Advice for first-time exhaust builder?

[yossarian19]

I'm getting ready to place my order for exhaust parts from Summit.
Any special tools or general advice that will make life easier when I get ready to start putting the pieces together?

[vidman]

Are you clamping or welding it together..

[BlueJeep]

However many U-bends you think you need, add at least one more. I cut my pieces in a band saw and then sand until it's a perfect fit. I found that I didn't need nearly as much straight tube as I had ordered because of the "legs" of the U-bends. Start from the manifolds and work your way back, tack pieces together so you don't have as many that you're juggling.

Have fun, and enjoy that you're not paying for kink bends and routing that's not quite what you wanted.

Oh, and since you mentioned Summit don't bother buying the band clamps with the holes in them for tack welding. Those only work if you're connecting two straight pieces.

[_Ogre]

a abrasive chop saw is great for cutting tube and bends, that said i did my whole exhaust system with a 5 inch cutoff wheel in a 4 inch grinder. i also used my flux core welder to weld up truk.

use tape or a string to mark your cuts. masking tape to hold the bends in place for checking fit.

buy the bends and start cutting

[yossarian19]

I'm planning to weld it all. I'd like to get parts to slip fit so I have the option of clamping if needed & to take some of the pressure off on my welding (I'm still novice)
Thanks for the tip about skipping the band clamp.
I'll probably do all my cutting in a bench vise with a 7" cutoff wheel. I'd much prefer a 14" chop saw or a band saw but we'll see. I don't know that I've got the pocket cash to buy another big tool just now.

[Stepside Jim]

Just as Bluejeep has in his pictures......tack weld, don't do any full welds til all is together and fitted.

I also end up measuring then I cut short of my mark, what I mean is...I leave a little extra material after the cut, I figure I can always trim some easier than adding some.

Here's the left over trimmings after my last exhaust build.


Good luck, Jim

[Indian113]

Check out the 2 1/2 inch exhaust kit in Speedway's catalog it's $139.99 it's also set up for slip fitting. I'm going to order it I think I can do my Model A and then buy pieces to do my 64 C10 with the leftovers.