bending tubing question

I'm trying to bend some 1 1/8 exhaust pipe for a couple of parts we use on Metropolitans. Does anyone have any experience with this. I've tried to find a hydraulic bender but I can't find the correct die. I bought a tubing roller from Harbor Freight, figured it was worth a shot, but I can't get enough curve without flattening the pipe out. No exhaust shops have a die set that small around here. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

John, pack the tubing with sand and heat and bend it with the torch.

 

I'm not sure how easy this will be to do on exhaust piping, but when I bend brake lines, I fill them with sand. This keeps them from flattening without fail. Perhaps you could try something similar?

edit: efffff - beaten

 

try an exhaust supplier, some of them sell ready made corners that you weld together to make up your exhaust, they might have some the right radius.

 

Look for a ATV, motorcycle, or dirt bike customizer. Those frames often use that size tubing. Someone in that line of work may have a bender.

 

Save yourself a lot of headaches by buying a couple of pre-made mandrel bent UBends. Cut `em and weld `em up.
1-1/8'' is an odd size but the stuff is available.
Try here:

http://www.bassani.com/universal/tubing/

 

Just make sure you use very dry sand or you could have a not-so-pleasant experience once you heat up the water inside.

 

If you can find a chassis builder in your area that builds jr dragsters they would have a 1 1/8" die. I have a JD2 bender along with a 1 1/8" 180 deg die, it bends 1 1/8" x .058 chrome moly very nice.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm going to try the sand first.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm going to try the sand first.

 

another thought. you are only supposed to bend tubing to a radius of 3.5 times the diameter of the tubing you are bending. ie 1" dia tubing should have a minumum bend of 3.5" radius. this helps from crinkling walls.

or pack it with sand and give that a shot.

but the metal will only stretch and shrink so far.

 

JReeder41:

I have many times in the past just bought tubing and took it to the local Muffler shop with dimensions and such.
Call around to your local shops. Nothing to loose.
If its complicated though take good dimensions with angles looking at length of pipe and looking from end for the compound angle ref...

Just a thought
Luke

 

My son bends tube using sand and a HF bender, he just seals the ends with duct tape and bends them cold.
Word of warning
If you seal the ends tight and use heat, be sure the sand is dry or the pipe could explode.

 

x2

Bending exhaust with an open rotary draw bender is not easy