I have made almost all of my exhaust, mostly from EMT Conduit and it works great. a cheap conduit bender and off you go shape it like you want. I have used 1/2, 3/4, and 1" and each one you gain something and you loose something. I have one now where I am wanting to use 1 1/4 EMT Conduit and will have to do something at the header flange due to interference with the mounting studs. Sound, Performance, and Flow of head has a lot to do with the best performance header for the engine.