New exhaust

[Kitzy]

So like I mentioned before, I installed a new muffler on the truck.  It required some custom pipe work.  Stock piping is 3.5" and I don't trust any shop to bend that and I wanted it mandrel bent.  So I thought it out and ordered the pipe I needed.  A couple 30 degree bends to keep the flow as smooth as possible and plenty of straight so that I could screw up a few times and practice my welding.  Which I should mention I have never done any real welding.  Mostly only on 1/2" cable that's usually rusty and covered in asphalt.  Anyway, the welds didn't start out pretty but after dialing in the welder settings and steadying my hand some I ended up being pretty proud.  The stock muffler was a 26" offset/offset with the new Borla XR-1 being 8" long and only 5" wide.  Its a round straight through design.  In the pictures you will notice the tail pipe is cut off.  I did this previously to get rid of the resonator.  Its still off and may or may not go back on.  If it does go back on I will remove the resonator and replace I with straight pipe and do a larger tip.  All of the work was done off of the truck with a final stainless steel lap joint band clamp used to make later removal easier and because I wasn't comfortable welding the top side of the pipes while it was on the vehicle because I couldn't see well.  In the second picture you can see the progression of my welds as time went on.  And they're so close because I had to transition the pipe from slightly smaller than 3.5" on the stock piping near a bend to 3.5" outer diameter piping to the 3.5" inside diameter piping of the muffler.  The S-bend in the pipe was necessary to compensate for the original muffler being offset in and offset out.  Anyway I'm happy with it and its sounding better every day.  Just need those long tube headers with the high flow y pipe.

[Too Stroked]

Doesn't look half bad. Of course it would look better under a Ford.

[Rollingrock]

wow, that looks good, no way I could do that.

[Pockets]

Doesn't look half bad. Of course it would look better under a Ford.

Agreed on that one! And cant wait to hear it mike!

[Kitzy]

Thanks guys.  I would love to get video up but my computer is older than dirt and my laptop is down for the count.  Maybe I can manage one with my phone. 

[Blown F-150]

Hey Kitzy, If you try your hand at welding again I have one little tip for you that helped me out. If sweep your hand back and forth across the weld in a ever connecting "C" pattern, it helps with control and speed of hand movement. Generally you need to turn down the wire speed a touch. Learned way back in welding classes. I was going to get my ticket since I was working in a welding shop at the time. Decided against it, glad I did...

[Kitzy]

Not sure I completely follow what you're saying.  Do you mean make tiny little Cs that essentially look like a normal weld?  Sort of like circles?  I keep envisioning a coil spring or the Audi emblem.  Or am I way off? 

[Blown F-150]

Not too far down the page, but here is a really nice explanation of it.

http://www.profabricationtechniques.com/welding/mig-welding/

[Kitzy]

Interesting read and I was following what you said correctly.  By the end of my exhaust I was getting better and enjoying myself.  I wanted to keep going.  I'm looking forward to breaking, I mean things breaking, at work so I can fix them.  Haha

[gipraw]

Just grab some exhaust tubing at Autozone, or a cheap patch panel to practice on..   

I run around the house looking for things to weld ..    Next project is to build myself a small welding table for the garage. 

[Kitzy]

Since people seem to get annoyed by the exhaust when they ride in the back seats, I decided to put a tail pipe back on to try and push the sound back and out instead of having it resonate under the bed.  I found a tip from summit that I liked and it was reasonably priced at $35.  Its 3.5" piping everywhere.  The tip is 3.5" in, 4.5" out.  I originally had a 90° bend in my cart but hesitantly added a 45° as well.  Turns out I needed the 45° and not the 90°, so good call on my part. 

Anyway, I really just wanted to show off my improved welds.  The second picture shows a perpendicular weld because the pipe was a slip fit designed for a clamp. 

There's only one way to to this... and thats to use a forklift!









Tapatalkin...

[Too Stroked]

Nice looking welds and final result there Mike! I think I would have tilted the mast back a bit more to make sure the truck didn't slide off the forks though. The front tires were blocked, right?

[Kitzy]

Sure they were blocked.  Let's say they were blocked. 

I did put it in 4wd though.

Tapatalkin...

[sscully]

Welds turned out real nice.
- A lot better than myself with my little buzz box welder.

I had the same thought as Tom... Next time how about 4 chunks of 2x4 on them ??
- I have the fancy rubber triangle type, no need to get that carried away...

[Kitzy]

Thanks guys.  We have a little MIG welder we keep in the trailer to use on job sites.  I actual enjoy using that more than the full size welder in the shop.  But that's probably because it's so much more powerful and harder to dial in that I can't always get it right. 

This is the one we keep in our trailer.  I was going to get it out but I didn't feel like carrying it.  They're heavy.  Haha.  The one in the shop is on wheels.