source to buy exhaust pipe

[90volvo]

Well the last kit bought had 45-90- and straight piping. It was stainless steel, and I thought I was just a terrible welder but now that I have welded enough stuff, Ive figured out that the stainless is junk. Id be weld a pretty decent weld then all of a sudden poof- Id have a big hole to weld up. I necessarily dont need stainless so just good piping if it will withstand dp temps. Any source or brand you would recommend. Yes, I have a couple of local muffler shops but they kink 90 degree bends and dont carry any 3 inch. Thanks
I

[HiSPL]

Hack out factory exhaust bends from the junkyard or go to ebay/amazon and read the reviews. Your are taking a risk with ordering it, but it's the way most of us do it.

This place has a good rep, but I've never ordered from them:
http://www.mandrelbends.com/mandrel-...-16-gauge.html

[white855T]

I guarantee you are welding too hot. Many of you guys post pictures and I just have to chuckle. Its just exhaust pipe after all and you're trying to weld it like its 1/2" steel. Top quality ss piping is not cheap. There is a reason custom exhaust setups cost so much.

[Redwood Chair]

http://www.mandrelbends.com

[Marvelous3]

I mean McMaster carr sells metal tubing.

[oldschoolvolvo]

you can order SS or aluminized 3" exhaust tubing from Rock Auto, NAPA, Advance

[shoestring]

I use SPD Exhaust. That stuff is really nice and is ready to weld. Walker/Dynomax is pretty good too: 16ga, mandrel bent, readily accessible, reasonably priced and made in the US but you have to clean up the coating before you can weld it.

[culberro]

Originally Posted by shoestring

I use SPD Exhaust. That stuff is really nice and is ready to weld.

That is an understatement.
SPD products are some of the best out there. Their 321 is wonderful to weld. It’s so clean.

[dl242gt]

I ordered from Summit racing when I built my down pipe. A 3' piece of straight tubing, a 180 degree 3" mandrel bend and I had enough to make the downpipe.

[yolk]

i built myself a cheapo hf exhaust/pipe expander so i didn't have to start learning to weld on butt joints and it was a godsend, for anyone just getting their toes wet. its a lot more forgiving type of weld to make and, fwiw, the expander works even better when hooked up against a powered unit vs hand-pump.

[283SD]

What alloy s/s are we talking about? {cheap-409 or expensive 304-316 or321?]. I made my exhaust for the V8 Wagon in'91 out of 304 s/s, other than a little dirt it still looks good,340K miles later.

[Cwazywazy]

I like mandrelbendingsolutions. 200 bucks for a 3 inch 409 stainless builders kit, they do both expanded and non expanded ends. I've only used their aluminized steel kits though.

[msweeney]

Ace Race Parts is also a great resource, especially for V-band assemblies and the like.

[283SD]

Burns Stainless, Ca, used them many times.

[PaddyGarcia]

Burns is also having a sale on blemished bends, worth asking.

[lookforjoe]

I have bought Squirrely Performance SS Mandrel bends off Amazon - decent quality. I agree with white855T - you are probably running way too much amperage on the welds. SS you can easily weld at 15-20 amps with a TIG - that's what I do & my welds aren't great.

[90volvo]

Thanks for all the info guys. yes, Ive turned the heat down just fustrating to be welding a nice bead and all of sudden poof. you have a nickle size hole to fill. Guess the bright side is Im getting alot of experience and getting better. Thanks again.

[doleary]

Also try aceraceparts.com they can be a little pricey but everything I have ordered has been good quality and super fast shipping.

[sbabbs]

I use steel and use oxy acetylene gas welder on my exhaust way easier not to burn hole.