I have found that when working with stainless pipes that need to be taken apart, if you heat them like you would regular steel they lock up tight and can't be taken apart without splitting them. Well, today I was faced with that problem, I could twist the connection but could not slide it apart. So rather than heat it and only make it tighter, I froze it instead with an ice cold shot of refrigerant. After doing that and twisting while pulling, they came apart like magic! I know, the EPA would not be as happy as I was , but this trick really worked. :grin:
Here's the deal, stainless is made by adding nickel to steel. Nickel has a relative low melting point as compared to steel plus it is soft. When you heat stainless the nickel melts and welds the two pieces together. If you use stainless exhaust studs use brass nuts so they won't stick. Regular steel bolts/ nuts will stick to stainless when heated too. J.T.
I never knew that........I knew something was up when heating up the first one siezed it together pretty good. ou:
Hey Joe, I've been watching you're issues with all this stainless exhaust.... I really hope you get some resolution. That's a beautiful ride that deserves some special care. Thanks for all the tips on working w/SS. -- Larry '70 Electra Convertible
If I ever get my other two flow masters for the rear maybe then I can get this thing done...........they screwed up over at NAPA and forgot to order them and now it's going to take an extra week. :af: I won't send the crappy ones back until I'm sure the replacements are going to fit. I will say this, that thing sure sounds nasty without resonators just using flowmasters up front. I will keep you guys posted. :bglasses:
