hey guys, so I'm in pepboys and I see this "heavy duty bendable exhaust tubing." so I check it out it was like 5 bucks for 2 feet, I was able to bend it with a little effort with my hands, then bend it back with no problems, can I use this for exaust tubing, and how hard will it be.

 

I see cars with only a foot of this stuff or so replacing the cat, driving down the road with it hanging lower than any other part of the exhaust because it is pried downward from the bumps and inertia of the rest of the exhaust pulling it down. the cars are usually owned by those of the hillbilly, *******, glasspack lovin, bailing wire using, "do ya wanna race" my vacuum leak 260 olds powered el camino persuassion. but I thought the same thing when I first picked up a piece of that stuff about 15 years ago.

 

flexpipe? you gota love it. My friends got a big ol' ******* truck with a 4" lift and huge tires -bigger than his drag car's !!!
the thing runs a high 13 1/4 mile and has a pretty beefy 350. its also a 3/4 ton pickup GMC !!!!
his trick to exhaust is simple:
Long tube headers ---> Duel Flexpipe ---> Dual Black Widow mufflers.

The thing sounds like a 5.0 Rustang going down the road!

 

ok, but will it work just for the engine compartment stuff, the rest of the exhuast would be normal piping. if it will work for the engine compartment I could finish my twin turbos in a weekend, if I had a garage

 

No flex pipe for turbo pipes.

Cmon dont cut corners... do it at least halfway right.



-=Member of Thirdgen Repuation Association=-

 

eventually I will do it right, but just to start out and maybe work up a rig to do the final pipes from. plus I'm poor so its what I can afford, will it work, what will happen.

 

I hope I'm not fully understanding your intentions. Are you planning on using this tubing that you can bend with your hands as a template for how you will hook up a turbo project? If you are saying that you have no intention of driving around with this set-up (if it can be called that), but rather are making an attempt at a professional looking/performing system by using these bendable pipes as a template for REAL mandrel bent pipes... then that is a great idea!

If you are seriously thinking that the $2.50/ft tubing that you can bend by hand (which is an emergency patch kit analogous to a doughnut tire) will hold up to any length of time until you can afford to buy the right parts... then you have no business doing anything to your car! What are you going to do, hold it together with duct tape and caulk? When it blows up and you have no car to drive because you cut so many corners, please refrain from coming here to whine about it...

 

wow, slow down chief, now I'm not looking to build a 10 second monster, atleast not until I can do it right, I'm following the junkyard rules, I'm doing a very cheap build up. plus what would you suggest a person with no garage or storage and only one car to do in this situation. the problem with this site is everyone thinks everyone else has money, well I'm poor and am struggling just to keep my home. $500 is a lot of money to a guy like me, so if I find a short cut I take it until I can do it right. I'll only be running like 4lbs boost, which these pipes will easily handle, plastic pvc pipes could handle that. and it will only be from the turbo to the y-pipe.

 

Dont try and halfass a turbo setup is the advice I would give you.

Im locking this because of lack of useful technical content.

 

why would you lock it when I'm still getting useful answers, and weren't you the one who gave me the link to the junkyard turbo sight, you know the guy who has made over 300 11 second passes using junkyard parts and plastic pvc pipe for his setup.

 

also why not try, what could happen, maybe an exhaust leak, which is not a big deal, and I can always replace it. don't take this the wrong way, but why do you guys with expensive build ups always try to put down the guys doing cheap ones, is it because your affraid it may work out well, or are you just insecure. I'm sorry but this upset me, all I was looking for was it may work out or no it won't hold, and thanks to the first few who posted with good answers.

 

What would I suggest? I would suggest you don't mod the one car you have to begin with! Guido is not depending on his project care (project being the key term here...) to get him to work and back. Heck, that thing has had the engine sitting next to it longer than it's been in the car! And neither he, nor Jester, nor I spent $$$ on the top of the line parts or all had access to a lift and garage. Hell, I did almost every one of my mods in the apt. parking lot in a weekend so I could drive to work on Monday if possibe. If not, I had to catch a ride with the GF.

