How to: Make your own pipe beading tool (for turbo guys)
ragenasian
Moderator
This is not my idea. I used a how to from another person and made the tool and decided to share.
This is mainly for those who have bought those turbo intercooler kits or people like me who are making their own out of their own piping. I was about to spend a crap load of cash on a beading tool when I came across a guy who made his own. It doesn't make pretty beads like those fancy machines but it cost me nothing, and it keeps my intercooler piping from popping off. Cheap ebay kits usually never have beads, and while I have had straight pipes not pop off I am turning up the boost and decided that for good measure I want a bead.
This method isn't super quick. You will need to open up the vise, clamp down until you get a bit of a crease around the pipe. Close the vicegrip up a bit more and continue to go around again. Keep this up until you get a decent bead. Again not pretty, not quick, but it works for me. This will also decrease the diameter of the tube directly at the end so I used a dremel and cleaned it up a bit.
What you will need:
Old set of vice-grips (I had a set that had no teeth anymore so they were a great candidate for this)
muffler clamp that is the same size as the piping you are using
heavy duty washer
and a welder
Pics will speak for themselves.
This is mainly for those who have bought those turbo intercooler kits or people like me who are making their own out of their own piping. I was about to spend a crap load of cash on a beading tool when I came across a guy who made his own. It doesn't make pretty beads like those fancy machines but it cost me nothing, and it keeps my intercooler piping from popping off. Cheap ebay kits usually never have beads, and while I have had straight pipes not pop off I am turning up the boost and decided that for good measure I want a bead.
This method isn't super quick. You will need to open up the vise, clamp down until you get a bit of a crease around the pipe. Close the vicegrip up a bit more and continue to go around again. Keep this up until you get a decent bead. Again not pretty, not quick, but it works for me. This will also decrease the diameter of the tube directly at the end so I used a dremel and cleaned it up a bit.
What you will need:
Old set of vice-grips (I had a set that had no teeth anymore so they were a great candidate for this)
muffler clamp that is the same size as the piping you are using
heavy duty washer
and a welder
Pics will speak for themselves.
Comments
nevermind....
But...
Thanks for calling it that...
You too getting married no?
This is a flared pipe (and rather crappy one too only pic I could find right away)
See how the end of the pipe is larger than the pipe diameter. That is a flare. The end of my pipes are not larger than the diameter of the pipe. The muffler clamp keeps the end of the pipe from flaring and only allows the washer to create a bead. It isn't a pretty bead but a functional one.