New Project: Exhaust Headers

[WSL91]

Hey Nate,

Here's their website, I found it at the local auto store, said it could handle 1300 to 2k degrees temps! Just their silver/gray color.

http://www.vhtpaint.com/products/flameproof/

I used a wire wheel on the drill to scruff up the pipe material in hopes of getting it to stick.

T.C.

I've used that on a number of tractor exhaust manifolds and works well. It works best when you heat cure it like the can explains. I cured the manifolds in the over when the ex wasn't home. Smells pretty bad for the first 30 minutes.

[ddragon63]

Hey Nate,

Here's their website, I found it at the local auto store, said it could handle 1300 to 2k degrees temps! Just their silver/gray color.

http://www.vhtpaint.com/products/flameproof/

I used a wire wheel on the drill to scruff up the pipe material in hopes of getting it to stick.

T.C.

We use to paint race car headers with that stuff.... good paint

[GLoweVA]

curing the paint

Yeah we went thru 2 heat up cool down cycles in TC driveway.
I then drove it home and noticed that it sounded a whole lot better then before. (with the rust holes in the headers)

One thing I didn't like was the vibrations felt throughout the frame. Since the collectors were further back, we ended up mounting the mufflers to the rear foot peg mounts. (we didn't have time to make longer brackets)
We spent enough time making sure the rear brake pedal the kickstand and centerstand fit.

So, today, I ended up using the old saddlebag mount brackets and used them to mount the mufflers on the right hole (the one with the rubber bushing)
Since I had a few hours to kill, I moved the rear brake lever back to its original position and ajusted the linkages and back stop on the lever, so now it doesn't hit the pipes when I press down on the brake.
I added a little rubber to the centerstand where it hits the pipes when in the up position. So, now there's nothing making metal to metal contact with the pipes or mufflers. It feels a whole lot better now.

Oh, I also changed out the oil too.

Stay tuned, Tuesday i go back to work and I should have a whole better idea then about how well the perform.

Thanks TC.

[bikerphil]

One thing I didn't like was the vibrations felt throughout the frame. Since the collectors were further back, we ended up mounting the mufflers to the rear foot peg mounts.

A thing I have found in the past is some lighter weight aftermarket headers don't like the rubber mount bushing at the rear, causing unwanted vibrations. Sometimes a solid metal to metal mount is actually better, hard to believe. Might want to try removing the OEM bushing on the foot peg bracket and just use solid washers, JAT

Edit; Just re-read your post and if I understand correctly it sounds like you have them mounted metal to metal, you might want to try the rubber mount instead.

[TopCatGr58]

Yeah we went thru 2 heat up cool down cycles in TC driveway.
I then drove it home and noticed that it sounded a whole lot better then before. (with the rust holes in the headers)

So, now there's nothing making metal to metal contact with the pipes or mufflers. It feels a whole lot better now.

Oh, I also changed out the oil too.

Thanks TC.

Hey George,

Glad you were able to make those adjustments. Due to the lack of time looks like we didn't get to doing the oil change! Also due to the long distance and such is why they didn't fit exactly how we would have liked them to for the slip on mufflers! But still you're welcome George, just see the BILL below! Just kidding!!

Part of the purpose of this project was to see if it was possible to make these with OFF the shelf parts/bends without the use of a $6k mandrel bending machine at our disposal!

But now to talk a bit about the cost of the build!

The Summit Racing elbows... $6.00 ea x 8 = $48.00 + S&H?
~6 feet of 1.5" pipe: $12.00...plus $8.00 S&H

The 3 different adapters used for each side, 1 for the 2-1 collector, and then the other 2 getting the size up to the 2.25" OD for the mufflers...they were $4.00 ea, x 6 = $24.00.

Then add in some expendible welding supplies, tungsten tig tips, shield gas, filler rod, estimated about $15.00. $5.00 for the 3/16" plate used to make the 4 flanges.

Total is about $112.00 or so...not adding in any labor fees!

Now the scary part....either better looking elbows that don't have the squeezed sections like the Summit Racing ones...they would be from the Oregon mandrel Bend company....

Mild Steel = $12.00 ea x 8 = $96.00
1.5" straight tubing 6 feet = $20.00
4 Waterjet cut flanges: ~$10.00
2 2.50" to 1.75" adapters = $8.00
2 feet of 1.75" straight tubing =~ $5.00

This comes to $140.00 for just materials costs.

Now it gets real scary....Stainless Steel!

90 degee elbows: $17.00 ea x 8 = $136.00
1.5" straight Tubing 6 feet = $7.50/ft = $45.00
SS 2-1 formed collector 1.5" to 1.75" = $26.50 ea x 2 = $53.00
1.75" straight tubing 2 feet = $8.00/ft = $16.00
set of 4 flanges: ~$10-20 for SS!

That's a total of $270.00 just for the materials, not including S&H and then labor fees! So a set of SS headers WITHOUT any mufflers could end up being $400.00 and you still have to add S&H to the buyer!

Not sure how many folks are going to want to shell out that kind of $ for SS headers vs. the Mild Steel that they could then have Jet Hot Coated or such?

T.C.

[GLoweVA]

Phil, they were initially hard mounted at the rear foot peg mount, but today I moved them to the rubber bushing holes.

TC, I didn't realize that the parts totalled that much!
I suppose if you didn't have to 'upsize' for the Mac mufflers then it'd been a few bucks cheaper.
I'm very happy with the finished product. I think that since this set of prototypes are done, any follow on sets would be even better.

