Quaterhorse... Tell me more about your copper pipe exhaust...

[Madgyver]

I do have access to all kinds and sizes of pipe, that includes copper..
Tell me more about this...

 

[reynard101]

Better be careful, Crack/Meth-heads will steal that pipe in a heartbeat to sell to a metal recycler.

 

[jedblake]

That under carriage is almost to clean for those pipes. You should buff them out for the bling factor.

 

[rmfreeze]

Better be careful, Crack/Meth-heads will steal that pipe in a heartbeat to sell to a metal recycler.

No kidding. That's going on all over. %)

 

[Madgyver]

Better be careful, Crack/Meth-heads will steal that pipe in a heartbeat to sell to a metal recycler.

You no longer can sell anything copper here to the recycler in Hawaii without having a noterized statement that tells the recycler that you own the copper that is being sold. And this is for every transaction.
Now all my copper scrap is getting stacked in a big pile for that one time transaction.

Here is a story of someone attepting to pull live copper wires and died.

 

[72Quarterhorse]

Madgyver Give me some time and Ill write up a complete article.
The hard part is getting the 4" copper pipe hot enough to braise.

 

[Carl]

Better be careful, Crack/Meth-heads will steal that pipe in a heartbeat to sell to a metal recycler.

I hear they're even stealing catalytic converters for the precious metals inside: As of Jan 11, 2008, platinum is worth $1,559 an ounce, palladium $376an ounce, and rhodium that's $7000 an ounce.

Thieves carry a battery powered sawzall with them, crawl under higher vehicles (trucks, vans, suvs) and cut the catalytic converter off in a matter of seconds.

Oh, by the way 72Quarterhorse that's an interesting idea with the copper exhaust.

 

[mr incredible]

huh ,, my exhaust look just like that ,,,, i didnt know it was valueable ,,, i just thought it was junk ..................

 

[Madgyver]

Madgyver Give me some time and Ill write up a complete article.
The hard part is getting the 4" copper pipe hot enough to braise.

I like to use Oxy-Acetylene for brazing anything bigger than 2" copper pipe.

Heck I'll use the Oxy-Acetylene torch for all copper pipe if I have it in the field. It will heat faster than MAPP or the new gas methylene..

 

[Madgyver]

I hear they're even stealing catalytic converters for the precious metals inside: As of Jan 11, 2008, platinum is worth $1,559 an ounce, palladium $376an ounce, and rhodium that's $7000 an ounce.

Thieves carry a battery powered sawzall with them, crawl under higher vehicles (trucks, vans, suvs) and cut the catalytic converter off in a matter of seconds.

Oh, by the way 72Quarterhorse that's an interesting idea with the copper exhaust.

What's in a catalytic converter that would make it valueable for thieves to steal?

 

[scsm76]

What's in a catalytic converter that would make it valueable for thieves to steal?

Usually Platinum

 

[Madgyver]

This is slick......................

 

[JB Fab]

Be advised, as copper goes through heating and cooling cycles it becomes annealed, (softer) and less resistant to vibration / stress depending on how it is alloyed, the closer to pure such as water pipe the softer it will get.
If you have long tube headers to cool the gases, and some sort of flexible coupling to isolate the engine vibration a little, you ought to be good!

 

[ooberdoob]

i'm still at a loss as to why you'd want this other than sound purposes?

 

[Madgyver]

i'm still at a loss as to why you'd want this other than sound purposes?

I have a bunch of copper pipe...Free

 

[ooberdoob]

yah. sell for mod money?

it's a cool concept then.

 

[72Quarterhorse]

This is how I made my Copper Mufflers.
I used 4” copper pipe 23” long with a 4” to 2” reducer on each end, this is my muffler casing. I would suggest using schedule “M” the thin wall pipe for this part because it will keep the weight down and it is easier to braise than the thick wall schedule “K” pipe. The pipe I used was given to me and I think it is a thick wall pipe; it is about 1/8” thick and was really hard to get hot enough to braise. Also the muffler weighs about 8 pounds. I took about 10” of 4” copper pipe and cut it from end to end with a jigsaw, then pried it open and flattened it out. This made two flat disks 1/8” thick for each muffler. After cutting the disk to fit snug inside the 4” pipe, I used a hand grinder to make 8 half-moon notches around the edge of the disk. The notches are ¾” wide by 1/8” deep. I then drilled two 1 and 1/8 holes on the outer edges of the disk for two 1” copper pipe baffles. The baffles are 10” long and have 1/8” holes drilled in them. I put the baffle pipe 4” through the 1 and 1/8 hole in the disk and braised it up. Then did the same thing to the next disk but made the two 1 and 1/8 holes in the disk closer to the center.
The next step is, take the 4” muffler casing, draw a line in the middle and then measure back towards the end 2 and ½”. At this point draw a line around the pipe, then from the center line, measure 2 and ½ “ towards the other end and draw a line around the pipe. Then on each of the two lines, I drilled three ¼” holes evenly spaced around the 4” pipe. Now by holding onto the 6” side of the 1” baffle pipe I put the baffle assembly into the 4” pipe. I lined the disk up with the three ¼” holes then braised the disk to the 4” pipe through the ¼ “ holes, when done the holes will be braised close. Then I did the same thing for the other end. At this time I put an arrow on the 4” pipe, showing the direction of the exhaust flow. The side with the baffles close to the outer edge is the inlet. Now, I put on the 4” to 2” reducers at each end, then braised them up.
Here is the Exhaust System
Starting at the headers, I used a steel header flange and braised it to a 3” copper reducer, going from 3” to 2”. Then I bolted the flange up to the header. Then I hung the driver’s side muffler first because it has less room and has to be set farther back to clear the transfer case. The pipes between the headers and the mufflers should be equal length. If the driver’s side muffler is 16” back of the header collector, then the passenger side should be 16” too. The length of the pipe, after the mufflers do not have to be equal.
Now, with the reducer bolted up to the header and the muffler hanging in place, I measured the distance between the reducer and the muffler. I cut a 2” copper pipe to length. I used schedule “K” pipe, which is the thick walled pipe. Do not use schedule “M” pipe, the thin wall pipe in this section. The exhaust in this section will get hot enough to make the thin wall pipe soft. Slip the 2” pipe into the reducer on the muffler then slip the other end of the 2” pipe into the reducer on the header. Make sure there is no tension on the muffler hangers. Then, tack braised the 2” pipe to the reducers in two or three spots. Then remove this section from the vehicle and braise it all up. Next, from the muffler back, I used schedule “M” thin wall 2” copper pipe. Using various copper fittings: 30-degrees, 45-degrees, and 90-degree bends, I routed the exhaust over the rear-end and out the back corners.
After routing the exhaust all the way back, I tack braised all the fittings then un-bolted this section at the back of the muffler. I removed it from the vehicle, and then braised it all up.

There is a drawing pic of the copper muffler in my gallery.

 

[Madgyver]

I think I get it now after seeing the pic...
"M" copper pipe is mostly used for fire protection piping and the "K" and "L" copper pipes is used for domestic water supply..
I have access to all the materials and I may try this out when I have some time.

quarterhorse,
Tell us about the sound. Does it tone it down a bit?
What size motor, cam, heads and headers?

 

[fiscus]

You could always sell your scrap copper and buy steel, you'd probably come out ahead $ wise.

 

[bronko69er]

Madgyver Give me some time and Ill write up a complete article.
The hard part is getting the 4" copper pipe hot enough to braise.

I've TIG'd prototype copper parts here at work, its not too hard.....
Probably not as easy as sweatin' it though.