Exhaust pipe source?

[Bigblockguy]

Hey guys. Im looking to build my own custom exhaust and cant seem to find a source of 1 1/4 tubing. If youve seen my buggy, a straight pipe alone wont work bc my roll cage might hit if the springs compress, and i have the tc to contend with, so a custom job is the way to go. Btw, here it is almost done

 

[65ShelbyClone]

I did a web search for "1.25 mandrel bend" and the entire first page was sellers of 1.25" mandrel-bent tubing.

 

[Bigblockguy]

I did a web search for "1.25 mandrel bend" and the entire first page was sellers of 1.25" mandrel-bent tubing.

Im not looking for pre bent tubing. Thats the problem. Theres a million pre made exhausts and overpriced diy kits. Im looking for just a 3ft length of pipe that i can bend myself wo cutting and welding 5 times. I have access to a mandrel bender and welder.

 

[Bigblockguy]

Im not looking for pre bent tubing. Thats the problem. Theres a million pre made exhausts and overpriced diy kits. Im looking for just a 3ft length of pipe that i can bend myself wo cutting and welding 5 times. I have access to a mandrel bender and welder.

Oh, and the one site i found that sells it by the foot, only sells stainless. Which is the only thing we dont have the wire and gas to weld.

 

[madprofessor]

I built the custom exhausts for my last 2 projects with plain exhaust flanges from ebay, and 1" EMT conduit and 1" 90-degree EMT conduit sweeps from Home Depot. The EMT is plenty thick enough to weld solid, plenty strong enough, and cutting the sweeps one time for the degree of bends I wanted worked beautifully.

 

[Bigblockguy]

T

I built the custom exhausts for my last 2 projects with plain exhaust flanges from ebay, and 1" EMT conduit and 1" 90-degree EMT conduit sweeps from Home Depot. The EMT is plenty thick enough to weld solid, plenty strong enough, and cutting the sweeps one time for the degree of bends I wanted worked beautifully.

Thanks. Thats a damn good idea.

 

[Denny Graham]

I deal a lot with McMaster Carr, great people to do business with.
Over the past month or so I've bought all of the steel tubing for the three
vintage style go karts that I'm building. This page should give you any size
low carbon steel round tube from .035 wall on up. More than adequate for
and exhaust.
dg

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[redflash]

shipping is too darn expensive from these guys, I just go to a local steel shop called METAL MART. they sell any round or square tube in 10 ft lengths, as well as sheets. certainly 1/3 the price of home depot !

Da Redflash

 

[Denny Graham]

Well flash, twelve bucks for UPS to deliver it to my door saves me.....and this guy that was having
a hard time finding a length of the proper 1.25" tubing from spending the day and a tank of gas driving
around the city looking for a source. If you've got a Metal Mart close by, then.... you be one lucky guy.
Most of us aren't fortunate enough to have those sources close to home.
And, electroplated conduct....sure that will work after you grind off the plating, as will black iron gas pipe
or any number of pieces of scrap powder coated junk one might find driving around on garbage day.
Me....I like to make life easy, determine what I need to get on with my project, order the right material,
that is, the correct and clean tube and get on with other things till my material is delivered the next day.
In the long run, it saves me tons of time and yields professional looking results.
More often than not, your gonna spend more for lunch at Mac Donald's or that twelve pack of beer
than you would spend for a few feet of tubing at McMaster. But....each to his own.
Denny G
Sandwich, IL

 

[redflash]

rant................................. no comment.

 

[Dingocat]

I'd deffinitly go McMaster. Then again I drive past it twice a day and tig weld stainless for a living so pretty biased.

 

[Denny Graham]

Redflash.....the spoiler!!! Hope that makes you fell important!

 

[Master Hack]

In case nobody has thought of it: EMT conduit is galvanized. Galvanized = Zinc. Zinc + heat = toxic s**t!
If yer gonna use galvanized stuff dip it in Muratic acid B-4 exposing it to heat!

 

[Denny]

I just grind it clean. Galvanized poisoning is no fun and will kill you.

 

[FlyFrog]

I just grind it clean. Galvanized poisoning is no fun and will kill you.

I myself have had minor galvanized poisoning before and it is not fun, they say milk helps, it doesnt, i had a temp of 104 for 2 days and muscle cramps for a few days, the muscles where pretty stiff for about a week or 2 after, i stay away from galvanized metals now, unless very needed, and in that situation i grind the coating off and wear a respirator... never again will i make that mistake....

 

[Maxx Levell]

You might check out www.aedmetals.com. They are in Indy, and are a major supplier. I will tell you that the last time I was there and picked up an order ( I think it was in Feb), they were saying then that pretty much any tubing smaller than 1 5/8", production was being drastically slowed down. I'm not sure if that has resolved itself yet or not, but worth giving them a shout. They do deliver, but, I have no idea on their rates, as I drive up there with my trailer and haul my stuff back because I buy several full sticks at a time when I go.

What area are you in? There might be some chassis/fab shops in your area that have some drops laying around that you can get. I don't use any
1 1/4", or I might have been able to help out somehow.

 

[madprofessor]

In case nobody has thought of it: EMT conduit is galvanized. Galvanized = Zinc. Zinc + heat = toxic s**t!

I weld EMT all the time, no prep on it at all other than a quick scratching, never got galvanize-gut. The secret? Real tough one there, and only professional welders can figure out the super double secret of it.............Ventilation! Open door of my shop with fan blowing in or out for extended time with an arc, open door with no fan for medium arc time, window A/C set on exhaust mode for quickies.

they say milk helps, it doesnt,

Sorry it didn't help you FlyFrog, but it does work to a certain degree, cures it outright for some. Sounds like you breathed in so much toxins that you were beyond the help of home remedies. Jeff spent an entire afternoon inside a 5' square galvanized duct we were building for Fred Bear through his new Bear Archery plant, welding up the joints and dozens of branch takeoffs. Got so sick it made me hurt too just seeing him. I watched him glug down almost a whole gallon jug of milk in the motel that night, and he was okay to go back to the jobsite in the morning.

Folks, don't deny yourself the possibility of some immediate help by not drinking a whole buncha bunch of milk if you suspect you're wiping out on a wave of galvanize poisoning. Even if you already decided to go to the E.R., drink milk on the way, it can only help you.

 

[Master Hack]

I weld EMT all the time, no prep on it at all other than a quick scratching,

Way braver man than I! Muratic acid removes the stuff in less than 20 seconds and the end result looks much better. I'm not trying to change anyone's method and/or scare anyone off, just making a point for those that may be unaware.

 

[Denny Graham]

Good call T.D. Put bread on the table for a good portion of my adult live by welding and
that's always been a no, no rather take a lot of precaution if you had to weld plated metal.
I just finished up a Cyclekart last year and some of the cross members were made from
3"x1"x .063" purlins that I picked up. They were galvanized and I stripped them with acid
as you mentioned. Only way to go.
dg

 

[karl]

Stop by a mower shop and ask nicely if you can pick through the scrap bin, likely you will walk
away with nicely bent pipe at many different angles, so burning a couple pieces together will
yield good looking results.

If nothing else the handlebars on junk walk behind leaf blowers, ect are typically 1 1/4 id and the right thickness for exhausts.

3ft is lots to have hanging off the exhaust port, even with rigid support you will likely have fatigue/ cracking issues.
Most cars have flex pipes for this.