Hi Glenn,

Here is what I found out from talking to the local rodders and some of the "old hands" they recommended when it comes to exhaust bending. Two common themes were repeated several times: 1)The shops here say that they can not find suppliers that will consistently give them good pipe. The suppliers claim that they are selling 409 or 304 stainless but the shops are doubting the consistency because they keep getting "bad shipments" of piping. 2)Everyone said that they could bend 2" but not 2.5" without kinking. And, even if they can bend the 2.5" they could never get the 90 degree bends that I need in the rear end.

They also claim that a summer only car should get 10 years or more out of 14GA aluminized pipe. They say the pre-bent stuff out of the catalogs is considerably thinner.

So, at this point, that's what I know.

guess it would be best to find your own supplier of stainless tubing. 304 is easy to check for a magnet will stick to it! try to get 316

Here is what I know about stainless, not that anyone should really care, but it may be relavent. Their are different grades of stainless. What the shops were saying about the stainless is a lot of the aftermarket exhaust companies get their stainless from overseas. I've heard this from someone regarding Borlas systems. Not that their is anything wrong with it, but I was told it was what they call second grade.

Also stainless is brittle. Bending it can be very difficult especially in tight bends. It tends to crack easily. Stainless is easier to bend if you have a way of heating the entire piece to soften it. But what happens is stainless will start to change colors. After that you have to polished it all back to its original luster.

What most restorers and rodders are doing is having a system built for their application and then they take it off and send it out and have the whole system ceramic coated in and out. This makes the system last forever and it won't change colors or rust.

If you want a system out of stainless or just certain pieces. Have it made out of aluminized tube and then send it to a stainless shop and have them duplicate it.

I would try one of these custom builders

Kooks Custom Headers

performanceweldingheaders.com

Mesa Headers

RODSHOPPerformance.com

http://www.headersbyed.com/

www.stainlessworks.net

www.ssheaders.com

http://www.stainless-specialties.com/