Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Exhaust tube bending

Evening,

Planning on building and installing exhaust for one of my trucks.
Running duals from long tube headers to the rear axle, and just 45 after I pass the axle. The driver's side is a straight shot. Nothing to go around. The passenger side is a straight shot after I pass a brace about a foot from the header.
The pipes are 2 1/2".
How do I bend without kinking/crushing?
Or do I bypass the frustration and have a muffler shop bend that piece for me?

Thanks for the advice.

R.D.

Summit Racing sells an exhaust kit with straight pipe and various bends. I built a system for my Jeep and it turned out great. I haven’t decided yet about how I am going to dump it out the back yet but really only because I want to make sure I have enough clearance. Good luck, Dave

Muffler shop

haborfreight
Link here to a bender at Harbor Freight. miles

I've found that Harbor Frt stuff isn't made for a commercial shop but for occasional use at home, it usually works very well. I have a smaller bender that I've used for several years and it has worked much better than I'd hoped. I wouldn't hesitate to get a pipe bender from them if I had a need for it.

yep......

just go there & have them bend the pipe ?

If you have an oxy-acetylene setup look up "wrinkle bending"....easy, cheap, very minor restriction when properly done.

Muffler shop.
It's an art, the guy I use is 60+ grew up in his dad's shop with the first
bender I ever saw. It's like picking his nose.

Have also watched guys not as good, and done a little myself.
Amazing what a bend or two does, and how screwed up you can get.
Your thinking a little tweek this way and I'm good.
Give it that tweek,
And it's WTF!

Take it to a muffler shop that has the equipment. A proper bender costs real money. Mine cost me a few thou to be able to do this kind of work.

.

Thanks for the input fellows.

R.D.

I had the exhaust replaced on a truck 10-12 years ago. Guy a friend told me about, couldn't even tell it was a shop when I pulled up. I stopped and asked him about it....he said he'd do it. I asked when and he said now. He did it so fast and so perfect I couldn't believe it. He'd look at the underside then bend, go look again, then bend...no measuring at all. It was like it was as natural to him as walking.

http://www.bobsmuffler.com/muffler_myths.htm

Crush bending is the most common, but not even close to mandrel bends in terms of performance and appearance. It depends on how fussy you are..................

many places sell kits with 45 bends that you weld together..once you are past the muffler and there is no back pressure your welds don't even need to be that good.