into almost any shape you want. The trick is go slow and think what you want to end up with and shape it accordingly.
8Valve
for lead shot but it wont work as well. Use the same set up to
form sheet steel into almost any shape you want. The trick is go slow and think what you want to end up with and shape it accordingly.
8Valve
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 5
From: Japan
(1) Make a wooden insert to fit into the pipe the thickness that you want the pipe to be when it's flattened as far as you want it to be. If you want the pipe to be 1" thick, make a piece of wood however long you want it x 3" x 1" thick.
(2) After fitting that into the pipe, 'sandwich' the pipe between two relatively rigid pieces of material, such as 1/4" thick aluminum plate if you can get it. If not you can use wood but it will have to be thicker to get the same rigidity as the piece of aluminum.
(3) Position the wood pieces about the pipe using masking tape or...whatever, place it into a [large-enough] vise and begin clamping it along its length a little at a time so you don't get waves in it. Just keep going back and forth along its length until you have a nice, uniform shape.
(4) Brag over beers to your dumbfounded friends about how you made professional-looking oval-section tubing with a vise and three pieces of wood.
(2) After fitting that into the pipe, 'sandwich' the pipe between two relatively rigid pieces of material, such as 1/4" thick aluminum plate if you can get it. If not you can use wood but it will have to be thicker to get the same rigidity as the piece of aluminum.
(3) Position the wood pieces about the pipe using masking tape or...whatever, place it into a [large-enough] vise and begin clamping it along its length a little at a time so you don't get waves in it. Just keep going back and forth along its length until you have a nice, uniform shape.
(4) Brag over beers to your dumbfounded friends about how you made professional-looking oval-section tubing with a vise and three pieces of wood.
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Thread Starter
Bud2
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,237
Likes: 4
From: Warrnambool Victoria
'75, had that in my mind too. I'd love to try it just to see if it would work. I'm working with 3" s/s and it's too expensive to gamble with. Also thinking it would be more flat on one side than the other. Still, I'd love to try it!
Bud.
Bud.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
More than likely crack it. theres some really trick stuff out there.
Unions splitters the works. Worth it.
http://www.spintechmufflers.com/tubi...ng/cat_41.html
http://www.mandrelbendingsolutions.c...ing/Categories
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
You just need to be aware that flattening a round tube will increase flow restriction. The shape of the flow path is important, as well as size. If you want a flattened pipe to eat-up less road clearance, and you want that pipe to flow as well as the round tube you now have, the cross-sectional area of that pathway needs to be increased. And, the longer and thinner it is, the more area you need.
P.S. Flattening a 2-1/2" pipe to 2" thickness won't hurt flow a lot. But, going to 1-1/2" will create a significant restriction.
P.S. Flattening a 2-1/2" pipe to 2" thickness won't hurt flow a lot. But, going to 1-1/2" will create a significant restriction.