Topic: I'm looking for someone to bend me a custom head pipe

[grcamna2]

I'd like to find a person who can bend me up a length of 1 3/8" i.d. pipe to make me a custom one-piece head pipe for a single cylinder Honda CB125S w/ a larger XR200 dirt bike engine in it. I will send them a mock-up piece of pipe w/ the exact bends and shape to use as the example. Anyone here know of a custom header building person ?
PM's welcome 

[754]

Just make one out of mandrel pieces welded together.
 If you can find someone with a mandrel bender and the right dies, you can get it bent but setup time will be pricey...

[grcamna2]

Just make one out of mandrel pieces welded together.
 If you can find someone with a mandrel bender and the right dies, you can get it bent but setup time will be pricey...

I want a one-piece pipe;I've considered getting different pieces(elbows,45's,etc.)and all but I'll just keep trying to find someone to bend me the one-piece pipe. This has been a tough question to ask and make a connection,but I'd like to know who will do this.

[333]

$109.99 at Harbor Freight.

[grcamna2]

hey,nice 333 ,I wonder if they go down to small size like what I want?(looks like they might  ); Nice find   
Now all I need to do is find some 1 3/8" i.d. steel exh. pipe.. I've been looking for it and just keep seeing aluminum.
also I wonder if someone makes some type of outer 'spring' type tool that goes on the outside of the pipe(I'm not sure I could manage to even bend steel pipe by hand)similar to copper tubing flaring style tools,accessories by which I could make small,gradual bends as I have the pipe held down in that hydraulic tubing bender ?
Now I've got a little more hope 

[754]

That wont bend the pipe, it will kink it... And the dies are sized for pipe not tubing..
 13/8 pipe is say 1 5/8 od ..but 13/8 tubing will be 1 3/8.

 Try Columbia River Mandrel bending, they may take it on , but dont be surprised if anyone charges 100bux for setup...plus bending time..

Mandrel sections be maybe 40ish bux..

[faux fiddy]

I haven't done any of it but....

Fill your pipe with (wet?) sand before heating it is what I hear.


Heat the outer side of the bend more as the inside will tend to kink or fold.

I have a friend who has applied for a patent on a conduit bender which may be helpful and is affordable but I'm not sure of the applications being proper, and as 754 suggests, buying mandrel bends and welding them to exactly what you want is the way to go if you have the tools.

Other than that don't weld thin wall stuff (or anything ) near a fan no matter how hot the shop gets in summer; it blows away the inert gas and as I found will burn/blow holes in a repair.

[754]

Dry sand, if you heat wet and get steam ...could lead to nasty burns..

[faux fiddy]

Dry sand, if you heat wet and get steam ...could lead to nasty burns..

Cool , answered that question. A guy that was going to weld grab wires on a tank crease for me said they fill the tank with water before doing it so they don't burn holes.

[grcamna2]

Thanks for the replies.I may try those folks you mentioned 754,Columbia River Mandrel Bending.. That's the first place I have heard about that might do it.I'll be using the pipe for many years and realize that since it's 'custom' they will charge accordingly.I would like to have someone do this who's done the thin type pipe for exh. headpipe before though;they may even be able to source/provide the correct pipe.

[Steve F]

I haven't done any of it but....

Fill your pipe with (wet?) sand before heating it is what I hear.


Heat the outer side of the bend more as the inside will tend to kink or fold.

I have a friend who has applied for a patent on a conduit bender which may be helpful and is affordable but I'm not sure of the applications being proper, and as 754 suggests, buying mandrel bends and welding them to exactly what you want is the way to go if you have the tools.

Other than that don't weld thin wall stuff (or anything ) near a fan no matter how hot the shop gets in summer; it blows away the inert gas and as I found will burn/blow holes in a repair.

Not only that, but make a fitting that will fill up the inside of the tubing with the inert gas as you weld.

[754]

Did you watch the torch/ hand bending 4-1 video from Japan...
 Worth a try..worst you can lose is a few feet of tubing and burn some gas..

[grcamna2]

Did you watch the torch/ hand bending 4-1 video from Japan...
 Worth a try..worst you can lose is a few feet of tubing and burn some gas..

I just read these posts and now more than ever I'm sure I'll have a person who has experience with this do it.I was looking at that HF hydraulic tubing bender and thinking, "hmm,maybe I could give it a go.." but I've never worked on anything like that before and would rather hand it off to an expert. For sure 

[754]

If you can live with a bit of kinking ,any  or most muffler shops are capable..if they have a die that small.

 My first job in 72 was in a muffler shop ( i was doing production threading).. They did a lot of custom bending , including a set of TT pipes for my CL 175 sloper... Cost 1.50 a foot to chrome them..
I think the chrome bill was 18.00. !  !

