An oldtimer once told me he had a Chev stovebolt six with a split manifold and copper tubing exhaust and sounded great. Not sure, does it change the tone of the sound? Why make posts about the price of copper? I'm sure the guy is aware. That's like someone asking how to fit a 33 grille shell, and answering Have you priced them out lately?, c'mon guys let's face it, your 20 dollar bill doesn't go very far anymore for anything.
If you are near Chicago. Fill it with water instead of sand. Put it outside to freeze overnight then bend it.
Because it crackles better than steel. Copper and brass was a big deal starting before the war. When the old man was still at the Mare Island ship yards fellas would make themselves copper ot brass tail pipes and sneak them out all the time. I know it was still popular into the '60s. Anyway so much for the history lesson. You can bend it in with an exahust bender but you have to anneal it. Find a place with a rose bud, or make friends with a refrigeration fitter that works with big industrial installations. BTW I just happen to have some 3 inch that I am keeping around either tail pipes or header extensions. It also makes excellent boom tubes.
Find an exhaust shop with a mandrel bender. Unlike a conventional bender, it draws media through the inner pipe supporting the wall during the bend. You don't end up with variations in the diameter.
I have both a die-style hyd pipe bender, and a JDQ-3 tubing bender and I don't think even if you bought properly sized (My understanding is that you can get copper sized in pipe size (inside ID vers standard tubing measured outside ID) copper in the OD that the pipe bender wouldn't crush on the standard 90' radius (which I have a few different one's that range from 5" to 7-8") I would say that the copper pictured above would be the tightest 90" you could make without wrinkles or crushing, and the pipe benders don't have radiuse's that large, besides they are not meant to bend cleanly and by their design drag over the pipe as you bend. That will not work for anything soft (as an aside, whenever I bend 3" I have to order fresh pipe as if it's been sitting any length of time the pipe crushes on anything over 45" of bend. Strange). The tubing bender would obvious work on the common sizes, and with a big enough radius (and a ball mandrel to aid the bending) and some practice you might be able to get clean 90s, and I would think 45s would not be a problem. But that leaves the fact of not being able to bend a continuous length of pipe (having to access the location of the 90 with a mandrel).
Why not use the copper elbows on it instead of bending it. I'm not sure the melting points but you may be able to braze it together instead of soldering it, at least near the engine where it may get hot enough to remelt a soldered joint.
You can use silfoss to braze it together. I have used brass rod with a TIG setup before but silfoss is easier holds up with exhaust temps. I read once that it is supposed to scavange better than steel. They had a lot of heating and cooling charactersitics and theory in the article. Perhaps people believed that but the main reason I have ever heard of anyone running copper or brass has to do with the sound. It does sound different.
if ya get it done, i wanna see a pic.. but once its all done wont the tubing turn green? or is that what ya want? i still wanna see a pic..
interesting thread, i will be stopping the chrome process at the copper stage as well. i like the look of copper over chrome. i thought about the headers but figured it would be easier to plate steal to copper instead of working with the copper. i was thinking the copper tubing would change colors with the heat. like the blueing effect on motorcycles.
Are silfoss and silver-soldering one and the same .. also I would think being 2" adequate sweeps (as opposed to bends) would be available in place of going custom.
Silfoss is a silver brazing rod used in the refrigeration industry. It is not silver solder it is a silver alloy rod. It has a higher melting point that silver solder and makes a stronger joint.
I know a few Moonshine stilles have alot of bent copper pipe up to 2in. Can you buy premade elbow's and 45's? Good luck. MrC.
I have heard that cooper piping sounds diffrent to other pipes But i have never heard a anny by my self There some that have used cooper piping on the 50's or earler that told ne that
Stefan It is something that you have to hear for yourself. It does sound different, I have run copper scavenger pipes so I know the difference but I don't know how to describe it. Some say it rings and others say it crackles. When it sound really cool is when it is cooling, you get that ticking noise but it seems to be louder and at different time intervals. But like I said it is something that you have to hear for yourself. It would be a very expensive experiment today for something that you may not think is any better when it is done. I just happen to have some because I salvaged it from an old/obsloete cooling water system in a building I worked in. The boss said if I would stay after and cut it out on my own time I could have it. He payed me my time anyway so I am in for free. If someone were going to buy copper for exhaust I would probably suggest that they sepnd the money on cam shaft and head work instead.
Dirt T Carl, How do you bend your tubing? I use a Harbor freight 12ton pipe bender fill the tube with clean dry sand, seal the ends of the tube, heat the tube to cherry red all along the bend radius to anneal the copper, place on the bender use 1 1/2 shoe for 2" tube 1 1/4 shoe for 1 1/2 tube, take your time and re heat as you are bending the tube and you will have a nice bend <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Thanks. a 1-1/2 shoe in a HF 12 ton bender, packed with sand, and annealed several times during the process sounds viable. Thanks I certainly don't want to waste copper trying. or pipe size copper is another. but harder to find and I expect more expensive. the local muffler shop with a mandrel bender wants a fortune in set up, forget the cost of the copper.. and does not have the proper size dies. It is strictly for looks on a build project. but it is a critical aspect of the overall picture. If I pull it off I will post some photos. maybe a slightly off topic scratch build ,but the HAMB has been helpful when you scratch build.. Mat Mat
My dad has used copper before ,He brazed 90's on,,,Solder wont hold up ....As for your question fill it with sand and cap the ends and harbor freight tool........
If you buy deoxidised copper tight rod I will weld it up for you for the cost of the rod? ?? Oh and when copper is welded properly the heat affected zone changes colors.
AND YES COPPER CAN BE WELDED!!!!!! It is verry unforgiving takes a ton of heat to form a puddle then you have to back off fast because of the hight amount of thermal conductivity copper has. It also has to be back gassed, and when you weld it it gives of a toxic gas that will kill you faster than you can dial 911!!!! ( the gas it give off I believe is berilium dioxide but don't quote me it is a form of berilium though)
of all the answers, I think I like roseville carls the best----the one about saving the grandkids. I have done some odd things other people did not like, and yes, some came out like crap. Every once in a while, though, boy they came out good
In the twenties in England it was the thing to do, to build a hot rod or special and put a big copper exhaust pipe down the side like a race car, no muffler. Copper is supposed to give a different sound to the exhaust.
do you think that this hydraulic conduit bender would do the trick? I'm kinda concerned about kinking with the HF type press http://www.buttreyrental.com/itemimages/154.jpg
The conduit bender should work, but it will give you a very large radius which might lead to some packaging problems... If you are buying the material new, see if you can get annealed pipe.
I did a copper exhaust system back in the 60s. Had a 65 Chevy Van with a V6 Buick and lots of 2" copper pipe (Im a HVAC Guy) I used 45s for the bends and regular flat silfoss rod. I ran duals with no mufflers. It worked till I scraped the Van, never had a problem, but you could hear me coming. Iceman
SSCargo, You can do in copper or cheaper and easier was to do in steel and then have copper plated. I'll shoot you a PM. Photos to entertain the crowd.
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