Hot Rod Forum banner

Bendable stainless pipe?

2K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  72700 
#1 ·
The muffler shop that is doing my exhaust does not stock stainless pipe but said I could bring my own in for them to use. Does anybody know what kind of 2.5" stainless pipe is bendable? I do not want to get too heavy of a wall thickness so what is the best pipe to use? Thanks
 
#4 ·
Can I ask why you need stainless? Aluminized is much cheaper and easier to work with and will last for a long time. I have an aluminized system on my truck with coated headers that has been on it since 1999... Still going strong.
Mark
 
#6 ·
ouch! don't do it

muffler shops do not have mandrel bends, they only crush bend exhaust tubing
if they don't handle/use stainless then they will mig it together with mild steel wire

crush vs mandrel bends


if you can't find a shop that can do a mandrel bent ss system
do as tech recommended and buy your own mandrel bends and have someone tig or mig them with ss wire

where in canada are you located?
we do a lot of stainless steel mandrel bent exhaust systems for our canadian friends


:thumbup:
 
#10 ·
that summit system should work fine, don't be afraid to cut bends and butt weld joints
a band saw or big cutoff saw works well for cutting tube, but a 4.5'' grinder with a 6'' wheel works fine too
we mig and tig hundreds of exhaust systems per year, we've never used an argon purge
try your steel mig gas to see if it welds ok, you may need to switch gas to a 75/25 mix
 
#11 ·
Try as Ogre suggested on a 2 short scrap pieces buttwelded together; then split the tube lengthwise so you can inspect the weld on the ID. It might be fine. Dont forget 304 stainless is barely "stainless". Its more "slightly more rust resistant". And while welding your joints with standard mig wire will inject the possibility of corrosion at the joint; if this is a fairweather car, I doubt it will matter much
 
#14 ·
I do apologize for my typo. If you're going to buff this thing within an inch of its life, I would mock everything up, use a light tack to stick the pieces together. Do all of your fitting and cursing. Then, take the tackwelded pieces to a local weld/fab shop and have them TIG'd. This will look MUCH better when polished.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top