Carburetor Heat pipe fabrication

[dibarlaw]

Any of you 1925 Standard or 1925-27 master owners ever have a source to get the heat pipes bent up? Even though I have all the heat blocked it would be nice to have something that would look correct in the gap between the heat riser and the exhaust damper. I thought that this would be a simple search. Not! I tried all the muffler shops that do custom bending. Also a specialty hot rod shop that does roll cages.  None do any thing smaller than 1 7/8" Dia. The heat pipes are 11/4" O.D. Dia. steel tubing. The 1925 standard has a length of 10 1/16" with an 1 15/16" offset. The 1925 Master is 11" long with an 11/16" offset. Terry W even checked on a place near him in Kansas that is providing muffler shell tubing for his 1916. No can do.. I have gone to some of our electrical and plumbing shops to see if they would bend similar sized conduit. So far no one in our area wishes to be bothered.

[Hubert_25-25]

     Is this piece correct from my 1925 Standard engine?  It looked original to me, but also looks rather home made.  It looks to be bevel cut and brazed, but I would need to inspect it further.  Also not sure what they used as packing material into the fitting to prevent exhaust leaks.  Does anyone have any other photos of this part?  I use a company called "online metals" and they carry a lot of different size tubing and wall thickness and will cut to order.  If you are going to bend it, and it really only being for display, thin wall brass tubing may be the way to go for a replacement.  

Hugh

[27donb]

This project is 60+ years in the making for my 27-45CC.

 

Back in the 1950's a mechanic disabled and removed part of the carburetor heat control system. 

 

Later, I blocked the exhaust heat supply to the manifold, and I gutted the exhaust valve and plugged the tube holes but left the shaft in place to appear original from the outside.  The carb heat control is now completely non functional, so I no longer have to worry about burning out the intake tube in the manifold, or damaging the manifold itself.  There are no drivablitly problems as a result of this, but I drive in 50 degree + weather only.

 

This past week, I was finally able to put it back to LOOK like original .  I still have to add the linkage.  Of course with those with sharp eyes, my carburetor is not original either...

 

How do you think it looks?

 

It was not difficult.  I had some pipe with the correct OD.  After sandblasting it, I cut it to length and left it just a little long.  I mounted a long socket in a vise, that the pipe would slide over, to keep the end from kinking.  I heated up the pipe with a torch, and used another socket with an extension in the other end to bend it.  Then I flipped it over, heated it again, and bent it again using the same method so the ends were pointing in the same direction again, but now, offset.  All by eye, and it fits fine in my opinion.  Wire brush, paint, install.

 

 

[dibarlaw]

Hugh:

 Yes it looks to have been a cobble job on yours. 27donb. Yours looks to be of the correct appearance. All is coming together nicely.

This is what they had in my 1925-25, a 1 3/8" bent piece of copper pipe. Photo taken before I bought the car. Photo of an unrestored car but looks to be also made up. Kinks.

 

This one looks very correct with smooth bends.1925-25A

The one in my 1925-45 when we worked on it in March 2013. Molten red rubber hose! all heat tubes were open at this time.

This is a 1927-54 that had just about everything chrome plated. Manifolds ceramic coated etc. Nice heat pipe!

Larry

 

[Hubert_25-25]

Larry,   Thank you for the photos and pointing out yet another thing that I need to fix on my car.

Don,  Your motor looks great.  What are you using on your exhaust manifold, and are you happy with it?  Is it holding up? 

      Hugh

 

[27donb]

8 hours ago, Hubert_25-25 said:

Don,  Your motor looks great.  What are you using on your exhaust manifold, and are you happy with it?  Is it holding up? 

      Hugh

 

 

Thanks Hugh, I used Eastwoods Manifold Paint.  It's lasted for years, I just touch it up from time to time.

 

 

[Gary W]

I used POR-15 High Temp Manifold Paint on all my cars and it really holds up great.

[27donb]

On 5/27/2017 at 0:47 PM, dibarlaw said:

Hugh:

 Yes it looks to have been a cobble job on yours. 27donb. Yours looks to be of the correct appearance. All is coming together nicely.

This is what they had in my 1925-25, a 1 3/8" bent piece of copper pipe. Photo taken before I bought the car. Photo of an unrestored car but looks to be also made up. Kinks.

 

This one looks very correct with smooth bends.1925-25A

The one in my 1925-45 when we worked on it in March 2013. Molten red rubber hose! all heat tubes were open at this time.

 

 

Larry

 

 

I had forgotten the drastic bend on the Standard Series cars, in comparison to the Master Series.  That might be harder to achieve using my torch and socket method...