There is a difference between doing a project in an inexpensive way and doing a half-*** hack job that makes you the laughing stock of the internet. Do what you want to your car, but don't be surprised if you spend 3x as much constantly fixing and replacing the cheap crap you put on the first time... Or you could just save the $2.50/ft, buy a Big Mac or pay a power bill, and except the fact that your car will be slow until you get out of HS like the rest of us all had to do!

EDIT:

Yeah... that must be it Sorry we made you cry

 

Im not insecure about anything

You can build your flex pipe exhaust tubing to your turbo. Feel free. But I will laugh when you come back and ask what the problem is.

There is more to it then jsut that.

I hate seeing hack jobs in thirdgens. Id like to think that Im working to help IMPROVE the way people look at thirdgens (****** mobiles). Granted I have a lot of $$ and time into it but If I knew I couldnt do it right to begin with, Id have never attempted it.

My advise is to wait until You can do something RIGHT.

Trust me. Halfass does not work. Ive been down that road one or two times before.

 

first off I am not in high school, and have not been for a long time, I live on my own which is why I don't have much money, and basically part of your post says modding is a right reserved for the rich, then you go on to say you did what I'm looking to do, why the contradiction. you said you tried to get most of your work done in a weekend so you can drive to work, hmmm wouldn't that mean that was your only car, your girlfriends doesn't count, I could drive with my fiancee, thats not the point, I don't plan on half assing my car as you have stated, my plan is to first set up the turbos then perfect them, not a hard concept, I'm not building a race car just a fun street car for now. 2 years ago I had my vette and I even had enough money to pay someone to build the car if I wanted to, but things change, maybe in a year or I will have money again, and when I do me and you are goin to the track, but until then I will take my time, and post more about turbo's to the mailing list if I can, they offer constructive ideas and alternative ways, instead of putting people down. I'm not starting a war, but you haven't exactly been helpful, and you still haven't given me a reason why it wouldn't work.

 

guido, I have respected your project for a long time, I understand what you are saying, but I'm not looking to turn my car into crap, I just need time to do it right, and like I said I'm not going for a race car like yours, mine will be a street car with a kick, my plans are more thought out then you'd think, and I may ask for more advise, but I just need straight answers, will it work for now at 4lbs boost, or will it melt, plus I'm not using much of it. oh by the way no ****** here, I'm a city boy, my girl likes country but shes from new york too. check her out at my site, she wants to trade cars with me.

 

I agree with Biochem. If you cant afford to mod the car and pay your bills, then you'll just have to drive the slow car until you can afford to mod it the right way. Bill's have to come first. I'd like to have my T56 transmission installed and 1LE brakes, but my finances wont allow it. There's nothing wrong with driving a stock car until you can afford to modify it to be faster.

And no, I personally dont think that flex pipe will work. Isnt it designed as a temporary replacement only? As in, put it on, drive 5 miles to the exhaust shop, and get it fixed? Like a spare tire.

 

Neko,
Why don't you just scout around to find out how much it would cost for an exhaust shop to fabricate something for you. If you do all the work, it's not going to be that expensive for them to fab up a downpipe and some turbo-intercooler-throttle body tubing. Or try to scout around to see if any old friends/family members have a shop or know someone who does. If you can find a good hookup, it's not going to set you back much more than $200, which is worth it considering all the trouble that flexible crap will give you. The shop my buddies own said they'd do it for my turbo for only $150 (but, i am going to spend a little more money and have it done where I can get it jetcoated, too-but hey, that's me)

It's really not that big of an expense. The downpipe is going to be one of the cheapest components in a turbo system. And Guido's right, these cars have a rep for being driven by rednecks/white trash/etc, so try not to prove that by using that crap on what could be a quite respectable turbo buildup.

Jon

 

your thinking of a patch, the stuff I'm talking about is made to be a permanent replacement for your exhaust. they had 2 types, normal and heavy duty, its pretty thick, I figured the normal would not hold, but the heavy duty I don't see breaking. if every one who didn't have enough money to modify there cars didn't and just drove slow cars we would have no aftermarket companies. look at victor edelbrock, he was completely poor, he made an intake out of his garage and everyone laughed at him till he blew them away, they they bought copies from him. I'm no vic edelbrock but any inovation should be encouraged, even if its not the best, if it has the potential of working go for it.

