I am trying to take a hooker catback apart to ship. The previous owner must have tighend the exhaust clamps to the point of almost crimping the pipe because no matter how hard I pull, it is not coming apart. Is there something else I should be doing? Cutting the pipe is the last resort.

Thanks in advance.

 

Have you tried heating the pipe on the outside of the joint? The heat will make the metal expand a tad bit and might be enough to break it free.

 

No, I haven't tried that. I do not have any source of heat to use.

 

You'll have to build some sort of tooling to get them apart. Maybe a couple clamps, one on each side of the joint. Then you could leverage between them with some sort of a spreader?

Or you could cut them. The problem is that if you wiggle them around too much trying to get them apart, they will never seal right again. You'll always have an exhaust leak at that joint, no matter how hard you tighten the clamp.

I've been through this, wiggled and forced the pipes apart and always had a leak there afterwards.

 

Summit Racing sells a tool that speads exhaust pipes apart. It has two clamps and some central mechanism that pushes the clamps away from each other. I think it runs about $30. I hope to have one someday for myself.

 

Money might be tight for you right now but if you can swing it, get a bernzomatic torch kit. MAP gas gives you a lot of heat. It's been a long time since I bought mine. I would guess it will cost you less than $30 if you shop around.

 

I think you're thinking of an inernal pipe expander. It help a alot when assembling exh systems. You'll need acess to the inside of the pipe for that.



^-What he said.....You can buy MAPP gas at Lows or Home Depot, or any home improvment store for that matter. They sell it in the small cylinders that Propane uses, and you don't need an oxygen tank. I recomend MAPP gass it's hotter than propane but coller and more stable than Acetyline. Heat the female pipe. In other words, heat the pipe that the hooker CB plugs INTO. Get it good and cherry red hot. Beware of fuel lines! try to aim it away from your floor boards.

Get a pair of channel lock pliers ready, when the pipe is cherry red, twist and pull the other pipe w/ the channel locks. (repeat as necisary (sp?)) Exh work is a PITA. Worse comes to worse, you can allways hack it off.

 

No, it's a pipe separater tool. Summit online catalog numbers are: SUM-900652 & SUM-900654

I think there's another one in their paper catalog. I've looked it over several times and it doesn't look like the online catalog ones. If I spot it in the paper catalog I'll try to remember to post it here.

regardz

 

If the pipes are kinked from the clamps like it sounds like, you will probably need that tool everyone is talking about. Still, heating them up will help a lot and you can get one of those little hand held gas torches (drawing a blank right now) for pretty cheap. Another tip for when you put then back together would be to use some band clamps as they seal well and do not kink the pipes at all.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys, I will def keep this in mind when doing future exhaust projects. The buyer of the catback wants them cut so he can get them welded back on Saves me some tools and puts my sawzall to work!