We need too bend S/S tubing for plumbing engines.

Tubing sizes include 1 1/4" OD. What IS the best method for shaping those turns ?

Also , any suggestions for sources of availability would be appreciated.....Thanks

a hydraulic three wheel bender will work great. a good exhaust shop may have one if not they may have a mandrel bender. the only other place i can think of would be an iron shop like a railing place or so.

good luck

Let us know what you find, I would like to bend smaller (5/8ths) tube myself.

What are you bending the big stuff for?

Fill it with packed sand before you bend it.

We just finished the water lines on two engines. We ran 1" OD SS tubing lines from the stb and port bellhousing coolers into the crossover. We also ran lines from the thermo housing to the CMI headers. If you are going to run a tight radius like 4", you will have to buy prefab bends (90's, etc.) and weld or use a heavy wall .080+ pipe in the bender; the .045-.065 wall tubes just kinked in a pipe bender on a 4" radius.
Keith Eickert sold a SS tubing kit (welded) at one time for about $500 an engine. These kits for $500 were a deal, as figuring out the first set is complex. It took a lot of work to get the pipes perfect. Some tubes took as many as 5-6 bends to get it perfectly square/level. Many fab or auto race shops will have the bender, but they will need to have the dies that fit your pipe diameter.
If you are going to use a bender, I suggest you have the engine where the bender is located. We made 10-15 trips back and forth to get it right. I connected my water lines to chrome plated brass hose fittings with 3" X 1" ID silicone hose and used the Oetiker thin stepless ear clamps to finish...looks trick.

1) - 20 -- Blower manifold to the header distribution tube......-6 steam pocket lines are tied into the back of the distribution tubes and then both distribution tubes are connected together VIA SS pipe. There is a T in that equalizer pipe that supplies a gate valve and a -10 overboard dump line...The gate valve is for final adjustment of engine water pressure and header water pressure. ( Water pressure is also regulated at the sea strainer and also after the oil coolers .)

2) 1 1/4" water pickup tube expands to 1 1/2 " to sea strainer, 1 1/2" to dual stage water pump. Two 1 1/4" outlets on water pump to 2" inlet on oil cooler, two 1 1/4" out of cooler to each side of Eickert water crossover.

Note : the heads , head gaskets and blower manifold have been relieved to flow maximum volume at controlled pressure and temperature.

The dry sump oil temperature is thermostat controlled. The engine oil cooler is a 48,000 BTU heat rejection cooler.

Benperfected ,do you have any pictures of the project ?

Are the smaller diameter tubes easier to bend without kinking?

I think I have a few pictures I can post on Monday. The silicone hose connectors will streach/connect 1 1/4" tube to 1 1/2" fitting. It makes a nice smooth transition, we did it from 1" to 1 1/4". Welding in a small diameter tee in the larger SS tube would be easy.

I don't know which diameter is most user friendly . We are just getting started with tubing .