With the F-1 project winding down nicely, it's come time to sort out all the little things prior to rolling her into the booth for the paint and bodywork to begin. Among those little things were the front nerf bars I did a few months back, as well as the A/C install last month, and the rear bumper story in this issue. I've got a few more styling cues and tricks up my sleeve before it's time to start squirting color but I'll leave those to a future issue.
As I've said before, the theme for this truck was late '50s custom, similar to the old shop trucks often found out front of muffler and body shops back in the day. That said, this story fits right into my theme, as the addition of custom exhaust was extremely common back then and for pickup trucks the ultimate custom exhaust treatment was to fit a pair of bed side pipes. Whether functional or fashionable, they can definitely add a bit of flair to an otherwise lackluster backside.
For the F-1 though, the bed side pipes are going to be 100 percent functional with the exhaust exiting the headers, passing through the short mufflers and hooking a right, over the framerail and out the side of the sheetmetal. From there it will travel up and over, down the bedside, and out the back. Running the exhaust like this not only increases the ground clearance as it alleviates anything hanging down under the chassis, but it also negates having to run the exhaust out and over the rearend, dodging springs, shocks, and in some cases, a battery and gas tank. The straight shot down the side of the bed is all that's required once the two bends are mated.
Like the rear bumper and front nerf bars, I'm using 304 stainless steel to fabricate the bed side pipes for the same reason I used it on the aforementioned. Once finished, it'll be a simple job for the polishing shop to get 'em nice and shiny and it'll be easy to keep 'em looking that way. A little elbow grease and a dab of polishing compound is all it will take to bring back the shine if they ever start to go dull, something you can't really do once a chrome finish goes south.
Fabricating the pieces for the pipes was fairly simple since I started with the required bends and tubing from Classic Tube. From there it was a simple matter of taking a few measurements and TIG welding the sections together. Two welds on each side, then it was a matter of welding on the attachment studs and I was off and running. Within the afternoon, I had both sides done and installed, not bad for a day's work.
Of course, this is only half of the exhaust install, as I've yet to install the collectors, mufflers, and turnouts to connect everything up. Once the truck starts getting disassembled for paint, I'll go back and finish up under the cab so I don't have to do it lying under the truck. Keep your eyes peeled for that story in an upcoming issue. Until then, read on to see how I built a set of '50s-style bed side pipes.
I'll be using 15/8-inch 304...
I'll be using 15/8-inch 304 stainless steel exhaust tubing from Classic Tube. Two 8-foot sections of straight tubing were ordered up...
...along with six 90-degree...
...along with six 90-degree bends with a 21/2-inch radius. The legs are 4-inch and 12-inch.
The first step is to inspect...
The first step is to inspect the tubing for any minor imperfections and adjust accordingly. Out of all the tubing, I found one small ding and a few minor nicks. Since the pipes are going to be polished once finished, any dings will stick out like a sore thumb and need to be remedied or installed in such a way as to hide the imperfection. For this section of bend, it will be used in such a way as to face the side of the truck, out of view.
I'm going to build the front...
I'm going to build the front section of the pipe first, starting at the bottom. I decided to run the pipes up the back of the cab, between it and the bed stake pocket to cover that little bit of dead space that exists there. I marked the hole to be cut in the running board which will allow the exhaust to exit from under the chassis and up and across the bedside before opening it up with a 2-inch hole saw. That will give me a 3/16-inch gap between the pipe and the running board; perfect for a thin grommet.
The next step is to determine...
The next step is to determine how long the vertical sections need to be. A few careful measurements were made with quite a bit of eyeball estimation as well to get the number: 271/2 inches.
With the magical number figured...
With the magical number figured out, it's time to start trimming the long ends of the 90-degree bends. Graham Tool sells this large tubing cutter which is capable of cutting tubing from 3/8- to 25/8-inch. Using a tubing cutter instead of a hacksaw or chop saw ensures that the ends are perfectly flat, an important feature when it comes time to butt-weld the tubing sections together.
Deburring the tubing after...
Deburring the tubing after cutting is also important...
...as is dressing the ends...
...as is dressing the ends with a Scotch-Brite pad or emery cloth.
Now comes the tricky part....
Now comes the tricky part. Unless you have a jig for welding tubing, it's a bit touch-and-go when it comes to welding two bent sections of tubing in the correct "phasing." For this instance, I simply set the tubing on the ground and used a heavy piece of square tubing as a backup.
Using a level, I adjusted...
Using a level, I adjusted the vertical section until it was plumb, checked that the flat piece was plumb in the opposite plane, and marked both pieces at the seam.
Once marked, they are slipped...
Once marked, they are slipped into a piece of angle iron and clamped in place. By making two or more markings across the seam, it reduces the possibility of "clocking" either of the tubes incorrectly. Using a piece of angle iron as a jig surface ensures that the two pieces of tubing line up correctly around the entire circumference
so that they can be butt-welded efficiently.
With the vertical section...
With the vertical section tacked together, the long, 8-foot straight section can then be tacked onto the assembly using the same makeshift jig.
Now that I've got one complete...
Now that I've got one complete side tacked together, it's time to mock the side pipe up against the bed to check for fitment and to mark where the mounting hardware will be installed.
Wanting to keep the pipes...
Wanting to keep the pipes nice and tight against the bed, I used 2x2x1/4-inch angle iron to act as locating spacers while the pipes were clamped in place.
At this point, it's important...
At this point, it's important to ensure that the bottom of the pipe is centered in the hole before moving on...
...as well as being parallel...
...as well as being parallel to the stake pocket and evenly spaced between it and the cab.
Everything checks out so I...
Everything checks out so I marked and drilled holes in the stake pockets and marked the pipes for the mounting hardware. A stainless 5/16x2-inch low-profile socket cap bolt is TIG welded to the pipe to act as a mounting stud, fore and aft. The 1/4-inch head will act as a natural spacer between the pipe and the stake pocket.
Now the pipe can be bolted...
Now the pipe can be bolted up for the first time. Note how long it is still, due to the fact that the long section of tubing is 8-feet long.
Trimming the excess tubing...
Trimming the excess tubing is absolutely the last thing to be done as you don't want to take too much off.
Here's a shot of the stainless...
Here's a shot of the stainless stud that was welded to the pipe and attaches to each stake pocket.
I opted to leave the ends...
I opted to leave the ends 1/2-inch longer than the end of the bedrails so as to break up the backside a little bit. Plus, if I decide to trim them later, it leaves me the option.
The finished product looks...
The finished product looks pretty good and continues on with the '50s custom truck vibe. Can't wait to see everything once the truck's been painted and the pipes polished!
Harvey and Gay Lynn Bagshaw's...
Harvey and Gay Lynn Bagshaw's '55 Chevy and Andy and Patty Heintzelman's '55 Ford both sport a varying style of bed side pipes.