Good source for stainless tubing in different radii?

[Revved]

What is the best source for buying stainless steel tubing for building headers that sells different radius bends?

I'm starting into this Ice Engine Works header modeling kit and will need tubing soon. I'll post up pics when it looks like more than a pile of Legos

[mach1stang]

Burns stainless is who I use. They're pricey but the quality is bar none!

[Evan Iroc-Z]

I have used http://www.mandrel-bends.com/catalog/, however I am on a lot tighter budget than most here.

[68RS350]

I have found Vibrant has some of the tightest bend radii on tubing. I bought a 1.75" OD with a 1.75" Bend radius.

[Revved]

I use Vibrant tubing primarily for most of my fabrication projects but they don't offer their tubing in different radii. I'm building a set of headers using an Ice Engine Works kit and the blocks are made to match 3",4",6" radius tubing so I need to find a source that sells all.

Very cool stuff if you need to build custom headers and don't mind a little TIG work!

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv328/RevvedAC/General%20Junk/DSCN9636_zps3ea4c925.jpg
http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv328/RevvedAC/General%20Junk/DSCN9635_zps0d6d8377.jpg
http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv328/RevvedAC/General%20Junk/DSCN9633_zpsdbfb1377.jpg

[mach1stang]

I wish ICE would come out with the 3" kit I contacted them about a while ago!

[Revved]

When I ordered my kit a few months back they said they were considering 3" 4" and 5" kits. I do a lot of 3" intercooler tubing and exhaust as well and would love a 3" kit

[mach1stang]

When I ordered my kit a few months back they said they were considering 3" 4" and 5" kits. I do a lot of 3" intercooler tubing and exhaust as well and would love a 3" kit


I've contacted them about a 3"-4"-5" kits for large turbo exhausts, and they said they were working on them and would possibly be releasing them soonish but tat was prolly a year or so ago.

[TheJDMan]

I have used these guys.

http://www.mandrelbendingsolutions.com/servlet/StoreFront

[Solid LT1]

Performance tube in So-Cal and Columbia Mandrel Bending in Oregon are 2 of the most cost effective suppliers of mild steel and 304 stainless steel mandrel bends, if I'm doing something weird.....Burns Stainless but, sit down when getting quote from Burns. If your doing a lot of stainless, you will want to learn about back purging your welds even Solar Flux wont get the job done, only proper back purging. Burns has some good articles on welding stainless, if you using 316 or 321 I hope your a skilled welder, that stuff isnt fun to weld.

[GregWeld]

304 is the best choice for "normal" headers --- 321 is used for "turbo" or really high temp applications and then you'd use 347 filler rod.


Stainless Works sells build kits and parts.

Burns is good - in fact - maybe the best - but like others have said - they know it.

Beware IMPORTED SS tubing - some of it is crap.

[RCC]

http://www.woolfaircraft.com/index.html

[96z28ss]

If you are building something super nice. Then the only way to go is food grade stainless.

When you go to cut mandrel bent tubing on the radius bend to get the bend your looking for, you'll notice it won't be perfectly round and it won't match perfectly to the next piece of tubing.
The food grade is perfectly round all the way thru the bend radius. Its also polished inside and out.

[Schwartz Perf]

If you are building something super nice. Then the only way to go is food grade stainless.

When you go to cut mandrel bent tubing on the radius bend to get the bend your looking for, you'll notice it won't be perfectly round and it won't match perfectly to the next piece of tubing.
The food grade is perfectly round all the way thru the bend radius. Its also polished inside and out.

Agreed, but most of the sanitary grade stuff is 1.5" or 2" OD, not in between.

-Dale

[Revved]

Performance tube in So-Cal and Columbia Mandrel Bending in Oregon are 2 of the most cost effective suppliers of mild steel and 304 stainless steel mandrel bends, if I'm doing something weird.....Burns Stainless but, sit down when getting quote from Burns. If your doing a lot of stainless, you will want to learn about back purging your welds even Solar Flux wont get the job done, only proper back purging. Burns has some good articles on welding stainless, if you using 316 or 321 I hope your a skilled welder, that stuff isnt fun to weld.

I bought the 6" From Burns at nearly $60 a piece and the rest from Columbia at about $20 piece. Is the Burns stuff nicer... sure... but I cant find anything wrong with the stuff from Columbia either at 1/3" of the price. I'm going to ceramic coat the headers when I'm done so I don't really care about the visual of the material.

