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exhaust pipe benders

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anthony7777

Yoda
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o.k. so i go and order a set of headers for my 63 bj7 3000 mh11, now i need to make up a set of down pipes for the entrance of the muffler, and subsiquent tail pipes and tips, im not ever going to use " mex flex " on my car so ive looked at a bender out of northern industries tool co. they have two or three to choise from, ones a 12 ton, the other is a 16 ton, says they will bend from 1.5" up to 3" schedl. 40-80, - $112.00 and just under $300.00 respectively, (im i fishin with too lite a tackle here?), keep in mind i can get work using this machine to do custom work once in a while for my buddys hot rod shop and for my healey nut friends so it's cost is justified and retrievable in the short term, so my question is do i buy either of these two hydraulic benders, are they what i need to do the jobs i spoke about, am i going have to pack the pipe (mild steel perhaps some stainless) with sand and cap them before i bend? im a very good metal banger but never used one of these, any help/suggestions/ stories would be most appreciated, did i mention i hate not having the right tool for any given job, and hand make any tool that i think the price is silly, thanks in advance, anthony7777.
 
I've heard that most of the cheap hydraulic pipe benders come with dies only for water pipe, which is sized by the nominal inside diameter. They don't fit exhaust pipe properly (which is sized by outside diameter) and so won't do quality bends. Not sure if that's true or not, but something to think about.
 
tr3driver, they go into no detail about how/what these machines can/will do, the only thing you can see about them is that they look like smaller versions of what one might see in a muffler shop, and what sizes they can/may bend, actually they dont mention anything about automotive uses,perhaps some one else has seen these or just has some personal experience in this area, your reply is most appreciated,thanks. :savewave:
 
I have a bender like that you described. It doesn't work for the reasons stated by Yoda. Your best bet is to order bent exhaust pipe from J C Whitney and weld it to the shapes you want. The J C Whitney pipe is also coated (with aluminum, I think) and doesn't rust immediately.
 
Hi Anthony,
If you're talking about the Harbor Freight benders, they will kink the bends, I asked before I bought. The way I went was to buy J-bends and cut the shape I needed then weld it all together. A portion of my stainless exhaust.
 

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greg, how are you? yes ive seen those pieces and would work great i guess im realy trying to justify spending the money on a tool that would take up even more valuable shop room but would potentialy add income, what ive learned about these benders is the same when it comes to tools in general "if you want a good one ya goddah spend dah bucks." ive also found that a good one of these benders is "big" bucks and id have to go into full time production in order to recoupe the investment, so ill do as you and roger abbott sug. and buy the bits and pieces and weld em up, thanks gregw, and roger abbott. :savewave: --- p.s. im now looking for a metal shear min 24" and brake about the same size , any sugs.?
 
Anthony, for the brake and shear if you aren't going to be using it a lot the pieces from Harbor Freight look to be ok. I have the 36" brake and I like it. If you want a little better quality in a US made product contact Tools Plus in Troy, Ohio. 1-937-339-6829 I have their shrinker-stretcher combination and am really pleased. The same items as sold for about $100 more through Eastwood.
I agree with the others about the benders, leave the thin wall bending for the pros with the mandrel machines and just make up your pipes from U bends.
 
Anthony, I agree with Bill Young - I have the Harbor Freight 30" combination shear, brake and roll. The brake and roll work really well but the shear leaves a lot to be desired. I also have the HF stretcher and shrinker as well as the HF hand spot welder. The stretcher and shrinker work very well as does the spot welder. I think the same stretcher and shrinker are sold by Eastwood and Northern Tool for about the same price as HF. I thought I wanted a 36" or better stomp shear but found out that an air driven or electric shear (nibbler, throatless or scissor, take your pick) works just as well, costs less and takes up very little room on the tool shelf. I personally prefer the electric throatless shear. It will cut up to 18 gauge steel. Most automotive sheet metal is 20 or 22 gauge or thinner.

My recommendation would be the HF combination shear, brake and roll and supplement it with a hand held shear.

I wish I could weld tubing as well as Greg. His work looks professional.
 
billyoung,roger abbott, great tips, i looked at this stuff on line and ill be getting the h.f. brake, and an elect. shear, thanks gents. :thumbsup:
 
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