 

No, i wasn't thinking of a patch.. i know what you're talking about... and I'm agreeing with everyone else. It's not that expensive to have someone fabricate a downpipe for you. Or, if you want to do a hackjob, buy a TTA downpipe, and somehow make it fit on a single turbo (if that's what you're doing).

Jon

 

nope twin turbos, I will be fabricating the down pipes myself, I'm currently looking into getting a mig welder to do it. but for a temporary setup I would use this flex pipe to make sure everything works and as a template for the final product.

 

lets see...
(vic edelbrock+fabricated intake) = birth of a performance giant
or (person x+flexpipe turbo exhaust) = we just won't go there.

 

tell me something, what if in a year after I've made my jigs and can make this kit at will what will you say, really you guys are always looking for turbo kits. what if my flex tube idea, which will not be used on the track, turns into a bad *** fully formed welded kit, what then, will you all not buy it just because of the way it started. and I don't think you guys are understanding me, I'm not using it permanently, just until I can make something better to replace it. it will be used just so I can get to work which my car never goes over 50mph, anyway you might as well close this post cause its not going anywhere constructive. I just wanted info, instead I found people with nothing better to do then belittle a person rather then help.

 

As long as you are not planning on driving it for more then 3-5 days of test and tune... I don't see a problem and have said that it would be a good idea. If that is your final product, then I think we all agree that it would not be the best idea on TGO...

 

actually with my current schedule I would be driving about 2 days, but anyway now that we are talking what can I use to replace them, is there something I can use to join the pipes or does it have to be boled/welded from the turbo to the y-pipe.

 

maybe what your looking for in performance gains would/should be twisted in another direction? Just a suggestion, dont take it the wrong way, but boost is a good way to blow stuff up, even if your only using a little, stupid crap can happen when you try to save money. my friend just put a t3/t4 hybrid turbo in his car, WHY? well his old one blew up. toasted. why? his expensive turbo, expensive wastegate, expensive intercooler, expensive boost controller were doing great, till his cheap/stock blow off valve, DIDN'T blow off. yep, now he has another 4K invested because of one cheap part he didnt think to upgrade.
In your case a twin turbo setup is worth alot of horsepower IF done right. its also worth alot of headaches. my friend takes his engine apart every other weekend because of blown gaskets / pipes / etc... is it worth it on a daily driver? Sure, if you can get it to last. all of it. is your engine stock? how many miles? what kind of turbo equipment are you using? is it all brand f*cking new?
4 pounds of boost on a stock or lightly modified engine may not be the kick your looking for.
How about a cam swap? port the heads? intake / carb? Rear gear ratio swap? shift kit? Your looking for a car "that doesnt see over 50 MPH" as you quote... perhaps you want more torque for the street, the 1/4 mile is a great thing, but it doesnt go to 50 MPH unless your really really slow. what your looking for may be more of a "really stock big block" type approach, 1st and 2nd gear are real fun, pull the wheels type torque, but then you hit 50 MPH and it runs out of breath. im not saying go out and buy a stock big block, im saying the modification of a twin turbo system is worth ALOT more power and time in the 1/4 above 70 MPH, not just 0-50 MPH, and you would be wasting it if you dont drag the car down the strip. compare your options, what could go wrong / what the gains would be *in each instance*, you may find a cam swap to be the gain you wanted most. Do you want a daily driver or a drag car? ask yourself...
people that do "junkyard builds" have mixted experiences. some have great and long lasting setups, and some dont work at all. some blow up 2 days later. Ive been there. and if its your daily transportation think all the harder. when that pipe blows and your **** gets toasted and your stranded on the side of the road (been there) for hours waiting for a tow truck (been there) about to cry because it was just running so well and you just sunk your time and money into it...
ask yourself.

 

I would not use it. Typically, exhaust pressure is high with turbos (due ot the restrictive nature of the turbine housing) andthe higer pressure may overcome your flex tubing.

I would not do it.

You could do it if you want to get an idea of where you want things to go. Thats not a bad idea. But i dont thikn it would function very well, or very long for that matter.