[Mark Shaw]

You might try filling it with sand before heating and bending....

[Hubert_25-25]

Mark,

   Exactly what Larry and I were thinking.   I was going to see if I can find 1 1/4" copper pipe end caps.  Get some 1 1/4 EMT, Sweat one end with solder, fill it with sand, sweat the other cap on, and then try to bend it.  I have to do almost a 2" offset, so will likely use sockets on it too.    Hugh 

[Mark Shaw]

I advise against using copper due to it's high coefficient of expansion relative to CI or steel.  Check out the site below:

 

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Tables/thexp.html

 

Edited June 1, 2017 by Mark Shaw (see edit history)

[jps]

I bent my own new tube for my 29 Standard using a section of aluminum tubing,  filling it with wet sand while bending.  I think it worked well enough - there are kinks at each bend but it is no longer seeing as much exhaust air since I also made my own thin steel block-off plate for the manifold.  However, I am still looking for a good packing material for the tube.  I bought some high-temp 1/16" rope but it doesn't stay in very well - would like to find some thin flat material like an electrical grounding strap to use instead.

[Hubert_25-25]

Larry,

     I did find a heat tube on a carburetor in my spares milk crates.  It may be salvageable.  Now I have to decide to fabricate a new one or spend the next month getting the dents out of this one.  Interesting to note that they added a ring of steel to one end.  Not sure what they used as gap filler.  I would think these would be noisy from exhaust leaks.  Now I have to try to get the hand fabricated tube out of the exhaust manifold without breaking anything. 

Hugh

[Terry Wiegand]

Hugh, the collar on each end of the heat tubes is correct for that application.  That is exactly what my '22 had when I had the carburetor rebuilt and the exhaust valve rebuilt on the front of the exhaust manifold.  The purpose of the collar as near as I can figure is to fill the gap between the O.D. of the pipe and the I.D. of the ports that the pipe fits into.  I thought that you guys were going to have Tony Bult make these tubes for you?  He has the tooling to do them.  I talked to him in Milwaukee last month about this.  He told me then that anyone needing these pipes done should get with him.  I found out a long time ago that when you find someone who can do things for you that I would struggle with and end up with a crappy job, I'm all over them like a big old dog on a bone.  A good example of what I am talking about is the muffler for my '16.  I do not have a lathe with a chuck to handle 5.000" OD tubing and the steady rest either.  I helped on the job and cut my costs in half.  You guys see the photos.  I am extremely happy with the way things turned out.

 

Terry Wiegand

Out in Doo Dah

[bradsan]

Hugh

 

I think Bob's sells 'choke stove pipe insulation' for this. Page 33 of their Nov 2014 catalogue.

That is what I bought anyway. As you know , I haven't had a  chance to install it yet!

 

Brad

[JerryVan]

As they say, "Our Team is Hear for You!" ("Hear"?? funny stuff)

 

Anyway, don't know if they'll do a one off, but:  http://www.sharpeproducts.com/custom-pipe-and-tube-bending-rolling-services.aspx

[tigersdad]

It's always great to see that the Buick enthusiasts share information and help everyone else out on this Forum.  In addition to the 32 Buick 8-86 Travelers Coupe, I own another car which shall remain nameless, as that Forum is very "secretive" about sharing information.  Go BUICK!

 

Jay

El Dorado Hills, CA

[dibarlaw]

22 hours ago, Hubert_25-25 said:

Larry,

     I did find a heat tube on a carburetor in my spares milk crates.  It may be salvageable.  Now I have to decide to fabricate a new one or spend the next month getting the dents out of this one.  Interesting to note that they added a ring of steel to one end.  Not sure what they used as gap filler.  I would think these would be noisy from exhaust leaks.  Now I have to try to get the hand fabricated tube out of the exhaust manifold without breaking anything. 

Hugh

Hugh:

 On that carb you sent me to try on my car it still had the collar and what was left of a packing. I thought I put back as I found it.

Larry

[Hubert_25-25]

Larry,

   The carb you had contained a piece of the packing and 1 collar.  I was not sure how they prevented the exhaust gas from leaking on these until I starting taking a few more of these apart this week.  They made 2 wraps of 1/8" packing almost at the end of the pipe, then they used the ring as a packing gland and held it all in place with the square head bolt.  The length of tube needs to be very exact to make this work correctly on both ends.  Then when it all gets hot and a little corrosion, you can never get it apart.  My rings were pretty rusted in place to either the tubing or into the carburetor or exhaust. 

 

Terry and Jerry,   I am going to look into your leads.   Thank you  Hugh