Why can't anyone bend stainless pipe?
Why can't anyone bend stainless pipe? After buying 2 1/2" Mufflex offroad bypass pipes, no one seems to be able to reverse bend the down pipe elbows. They only need to be bent straight down at the elbow, slightly ... just enough that the end of the pipes will come down only 1" ... to allow the back end of the downpipes to bolt to my Y-pipe.
Mufflex bent them just a tad too much at the factory, so, they won't fit. Everyone tells me that their machines aren't capable of bending these elbows. The pipes are of good quality stainless steel ... can't they just be heated and slightly bent out with a breaker-bar ... while they're locked down in a vice?
Anyone have any welding experience with this type of pipe/setup or know where in Central Florida I can go to get this done? I've already taken them (with a diagram) to Meineke and also to Tuffy's ... both in Longwood. Neither place could do it ... after wasting several days .... only to find that they can't do it. Any help or comments would be appreciated.
Mufflex bent them just a tad too much at the factory, so, they won't fit. Everyone tells me that their machines aren't capable of bending these elbows. The pipes are of good quality stainless steel ... can't they just be heated and slightly bent out with a breaker-bar ... while they're locked down in a vice?
Anyone have any welding experience with this type of pipe/setup or know where in Central Florida I can go to get this done? I've already taken them (with a diagram) to Meineke and also to Tuffy's ... both in Longwood. Neither place could do it ... after wasting several days .... only to find that they can't do it. Any help or comments would be appreciated.
First of all it's alot harder to bend. Secondly, they probably do not want to "crimp" bend your nice stainless pipe. It's rare to find a local shop with a mandrel bender.
Agreed The other places I went both stated that they had older machines and that the stainless steel pipes might break their machine. They're doing the other work on the pipes for me, i.e., adding 3 1/4" section, side bend of the right side by 4 1/2", etc. It's just that the downpipe elbow is bent too much, but, only slightly.
I know Jason in Oveido and he has done some work for me ... young guy who does really clean welds and good quality work. Maybe I'll take my pipes to him on Saturday and have him look at them. If he can't do it, then, I'll try the other two places.
Thanks for the recommendations and also for the insight from you both.
Anyone else care to weigh in?
I know Jason in Oveido and he has done some work for me ... young guy who does really clean welds and good quality work. Maybe I'll take my pipes to him on Saturday and have him look at them. If he can't do it, then, I'll try the other two places.
Thanks for the recommendations and also for the insight from you both.
Anyone else care to weigh in?
I have a set of older aluminized ones that also seem
misbent; the passenger's side points down at an angle.
I chalked this up to a bad weld job, the pipe seems to
be cocked in the flange. I was going to just grind off
the fab weld with a cutoff wheel and seat the pipe
right (using a spare cat to make a jig against) and
reweld it straight.
misbent; the passenger's side points down at an angle.
I chalked this up to a bad weld job, the pipe seems to
be cocked in the flange. I was going to just grind off
the fab weld with a cutoff wheel and seat the pipe
right (using a spare cat to make a jig against) and
reweld it straight.
Try Certified Muffler... http://www.certifiedmuffler.com/ . Just north of Ft. Lauderdale. Spoke with an employee there today and they have a mandrel bender. They have aluminized steel as well as stainless. I didn't ask about the stainless, but the aluminized steel tubing they have in the shop.
About a 3 hour drive from Orlando, though.
About a 3 hour drive from Orlando, though.
