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1.25" OD .065" wall aluminum or SS tube that I can bend 90º without wrinkles or cracks?

Richard150MPH

Richard150MPH

Veteran Member
1.25" OD .065" wall aluminum or SS tube that I can bend 90º without wrinkles or cracks?
Alloy or SS will be fine, it is just for water tubes to replace the rusty old steel pieces.
Do not want to weld it.
Want to form it on my tube bender from a single piece, so 10' sections.
Need to be able to buy it without spending 5x purchase price for shipping.
Looking for suggestions for alloys and sources once you stop laughing.
I am in No. Nevada near Reno.
 
Best bet is to start at a custom exhaust shop. They'll carry just about everything and it'll be bendable pipe. Local, so no shipping.
 
kmakar said:
Yes, they will either have it or can get it. I've gotten 1.25" for my generator from the muffler shop (in stock) and had them even bend it.
Click to expand...
In stainless?

I tried bending some 2" SS in a muffler pipe bender and it destroyed it. Must have been the wrong grade or something.
 
Alwhite00 said:
In stainless?

I tried bending some 2" SS in a muffler pipe bender and it destroyed it. Must have been the wrong grade or something.
Click to expand...

Wasn't stainless, aluminized steel, but Jim is right, mandrel bender is the only way to go. Also many times with thinwall pipe you have to fill it with sand so it doesn't get destroyed during the bend.
 
I wonder if Pypes exhaust company could help, I have one of their exhaust systems on one of my Harleys that's either 1 3/4" or 2" in SS, 3" on the Chevelle
 
Tubes I need are available at about $400.00 per set.
But adding $500.00 for shipping is just nuts.
I have a nice bender, not mandrel but I did buy the correct dies at about $300.00
304 Stainless gets wrinkles on the inside of the bend and is all anyone sells locally.
What I am looking for is the correct alloy number for a much more malleable tube.
I can also use aluminum, but still have the same type issue as 6061 is too brittle and will crack.
 
Do not want any welds.
These go inside the frame and run the full length of the car.
In order to change them the engine and trans have to come out.
So trying to do them now and have a set that will last longer than I will.
 
Short segments with a 90 bend seems not hard to find online but if you need a long stretch I’d agree a local muffler place might be able to help you.

Aluminum
nitrousoutlet.com

90 Degree Aluminum Tubing

Product Details: T6063 Aluminum Mandrel Bends Perfect for Air Induction And Intercooler Piping Product Data: O.D Size Wall Thickness Leg Length Bend Radius Degree Angle 1-1/4" 1.63mm 6" 2 90 1-1/2" 1.63mm 5.5" 2.25 90 1-3/4" 1.63mm 6" 2.25 90 2" 1.63mm 6" 3 90 2-1/4" 2mm 5.75" 3 90 2-1/2" 2mm...
nitrousoutlet.com nitrousoutlet.com

hpsperformanceproducts.com

HPS 1-1/4" OD 90 Degree Bend 6061 Aluminum Elbow Pipe Tubing 16 Gauge w/ 2" CLR

HPS 1.25" 32mm 90 Degree Bend 6061 Aluminum Elbow Pipe 16 Gauge tubing Tight Radius ideal for diy custom air intake, radiator cooling systems and turbo intercooler piping
hpsperformanceproducts.com hpsperformanceproducts.com

Stainless
 
Stubbornly, after spending a couple of thousand dollars for my bender and dies I want to use it to form single piece tubes.
I've put some treasures up for sale in an effort to raise just enough funds to get the Lotus driving sans paint.
Next week I will annoy some metal vendors salesmen. 301 SS Annealed may be the ticket?
Some tube can be gotten from Las Vegas but most has to be picked up in So. Cal.
Need an inexpensive way to drive down for it.
Not sure if there are any rental cars that would carry 10' pieces, maybe some sort of Mommy Van with a folded passenger seat?
PT Cruisers are probably no longer in use.
Wish the El Camino was finished, but it will never be economical to operate.
The Morris Minor PU would be perfect, but I cannot wait that long.
 
I don't know if this helps, but at work I have seen them "draw form" What we call pans. It's a cover that goes outside the airplane. Anyway, they make the draw in 3 steps & anneal in between each step.
The stainless used is, I think 321. The metal looks like a piece of chewing gum being pushed on the die.
 
After our county convention in the morning I will call Enterprise and see if anyone there is smart enough to answer the simple question.
"Do you have a minivan that can carry 10' pieces of tube inside without damage?"
If so I will look at the rates.
Can be pretty expensive and still much cheaper than shipping.
 
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