Technical Exhaust Pipe Welding Clamps

I had a thread awhile back about choosing quiet mufflers. Now I am getting ready to install said exhaust system, from the headers to rear of car, up and over the axle and straight out the back. All welded. The only slip joints will be at the mufflers, so I will be buttwelding (TIG) quite a few joints. I know that I saw a post in a thread somewhere on the HAMB where a fella had a clamp that looked like it should work pretty good. Seems like he had spots in the clamp where you could get it tacked together. I have searched trying to find it. It might have been a post by martystrode, maybe??? Probably a long shot, so let's hear how you guys clamp up 2 pieces of exhaust tubing for welding.


Hey, last minute thought, how do you do that @martystrode thing so it comes up in red and alerts him. Never could figure that out.

 

Buy a Walker butt clamp, drill 3 - 1/2" holes around it at the center. Tack, then remove. Works great. I have several clamps but this works best and hold the tubes straight.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/wlk-33979

 

I took two 2" hose clamps and spot welded three 1/2" strips of 18 gauge about 2" long, equally around the clamps. I can butt clamp two sections of pipe and tighten the clamps. The space between the clamps gives me plenty of room to tack the pipes together.

 

You need to spell the name as it’s spelled, I/e @Marty Strode

Or if you are close, suggestions pop up.

 

AAAHHHH HA! That's the problem. I can't spell worth a damn.

 

Hot bout this cheap idea?!
Get a small piece(maybe 2) of angle6-8" long....and two hose clamps. Make your fit up and lay the angle under the bottom and tighten the hose clamps down to hold it in place. Make 4 good tacks and move the gig (can I say that word?!!) to the next one.
For really nice work....flow Argon thru the exhaust pipe while you weld the joints. Purge the Oxygen out of the pipe.
For best results cap off the end and leave a small hole so the Argon will have a pound or two of positive pressure inside the pipe.
This is just for real 'anal' guyz!
6sally6

 

Cut a 1" long piece of your exhaust pipe, then cut the 1" long piece so it's a "C" shape that can be expanded or compressed as you want. Compress the "C" shape it so it just slides into the I.D. of your tubing. Leave 1/2" of the 1" length sticking out. Slide the mating tube onto the portion sticking out of the tube. Now your tubes are joined. Tack as needed then weld all-around. Much easier than clamps. This was a tip I learned 30 years ago from Schoenfeld Headers who at that time at least made many of the headers and exhaust systems for NASCAR.

 

As I needed to do about 100 systems, I got a bunch of these:
https://www.trick-tools.com/Multi_Purpose_Pliers_with_V_Pads_Large_PG114V_1311

Cheaper on Amazon, if you partake.

Strong Hand Tools - STRONG - PG114V Strong hand Tools PG114V Pipe Pliers with Large V-Pads, 11-Inch

 

I have one of these, too. But the Walker clamp works better for me....and costs less.

 

No doubt, but you need to buy one for every single size of tubing you work on.

Since I work on 1.5, 1.625, 1.75, 1.875, 2, 2.125, 2.25, 2.375, and 2.5-inch, to duplicate what one $23 clamp does, I would need to $128 in Walker clamps.

 

True! I still use mine, mostly for clamping close to bends.

 

I have a plan but haven't built it yet. Cut the jaw so that when closed on the loosest setting they allow your biggest pipe to fit. cut a couple of pieces of 1 or 1 1/2" angle iron about 2-3" long. Lay one on top of the pipe, hold the other under it and clamp in place with your trimmed vice grips. Adjust the jaw cut if needed. weld jaws to vice grip.

I think this would work and be fast to install and remove. Someone try it and let me know. Or I will in a few months when I get to that point on my pickup exhaust.

I have several pairs of these and some longer versions hanging on my tool wall, so no out of pocket when the time comes.

 

Do you remove the guide after tacking, or leave it in so you have a slight restriction in your exhaust system at every joint?

 

Ive been using a few pairs of these C style welding locking pliers for exhaust/ tubing welding. Sits inside the jaws rather than on the tips of the pliers, keeps it nice and aligned and is hugely adjustable for tubing size. I also bought a couple pairs of the V pad pliers Gympy shared for a recent project. Both work well for me!

 

It's left in but with a 1/16" wall and a 1" length it doesn't create a restriction any more than a tube that has been "necked" to fit with another tube or a tube with severe bends.

 

I made a pair from an old pair of vice grips below: Fits most exhaust pipe.


They also sell size specific tube clamps that give you openings to tack the pipe together:
This pic came from a product at Summit:

 

https://www.trick-tools.com/1_7_8_inch_Exhaust_Tack_Welding_Clamp_1875TTWC1_1337


SS Hose clamps with straps would be easy to replicate

 

I am late to the party, but here is my simple, cheap solution. I take a used, or new, stainless hose clamp, tighten it down on a scrap piece of exhaust tubing, and drill 2 or 3 holes, using Harbor Freight step drill. The holes are around 3/8" to 7/16" in diameter. It makes clean holes, that give access to tack weld. All of the commercial ones I have seen are too long to clamp curved sections together, in the case of header building. Since they are mostly free, you can use multiple ones at the same time.

 

^^ I like your method, Marty! I had seen that before, but couldn't remember where.

 

I showed it on my 29 RPU build, and another time.

 

Yeah, that's what I was remembering. A nice thin clamp for when you are working right at tangent.
Thanks for posting that again.