Squish Pipe

[cscott]

anyone know who makes a decent s pipe ...bought one from v-twin ..junk...bought a couple others also junk that didnt fit...saw one nos on ebay the other day sell for over $200..... does anyone make a good one that fits???????? looking for the one with rivets top and bottom,bought one with fake rivets on the top only...this didnt fit either...

[rbenash]

anyone know who makes a decent s pipe ...bought one from v-twin ..junk...bought a couple others also junk that didnt fit...saw one nos on ebay the other day sell for over $200..... does anyone make a good one that fits???????? looking for the one with rivets top and bottom,bought one with fake rivets on the top only...this didnt fit either...

Haven't found any. Looked around for a few years myself, talked to others. Basically came to the conclusion that the $200+ I spent for a NOS HD unit was worth skipping the aggravation. Also the one I was looking for though was the single piece S and exhaust pipe used on 65 thru 67 pans, so was harder to find.

[portagepan]

I got one of those too. It seems like the short ones are a dime a dozen. I don't know why they would be hard to find. I will check if I have one.
Mike

[INLINE4NUT]

portage,check the swapmeets you may find a good used that could be rechromed ???? Just an idea.

[portagepan]

I walked right out in the garage and found it. Is it original? I'm not sure. I think it is. It doesn't look like far east chrome, and has 4 slots for clamping on the one end. Both ends are enlarged to fit over another pipe. The two seams are welded all the way. I don't know how you clamp it on the one end, with no slots. Maybe someone else knows more and can say on that. 20 bucks plus shipping and you can have it. It is slightly used, but not burnt up at all,or rusted.
Mike

[Lonnie]

I've had reproduction exhausts from V-Twin and Corso and they appear to be one and the same. You can resign yourself to having to make all the pipes fit. Re the squish pipe, we've had to add onto the bell end and/or take the pipe to a muffler shop and have the bell lengthened. The fake-rivet attachment bracket must be cut loose and relocated. You can also anticipate cutting both the front and rear pipe into pieces and extend them or re-orient the bends to make them fit with proper clearance around the generator on the front pipe and to properly align the rear pipe into the S-pipe.

Nothing about a restoration is easy but the exhaust will have you talking to yourself.

Lonnie C from SC

[Lonnie]

At end of the first paragrapy, I stated S-pipe but meant Y-pipe.

[Ohio-Rider]

I’m just curious, if you guys that are having a problem fitting the V-twin 4 piece exhaust have stock frames or after market? -Steve

[Lonnie]

Note that the work I am referencing is not done by me but by a friend who has done many Senior-level bikes and has completed four for me.

In my comments I was referencing original frames and anticipate the same issues with the reproduction frame I am using on this next bobber project. It is not a case of the frames being mis-made (is that a word?), but of the pipes being mis-made. Speaking in regard to knuckles only - On the front pipe, the factory H-D pipes appear to have not only the curve around the gen. and under the engine but also a "kick" to one side and repro pipes are modified accordingly including extensions if required. The rear pipe with its two bends has issues with those two bends and getting the pipe aligned. Typically that pipe ends up in three pieces to get the alignment and will have a short section added for a bit of extra length, so that it will fit properly into the Y-pipe where things are a bit congested. Also note that there are repro rear pipes that have such tight bends that factory flex chrome covers will not slide up. The squish or S-pipe will be modified as required including extra length and (sometimes) a modification to the bell. On the Y-pipe the bracket fortunately has fake rivets so the weld on the back side gets cut off and the whole bracket relocated to get the correct fit. Never seen an issue with the repro mufflers - they are great!

As you would expect, this modification is to the black exhausts which are bead blasted prior to the work beginning. Even with a genius at the MIG welder and grinder (that would NOT be me), the welds as completed will show. I suppose for chrome pipes that extra attention and polishing of the weld would make everything presentable for the chrome but since original bikes would have painted exhaust a nicely ground weld will not typically show.

This work is done with the motor and trans secured in position (of course) along with any other parts that could interfere including floorboard brackets etc. After all this work the completed exhaust should be able to be removed and reinstalled WITHOUT having to loosen and raise the motor or any of that other nonsense.

We should also be aware that without automated equipment capable of the exact replication of the exhaust components, with each like part being an exact duplicate of its brethren, ending up with a system that requires no modification would be almost impossible at a price any of us could afford. That type of machinery is very expensive - this could be recouped over a very large run but in our limited market would be very hard to come out on top financially. Also note that with what many of these old frames have been through, oft times the engine and trans are not always where they need to be which is yet another variable in the equation.

Lonnie C from SC