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Dent removal from pipe bend

chuck hahn

chuck hahn

Forum LongTimer
Past Site Supporter
Has anyone got a method to remove a bottoming out dent from the lower bend in a header pipe?? Heat can be applied to these as they are gonna be either painted flat black with high temp header paint or wrapped. Best heat source i have is a MAPP gas torch.

I know they make expanders for straights, but how would i get to the lower bend ???
 
Last edited:
Chuck, those header pipes are usually double walled, so unless you can remove the inner pipe it's going to be a difficult job.

I have looked at fixing a set a while back and couldn't come up with anything simple except one of those big hooked tools used for popping out dents in tanks.

Good luck.
 
The double wall is the thing that makes it very hard, I've seen big metal balls on bent rods designed for shaping the dents out of pipes but the double wall makes it very difficult.

If you blocked the ends and put in some air pressure, say 10/15 psi and warm it in the dent till it pops out? You could control the amount of heat to shape the dent coming out.
Just a suggestion.
 
Drill a hole and use a slide hammer? If it's going to be painted or wrapped anyway no one will ever see the weld.

A stud welder might work too.
 
This is the Supertrapp exhaust that came on my 83 Honda CB 650 Nighthawk project. Probably never find another set easily. Anyway they are rusty and will need cleaned up well before painting ( which is what I really want to do ). But the wrap is another route to kinda hide the dent some. Not sure of they are single or double walled pipes.

Pipes as seen here before the tear down to recondition the bike..

http://vid1148.photobucket.com/albums/o569/chuckhahn1/SAM_0087_1.mp4
 
I used this tool to get the dents out of the Supertrapp on my 85 750EF.

They where pretty bad!

They where not perfect but a lot better.

And looked OK painted up.

Made the bike quieter to was a +
 
The ball needs to be a bit smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe, or it will wedge itself in there.

I believe the ball on my tool is 1", the inside of the pipe on my bike is 1 1/8".

It left a few small wrinkles like it did on SVSooke's pipe, but it's on the bottom, hopefully nobody has the chance to see it. :oops:

.
 
My bend is around the actual bottom bend, so it looks like i may have to get a heavy spring such as the ones on a drain snake and weld to the ball. Otherwise its not gonna go around the corner. Which leads to another thing to ponder..heat. If Its heated and real hot, would trying to force the ball around the corner actually make a huge OUT dent and make the situation all that much worse?????
 
tatu said:
Cool, did you use heat too or was it enough to do it cold?
Click to expand...
It was good cold.

chuck hahn said:
Guess I need to see if the pipe is two piece or not and then measure the bore.
Click to expand...


Steve said:
The ball needs to be a bit smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe, or it will wedge itself in there.

I believe the ball on my tool is 1", the inside of the pipe on my bike is 1 1/8".

It left a few small wrinkles like it did on SVSooke's pipe, but it's on the bottom, hopefully nobody has the chance to see it. :oops:

.
Click to expand...
Yes it's a 1" ball bearing on about a 2' mild steel shaft.

chuck hahn said:
My bend is around the actual bottom bend, so it looks like i may have to get a heavy spring such as the ones on a drain snake and weld to the ball. Otherwise its not gonna go around the corner. Which leads to another thing to ponder..heat. If Its heated and real hot, would trying to force the ball around the corner actually make a huge OUT dent and make the situation all that much worse?????
Click to expand...
The mild steel will bend quite a bit so I'm told.It would probably not work with heat as it needs grease to slide in and get it out.
 
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