[WMarshy]

You could buy a nice bender with some of the money you spent on all those elbows and might save some money in the long run

[crazy steve]

You could buy a nice bender with some of the money you spent on all those elbows and might save some money in the long run

Uhhh, no, he couldn't..... That's the reason for using factory mandrel bends.

[Cuda 69]

First,thought's, pipes look great.The only long term problem I can see,is the longevity of any rust problems? I had my headers fabricated with over the counter exaust piping and my fab guy said his only problem with it was they tend to rust quickly from the inside out due to condensation.Hopefully he's wrong. Only fab work I had done was extention of the headers for mufflers,easy to repair,but whole header would be a different story without using stainless.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Marshy,

I've got a regular pipe bender, but it won't work with THIN WALLED type pipe, you get the crinkled look like auto muffler pipe, and so that's why the Mandrel bent elbows were required. As stated, Mandrel benders = $6k or more !

Cuda, some folks have reported spraying the insides with the same VHT ceramic paint, but hard to get it very far down the pipes! This is why I mentioned that folks would want to look into getting them Jet Hot Coated where they CAN coat both outside and inside to provide rust/corrosion protection and longevity of the pipe life! Does add a bit to the price, but possibly still cheaper than SS, and they have some nice looking coatings that come close to chrome as well as ceramic shiny black!

This pipe that we've used is also thicker 16 ga and not the thinner 18 gauge, so hopefully it'll last longer before possibly rusting thru from the inside??

Yeah, my hopes were and are that as our welding and fabrication skills increase the appearance and design will get better and come closer to the appearance of single piece mandrel bent pipes! Only time and MONEY will tell!

T.C.

[Rasputin]

The last set of spaghetti headers and mufflers cost me $200 Canuck bucks to get ceramic coated. Just info for any who may want to go that route.

[WMarshy]

Uhhh, no, he couldn't..... That's the reason for using factory mandrel bends.

I didnt say a mandrel bender, just a plain crush bender. I found one on craigslist for $70...

Just read TC's response... I thought you were using the crappy auto exhaust pipes that have the wrinkles. If you used them you could hide them with exhaust wrap...

[WSL91]

Hey George,

Glad you were able to make those adjustments. Due to the lack of time looks like we didn't get to doing the oil change! Also due to the long distance and such is why they didn't fit exactly how we would have liked them to for the slip on mufflers! But still you're welcome George, just see the BILL below! Just kidding!!

Part of the purpose of this project was to see if it was possible to make these with OFF the shelf parts/bends without the use of a $6k mandrel bending machine at our disposal!

But now to talk a bit about the cost of the build!

The Summit Racing elbows... $6.00 ea x 8 = $48.00 + S&H?
~6 feet of 1.5" pipe: $12.00...plus $8.00 S&H

The 3 different adapters used for each side, 1 for the 2-1 collector, and then the other 2 getting the size up to the 2.25" OD for the mufflers...they were $4.00 ea, x 6 = $24.00.

Then add in some expendible welding supplies, tungsten tig tips, shield gas, filler rod, estimated about $15.00. $5.00 for the 3/16" plate used to make the 4 flanges.

Total is about $112.00 or so...not adding in any labor fees!

Now the scary part....either better looking elbows that don't have the squeezed sections like the Summit Racing ones...they would be from the Oregon mandrel Bend company....

Mild Steel = $12.00 ea x 8 = $96.00
1.5" straight tubing 6 feet = $20.00
4 Waterjet cut flanges: ~$10.00
2 2.50" to 1.75" adapters = $8.00
2 feet of 1.75" straight tubing =~ $5.00

This comes to $140.00 for just materials costs.

Now it gets real scary....Stainless Steel!

90 degee elbows: $17.00 ea x 8 = $136.00
1.5" straight Tubing 6 feet = $7.50/ft = $45.00
SS 2-1 formed collector 1.5" to 1.75" = $26.50 ea x 2 = $53.00
1.75" straight tubing 2 feet = $8.00/ft = $16.00
set of 4 flanges: ~$10-20 for SS!

That's a total of $270.00 just for the materials, not including S&H and then labor fees! So a set of SS headers WITHOUT any mufflers could end up being $400.00 and you still have to add S&H to the buyer!

Not sure how many folks are going to want to shell out that kind of $ for SS headers vs. the Mild Steel that they could then have Jet Hot Coated or such?

T.C.

Harbor Freight sells a tubing bender which would probably make more $ense if you were going to do multiple sets otherwise the pre-bent pieces is probably the way. You'd have to pencil it out but if bought the bender on sale (everything there is on sale at some point) and could buy strait tubing at less than the 12" retail cost the cost would probably come down quick. I'm still a chrome lover so given the choice I'd probably still go for the Stainless and polish them afterwards.

I just bought a couple pieces of 1.5" OD stainless for a XS muffler conversion from SpeedyMetals.com who specializes in selling small quantities of ANYTHING but they aren't cheap but I needed 2 pieces 3" long and that's what I bought instead of a 10' stick.

[Schming]

Another Source

Hi TC,

Had this in my favorites for a near future fabrication of a 2 into 1 w/ Super Trapp on my XV 700. HTH

http://www.coneeng.com/motorcycle_components.html

[planedick]

Ah yes

Excellant resource for sure. Should be posted somewhere it can be found easily....