I've started tacking it up but killed my last bandsaw blade not realizing my new bandsaw had a high and low gear... I thought I had it turned all the way down but apparently not!! New blades just showed up an hour ago so I'll jump back on it today or Monday.

I was going to start thinking of a way to back purge the tubing when I do start TIG'ing it up. My TIG work has come a long way in the last two years so I'm functional but not artist level. When I bought the new shop building the previous owner left a large tank of Nitrogen- That can be used to back purge right? I haven't priced Nitrogen vs Argon since basically I'll be dumping it on the floor so I don't know which is more cost effective... I know it cost my $50 the other day to exchange my tall Argon tank.

If anyone has picks of a setup they've used to back purge tubing please post it up!

Thanks guys!

304 is the best choice for "normal" headers --- 321 is used for "turbo" or really high temp applications and then you'd use 347 filler rod.


Good to know... I'll be starting on the Roadster Shop chassis 65 Fastback in a couple months and that is getting a TT Coyote. Everything I've bought for this project was 304

[GregWeld]

You wouldn't find me purging with Nitrogen! Your fit up would have to be PERFECT and you'd have to be a really good welder! Maybe a pro could get away with it but it's nothing I'd try.

Just use ARGON like you're supposed to. Either get a dual regulator so you can have one hose purging and the other to the torch -- or get another bottle of Argon and get a regulator on it. Either way - if you're going to do this kind of work you'll need it set up.

[dontlifttoshift]

Get a dual regulator for your argon tank, that's the easiest way.

[68Cuda]

I'm going to ceramic coat the headers when I'm done so I don't really care about the visual of the material.

Is there a benefit to using stainless if you are going to ceramic coat the headers anyway? I would love to see how these headers turn out. Are you making the primaries equal length?

I love that ICE kit, but for someone like me it is hard to justify the cost to build one set of headers. The kit you have is what, $1500?

Where are you located? DFW is a very vague description and your shop page does not say.

[Revved]

Is there a benefit to using stainless if you are going to ceramic coat the headers anyway? I would love to see how these headers turn out. Are you making the primaries equal length?

I love that ICE kit, but for someone like me it is hard to justify the cost to build one set of headers. The kit you have is what, $1500?

Where are you located? DFW is a very vague description and your shop page does not say.


I use stainless for corrosion resistance... Don't want rust to ever been an issue. I ceramic coat all the exhaust after I build it so it all matches.

Yes that ICE kit is nice but this being my first time using it, it's not as simple as they make it look... great tool and definitely a huge help laying out the headers. Yes it is $1500 with the bandsaw blocks that help hold the tubing while you cut it.

I just bought a new building in Pilot Point. I'm north of Dallas about 45 min on the East side of Lake Ray Roberts.

You wouldn't find me purging with Nitrogen! Your fit up would have to be PERFECT and you'd have to be a really good welder! Maybe a pro could get away with it but it's nothing I'd try.

Just use ARGON like you're supposed to. Either get a dual regulator so you can have one hose purging and the other to the torch -- or get another bottle of Argon and get a regulator on it. Either way - if you're going to do this kind of work you'll need it set up.

Figured I'd ask... I hadn't looked into it much yet... I was hoping I had scored with that Nitrogen tank! Maybe I can get the welding shop to trade me out for an argon tank. I'm assuming you stick a rubber plug in each end with a gas supply tube drilled through one... What type of pressure should I feed it with?

[dhutton]

Came across these mandrel bent donuts on eBay. Very tight radius, you just pie cut the angle you need.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_ssn=eworldsales1&_armrs=1&_osacat=0&_ipg=25&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xmandrel+d onut.TRS0&_nkw=mandrel+donut&_sacat=0

Seller is eworldsales1

Don

[dontlifttoshift]

I don't know who eworld is but this who manufactures those.

http://pro-werks.com/categories/843/

If you look close, you can see a seam on the inside of the donut. Those are made from two stamped halves and then the outside is welded and finished. You finish the inside weld when you cut it apart.

[Graham08]

I've been using Columbia River for most of my mandrel bends. They usually offer two bend radii per tube size. Large radius stuff is harder to find. You might try Summit, they have some 6" CLR bends depending on size. I just built a set of pipes for my sprint car where I got mild steel 1-7/8" by 3" and 4" CLR from Columbia River, and 6" CLR from Summit. If I remember correctly, the 6" pieces were made by Doug's Headers.