[grcamna2]

If you can live with a bit of kinking ,any  or most muffler shops are capable..if they have a die that small.

 My first job in 72 was in a muffler shop ( i was doing production threading).. They did a lot of custom bending , including a set of TT pipes for my CL 175 sloper... Cost 1.50 a foot to chrome them..
I think the chrome bill was 18.00. !  !

I'd like to find a muffler shop here locally who will attempt it,the only thing is about that small size.. it turns them away from wanting to do the job.I'll keep asking them,I may get lucky ; if they will even attempt it,that's a step in the right direction.I'll find someone eventually

[DH]

Circa 1980, a guy working at a muffler shop bent some 1 1/2"  "foreign car pipe" for my SL350. Bends weren't
elaborate, but they fit the bike ok. Only problem was the flanges kept breaking where the pipes connected
at the head. Mostly or all due to engine vibration. With more thought/work I think that could've been addressed.

[strynboen]

i have got some bend rs tube parts..from a marine shop,,it vas left over from a ship  procjekt,, i got,all the bend ..small parts,,and cut them up,and match the parts,,,so it only need a veld job ..and then they veld it for me....i have done all the heavy time spending..so the veld job vas not expensive..i then grind and polished it all......and got a perfekt less kost exh system..reused all flanges from the old system..they dont rust avay..

[grcamna2]

i have got some bend rs tube parts..from a marine shop,,it vas left over from a ship  procjekt,, i got,all the bend ..small parts,,and cut them up,and match the parts,,,so it only need a veld job ..and then they veld it for me....i have done all the heavy time spending..so the veld job vas not expensive..i then grind and polished it all......and got a perfekt less kost exh system..reused all flanges from the old system..they dont rust avay..

Can you show any pictures of that custom exhaust system you built strynboen ?

[754]

Try running an ad locally..there is lots of them JD squared type benders (or knockoffs) in backyard shops .
 The die you need for that, runs about 270 bux, so state you need the 1 3/8 die.
 I picked up a knock off bender like that for 100 bx last year but it came with 2 inch die..
They are used a lot in fabbing race cars, roll bars, bush buggies, chopper frames ..that sort of thing.. They do nice smooth bends..

[grcamna2]

Try running an ad locally..there is lots of them JD squared type benders (or knockoffs) in backyard shops .
 The die you need for that, runs about 270 bux, so state you need the 1 3/8 die.
 I picked up a knock off bender like that for 100 bx last year but it came with 2 inch die..
They are used a lot in fabbing race cars, roll bars, bush buggies, chopper frames ..that sort of thing.. They do nice smooth bends..

I just spoke w/ AutoZone and they can get 1 1/2" O.D.(i guess that's how they measure it w/ automotive 'o.d.',is that the common way?)steel pipe that's 1/16" thick and the pipe has a 1 3/8" i.d. and that's what I'm looking for. a 7' long piece is how they sell it and it's $14.
I guess I need to ask the exh. tubing bender dudes if they can bend 1 1/2" pipe on their machine

[754]

1 1/2 going to be far more common that 1 3/8.   Good luck..

[grcamna2]

1 1/2 going to be far more common that 1 3/8.   Good luck..

Hey 754,
I want to get a piece of mock-up pipe to use for an example,something that's able to be bent easy but will hold it's shape in case I got to ship it out. What type of pipe would you use for that ? conduit,copper tubing?
 I will keep both the inlet and outlet oem flanges here with me and once I get the custom bent headpipe bent to the shape I want I can then install it on the bike(mock-up/set-up)along with the muffler of my choice and rear brackets,etc. and set everything up and have my welder tack it all up real good and then remove it to get it finish welded;sound like the right plan?

[754]

Try mocking up in white plastic pipe.. Cut and glue it.. Should survive till pipe gets bent...

[333]

I think your use of the word "kink" is a bit intense.  What that bender does is put an indentation on the inside of the bend. A uniform indentation.  Some muffler shops use a machine that does the same thing. When you use the word "kink", it makes it sound like it would look unusable, and that's not the case. Yes,the ID is a smidge smaller at the bend, but will pass exhaust just fine.

[firebane]

I think your use of the word "kink" is a bit intense.  What that bender does is put an indentation on the inside of the bend. A uniform indentation.  Some muffler shops use a machine that does the same thing. When you use the word "kink", it makes it sound like it would look unusable, and that's not the case. Yes,the ID is a smidge smaller at the bend, but will pass exhaust just fine.

Nah those hydraulic presses will completely kink the tube. The problem is there is nothing to secure the tube completely between the benders then it slips and you get a massive kink.