Hand made Header !!!

#4
A chair leg can do. Almost anything will(metal tubing that is), but how long to last, that is more of the question.

Here is mine for my bike, made out of EMT conduit I found, out back of a church where I found alot of the material for my bike. I made my own header flange and copper gasket, copied from the stock.




 

Nonhog

New Member
#5
Just yesterday I built a header for my sons DB. :thumbsup:
I think the pipe came from a cheap light stand. Some 2.25 car bends for show. Curious if there is a thread (I didn't find one) on do's and dont's of header building?

Other than a slight bend mine is a straight pipe. Other than the pipe the engine is stock. Will it need a bigger jet? Or only time will tell by checking the plug?

Sound clip..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHhbvWYF54U
 
#6
You will need to grind some paint off of that before welding and when you want to use it. Its going to stink really badly when its hot.

On mine I ground off all the galv, befor I welded it together.
 
#7
You will need to grind some paint off of that before welding and when you want to use it. Its going to stink really badly when its hot.

On mine I ground off all the galv, befor I welded it together.
You bring up a good point. At what tepm does the galvanizing start to burn off; and should this be a fear with exhaust temps? I was planning on bending up a simple header out of 3/4" EMT. Maybe it's a good idea to make sure all of the galvanizing is gone before bending it and bolting it up.
 
#8
it sounds awesome cause there is a 90 degree bend. i once stuck a threaded pipe with an elbow on an 8hp Tecumseh i once got and boy did that put the "BAP" in the "brap"

mckutzy do you have more pics of that chopper? i'm wanting to build chopper for the engine i'm building now and am looking for ideas.
 
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#9
danssoslow- Im not too sure the temp it starts to burn off at. I know it is a big problem when it welded on as the heat causes the zinc metal to be vaporized and that messes with the quality of the welded joint and it also can make you sick.

If it isnt ground/brushed off, It will smoke a bit. not really good but its outside and your not welding on it. I just quickly grazed a flapper sanding wheel over the pipe to remove the galv. After you finish weld all the joints it will begin to smoke a bit if left in bare steel, cause of all the oils and dirt it had/has on it anyways.
I had also made a oil finish to the pipe as to dull the finish to blackish color. I just heated the pipe with a torch till it was good and hot to touch and sprayed WD40 on it while it was hot. Heated and sprayed, till the finish was good and black. A seasoning if you will...
It stopped smoking alltogether little while after the first heat.


cdoublejj- Hey thanks man, ya I have a few more on my thread. If need any more specifics, I have more, I merely summed up my build here on this forum.

http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/project-logs/86637-custom-home-built-mini-chopper.html

The sound on my pipe was pretty good. Has a good throaty sound to, a definite thumper sound for sure, un like a v or other twin.
I also put a baffle in the end, it controlled and dampened some of the notes.
 
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#16
I bought some of that header wrap stuff. Usually its pretty expensive, I got a deal at the local auto shop cause it was just kicking around on the shelf and they didnt really know it was there till I found it.
looking around about that stuff, they say it will rot out your pipes really quick. Now that I understand for a motorcycle but I think its pretty cool for a mini or a gokart.

Looks great. And if it does go awry, go find another_____ and weld up another pipe. Most likely you'll still have another 25ft of wrap left......
 
#17
I bought some of that header wrap stuff. Usually its pretty expensive, I got a deal at the local auto shop cause it was just kicking around on the shelf and they didnt really know it was there till I found it.
looking around about that stuff, they say it will rot out your pipes really quick. Now that I understand for a motorcycle but I think its pretty cool for a mini or a gokart.

Looks great. And if it does go awry, go find another_____ and weld up another pipe. Most likely you'll still have another 25ft of wrap left......
i use stove rope. cheap and 6' or whatever they give you is just enough to do a header :thumbsup:
 
#18
That is a cool Idea. I just did a search on that, holy crow there is bunch of people doing this for a glass pack style exhaust muffler. I like that alot.
 
#20
People need to remember this these home made headers should be at least 12 to 16 inches long to give proper back pressure . Those short bull horn looking pipes could end up burning valves and not really making as much power as one thinks . JMHO
 
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