I'm at point in my build where I could work on several different parts of the bike, but instead I had to give Greg time to catch up. He forced me to wait a few months while he did a few articles to try and get close to where I'm at-and he's still way behind! So I went with a cool-looking, quick and easy custom set of exhaust pipes.
I needed to build a set of pipes that would flow with the frame but wouldn't cost a lot of money. After I went through all the catalogs I still didn't find what I was looking for-most of the pipes I found would need to be modified to fit the frame and the new S&S shovelhead motor. I felt that it would be easier to build what I wanted. I hit the swap meet, and right off the bat I found a set of old 1-3/4-inch FX pipes with mufflers (what I actually needed was the flange from the top of each pipe). So after a hard bargaining match with the guy, I left with two sets for $25 and headed up the next row. I found a few raw pieces of pipe with 90-degree bends as well; the pieces were exactly what I needed. With my pockets just $30 lighter, I had plenty of pipe to build my exhaust. On the way home I stopped at Budd's Muffler Shop to get a handful of pipe flanges.
When I started this build I planned to put together a set of pipes (two pieces) with fishtail tips stacked along the frame tubes, but as I started to work on my sheetmetal I mocked up the two pipes side by side, and they just didn't look right. Instead, I made a two-into-one pipe with a fishtail tip. Anyway, this is how I did it for my bike, so don't call me to tell me how I did things wrong or how you would have done it.
I might have the pipes plated...
I might have the pipes plated to keep them from rusting, but I like the look of the heat wrap.
After a trip to the swap meet,...
After a trip to the swap meet, I had just about all the pieces of pipe I needed for a mere $30.
To get started, I called up...
To get started, I called up ol' James to bring his welder over. The first thing we did was cut the mufflers off the ends of the pipes and bolt up the flanged ends to the motor to see how they fit.
It was a good starting point....
It was a good starting point. The front piece had the right bends but was about 2 inches too long, and the rear piece would not clear the kicker. So it was off to the chop-saw to cut the pipe into four pieces. I used some masking tape to hold the pipes in place 'til I could weld them together.
After cutting the pipe, I...
After cutting the pipe, I used a file to remove any burrs so that the inserts would fit.
These inserts can be found...
These inserts can be found at any muffler shop, or Hooker Headers has a pack of 10 you can order from Drag Specialties.
Next, I wanted the pipe to...
Next, I wanted the pipe to run along the frame about a quarter-inch above the bottom tube to keep it from dragging on the street during high-speed right turns. I lined up the straight piece of pipe along the frame, then marked where I would weld a small piece of flat stock to hold the pipe in place.
Here you can see how the pipe...
Here you can see how the pipe will run with the tab in place. When I'm done I will cut this tab off and reweld the mounting tab in its place.
I also found a piece of pipe...
I also found a piece of pipe that was the header for a set of two-into-ones. I cut off the two ends and used them for my set of pipes to join the front and rear pipe.
Once I had all the header...
Once I had all the header pieces of pipe in place, I tack-welded them together to help keep them from moving and stay lined up with the frame. I kept the tape in place and just spot-welded around the sides.
Moving on to the front header...
Moving on to the front header pipe, I used a piece of heat-tack cloth to protect the motor while welding.
I was trying to keep the pipe...
I was trying to keep the pipe flowing along the frame, so I used a piece of pipe with a bend that was close to what I needed. Then all I had to do was cut one side at an angle to match the frame. Once I had that piece lined up, I spot-welded it in place.
Next was the tailpipe. As...
Next was the tailpipe. As I mentioned earlier, I'd found two long fishtail pipes that were ceramic-coated, so for now this will work just fine. I will need to get the pipe stripped and chrome-plated later.
At first I spot-welded the...
At first I spot-welded the pipe about a foot past the rear fender, but I did not like the way it looked, so I then cut it back 'til the tip was as long as the fender.
This looked good, would still...
This looked good, would still clear the frame, and wouldn't burn any passengers (hot chicks) I might happen to pick up off the side of the road or at some shady little bar.
With the pipe spot-welded...
With the pipe spot-welded in place, I pulled the pipe off the bike and welded all the seams together. Moving from one end of the pipe to the other helps keep the pipe from distorting and moving out of shape. This will keep the pipe straight and easy to install.
I'm not a great welder, and...
I'm not a great welder, and with what I borrowed to get this done, it wasn't bad. I needed to grind and sand all the welds and do a few touch-ups.
You can see that I will still...
You can see that I will still need to send this out to get polished and plated, but I plan to wrap this pipe for now.
And here you have it: a set...
And here you have it: a set of pipes that I was able to do for less than $100 and in less than a day's work (and I work slowly). I did call my local chrome shop and ask about plating the pipe. I was told that as long as I did all the clean-up work and all they needed to do was polish and plate, it would run me about $80. I'm still going to wrap the pipe-I don't want it to rust.