bending pipe/tubing

I have an old truck with round tube bedrails that are rusted through. It is an old truck with 330,000 miles but paid for at least.

My idea was to copy the rusted ones using some 2 inch emt. How could I copy and make the end on the ends without a tubing bender and it look half way decent? My first idea was to bolt a large socket on a table and heat the pipt and bend it around that but there has got to be a better way out there.

Reply to
stryped
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Go to the conduit place and see if they have a bender you could borrow or rent.

Or miter the corners and weld it. Conduit welds OK, but you have to grind off the zinc so you don't get zinc fume. (you can weld through zinc, if you have a respirator or SCBA. ;-) )

Have Fun! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

If it were mine, I would not attempt to bend. I would cut the tubing at 45 degrees and braze the ends together. Then clean. primer and epoxy paint the things.

Paul

Reply to
KD7HB

You could possibly put something like and old garage door spring inside the tube in the area of the bend and then make the bend. The spring should keep the tubing from collapsing. I have neve tried this, but seem to recall hearing of this method somewhere. Dave

Reply to
dav1936531

Buy the bends as EMT elbows. Weld the elbows, or pieces cut out of them, to the straight pieces.

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Reply to
Ned Simmons

I actually thought of that but the darn things are 10 bucks a piece at Lowes. That is 40 bucks in just elbows.

Reply to
stryped

SCUBA gear works fine as well - been there, done that, not dead yet...

Reply to
Pete C.

I would try a muffler shop , if you think 2 inch or so exhaust pipe is adequate. It would probably be as strong as the original bed rails.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

The Fire Department calls it SCBA because, obviously, they're not under water. ;-)

But it's the same gear. :-)

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

There are some differences:

SCBA - Always full face mask with comm. SCUBA - Sometimes full face mask with comm.

SCBA - Usually 4,500 PSI air SCUBA - Usually 3,000 PSI air

SCBA - Always air SCUBA - Often a gas blend other than air

Probably other differences I can't think of at the moment.

Reply to
Pete C.

Or if you weld outside. Or if there is cross ventilation. Or if you hold your breath & then leave. Depends upon how thick the galvanizing is, too. Bob

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

degrees and braze the ends together. Then clean. primer and epoxy paint the things.

I'd simply buy some long sweeping "els" and weld them to the ends of the tubing, if I was using EMT, but I'd be much more likely to find some old dairy tubing (stainless steel milker pipe) and a few bends and "do it right".

Reply to
clare

degrees and braze the ends together. Then clean. primer and epoxy paint the things.

Another good way to do it is to find some "T" fittings to slide pipe through, and use pipe stubs down to the "rack pockets". Lots of fence and gate fittings at the local TSC, orchard supply, building center, or what-have-you - along with the galvanized pipe to do the job.

Reply to
clare

My other option is to wait 'till my buddy is pulling some bends for the custom exhaust work he does and have him mandrel bend a piece to fit - but we don't all have friends with mandrel benders!!!

Reply to
clare

IF IT WAS ME, I'd go to a muffler shop and pay the guy to make what I wanted. Those guys do it all day every day, and it will look professional. OR, I'd just bite the bullet and buy a tubing bender, as once you do this, it will probably segway into many other tube bending projects. I can think of a dozen things right now that I could use a tube bender on to build, and unless you get a really top of the line one, you can get a decent one reasonable. Cheaper for used. That machine bent stuff comes out looking soooooooooooo sweet. Learning curve may be a little expensive, but unless it has to be exact, you can do a lot of splicing.

And you can finish that stuff from the muffler shop and have it chromed or powdercoated, and it will look like a million.

SteveB

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Reply to
SteveB

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