Exhaust pipe benders

[Merv]

Has anyone tried using exhaust pipe benders similar to this Summit Unit?
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-917016-1/
Or
Harbor freight unit?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97468

Which brings up my next question? Will the Mechanical pipe expanders also work? Ref following link.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-9722104/
http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=pipe+expanders

Merv

[rficalora]

Can't help on this one Merv, but will be watching to see what folks say.  Have wondered whether the benders like the 1st two links above would be stout enough to bend DOM heavy enough for roll bar use.  Doubht it but interested in what others think.

[Jim Stabe]

Merv

Notice that both of these units are pipe benders, not tubing benders. The difference is that pipe is sized by inside diameter and tubing by outside diameter. The result is that the dies for these machines do not fit the outside of tubing very well and create deformed bends. This is probably one of the most reasonable machines  http://www.speedwaymotors.com/3rd-Generation-Hydraulic-Round-Tubing-Bender-Assembly,6614.html

It only comes with one set of dies and extra dies are $150 each. Max size is 1 3/4".

Jim

[Moderator]

About twenty years ago, I borrowed a pipe expander. It worked just fine, although it was one of those junky, ugly, JCWhitney tools that doesn't inspire confidence.  


What were you planning on using a pipe bender for? For exhaust pipes: well, there must be twenty exhaust shops in my little town! Those guys work so cheap and so quick...

 
One of these days I'll buy a set of dies and fabricate a tubing bender frame to mount them on. That sounds like a fun welding project, eh?  Unless you just like making things, you'd have to make a bunch of roll hoops or several cages before buying a tubing bender would make economic sense. The professional fabricators I've met work so quickly and they charge less than they should. It's been a long time since I had my rollcage made, but I think I paid less than $700 (1.75" x 0.09" DOM tubing included),  and it's pretty elaborate.  Now, I wonder how that price was possible!  Incidentally, to get a particularly good deal on roll cage fabrication, I'd recommend: (a) don't be in a big hurry, (b) remove all your interior trim so NOTHING is in the fabricator's way,  (c) make and weld-in your own mounting plates if you're up to that job, because then you'll only have to pay the fabricator for the difficult part of the job, and (d) take your seats with you - not bolted in! - so they can see exactly how much space needs to be left for clearance.  Shops that professionally build racecars usually have frantically busy times spaced out by lulls in their business - so of course you want to arrive during a lull. The shop that built my cage specialized in dirt-track cars. With two guys working on it, bending and installing the tubes only took them a couple hours.

[Merv]

Thanks to everyone for their feedback.
Actually I am only planning on some small exhaust modifidications. (Jaguar rework)
Curtis You are correct about there should be at least 20 exhaust shops in my area, but it seems as if nineteen of those shops are questionable. It is finding that 20th shop that is the problem.
It seems that as soon as you mention that you want something that is not your normal Mustang or Corvette exhaust system everyone gets all upset and everything goes downhill from there.
Pretty sure that I will continue to look for that 20th shop, but sometimes you simply get so upset that you say, I will just do this project myself.
Aw the joys of a modified car.

Merv

[Bill Young]

Merv, I haven't tried them yet but I bought all three sizes of tube expanders from HF last year as they went on sale in preparation for the header work on my MGA project. As for the tube benders, haven't used any of them but the unit Jim linked to looks like it would work the best. I've heard that the other style will only wrinkle and bend the pipe as it's not supported well enough. I have just used pre bent "U bends" from places like Speedway or JC Whitney for my other projects and just welded them together and finished the welds a bit. Easier for me than buying a bender.
As far as using the pipe expanders, I'm planning on only having to open up a bit of the end of the pipe to match it to the next larger size. I figure that using a short ring of the same size pipe on the other end of the tool will prevent one end from opening larger than the other and causing the expanded portion of the pipe to taper so I can get a good slip fit.