Thread: Oh no not another Willys Gasser build, this time a Willys shop truck

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Originally Posted by roadster32

Yes Roger, must of made that about 40 years ago to make SBF headers.

That's a neat tool. A header guy shared with me to "...squeeze the round tube in the vice to the width desired, then "whang" the top with a hammer, squaring it off. Flip it over and "whang" it again to square off the other side. then selectively massage it to fit. I like your tapered tool better. It looks to be only nominal 1/8" (3mm) flat stock welded?

Originally Posted by rspears

That's a neat tool. A header guy shared with me to "...squeeze the round tube in the vice to the width desired, then "whang" the top with a hammer, squaring it off. Flip it over and "whang" it again to square off the other side. then selectively massage it to fit. I like your tapered tool better. It looks to be only nominal 1/8" (3mm) flat stock welded?

I like his tool better too. I've had to do some 4" round to square pieces when making turbo piping and I wish I would have made a tool ike this and then affixed it to my press. Great work as usual sir!

Originally Posted by rspears

That's a neat tool. A header guy shared with me to "...squeeze the round tube in the vice to the width desired, then "whang" the top with a hammer, squaring it off. Flip it over and "whang" it again to square off the other side. then selectively massage it to fit. I like your tapered tool better. It looks to be only nominal 1/8" (3mm) flat stock welded?

Its actually 4mm plate Roger.

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Originally Posted by rspears

That's a neat tool. A header guy shared with me to "...squeeze the round tube in the vice to the width desired, then "whang" the top with a hammer, squaring it off. Flip it over and "whang" it again to square off the other side. then selectively massage it to fit. I like your tapered tool better. It looks to be only nominal 1/8" (3mm) flat stock welded?

Roger I can't honestly see where doing that way you would ever get a nice corner and keep the 4 sides nice and flat

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Originally Posted by roadster32

Roger I can't honestly see where doing that way you would ever get a nice corner and keep the 4 sides nice and flat

Your absolutely right. I had to make a 1/4" plate anvil the width of the tube ID, with rounded corners, that I clamped into the vice. On my header flanges the perimeter of the port is equal to the OD circumference of the 1.75" primary tubes, so that when formed the tubes slide into the flange. Not sure if yours are that way or not. With the SBF ports being taller than they are wide the tool you made would be a bit more "interesting" to form.

I use trailer hitch balls shaped/sized to tube od/thickness/flange port size/shape and drive into the end of tube-----


takes some grinding to get the shape right, but with the sizes available to start with, it works pretty good-and they have a 3/4 inch handle to hammer on--

The smithys used to say: "If you hammer cold steel, the devil will get you"

Just old trivia.

Originally Posted by rspears

Your absolutely right. I had to make a 1/4" plate anvil the width of the tube ID, with rounded corners, that I clamped into the vice. On my header flanges the perimeter of the port is equal to the OD circumference of the 1.75" primary tubes, so that when formed the tubes slide into the flange. Not sure if yours are that way or not. With the SBF ports being taller than they are wide the tool you made would be a bit more "interesting" to form.

This little tool was originally made for SBF headers, just use the first few inches of it.

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Frustrating day today, saturday is the only whole day I get each week to work on this and its been raining all day, the vega steering mount will have to wait for another week Not much to do on the headers either as waiting for more bends, I hate waiting for stuff to arrive

Anyway I did find something to make I needed to spin some blank off plates for the ends of the collectors, only had 1/4" stainless plate so marked out the round end caps and plasma cut them to rough shape and finished in the lathe. Also made some gaskets.









I had intended to just use nuts to hold the caps in place but as I had a little time spare I decided to make some stainless tri bar wing nuts instead, gave them a quick polish. I couldn't be bothered to polish out the welds, may do it later.









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Originally Posted by roadster32

This little tool was originally made for SBF headers, just use the first few inches of it.

Steve, if the tool is square how did you deal with the rectangular ports on SBF headers? Wingnuts look killer, BTW!

Originally Posted by rspears

Steve, if the tool is square how did you deal with the rectangular ports on SBF headers? Wingnuts look killer, BTW!

When you do the long side you just move it side to side.

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Originally Posted by roadster32

When you do the long side you just move it side to side.

OK, (DUH!!) that makes perfect sense, and now I feel a perfect dunce! Thanks.

Originally Posted by rspears

ok, (duh!!) that makes perfect sense, and now i feel a perfect dunce! Thanks.

:lol::lol::lol:

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Those wingnuts and plates bring back memories of the mid era of the previous century when I used worn out grease guns to make my cutouts and welded the cross piece of the plunger rod to the cap for a removal ease----where else in those days could a farm boy find a nice piece of thin wall steel tubing with a threaded end for making a lakes pipe????????

Well 2 dry days in a row is pretty amazing at the moment !!! Still waiting for exhaust bends to arrive from Italy but I did trial fit a header to get an idea of the look, nothing super tricky but I absolutely love the way they look







Also I was in need of a fuel pump blank off plate so milled one up from some aluminium plate, also gave it a little polish.







Another job I wanted to get done was to mount the Vega steering box, no mount available to buy so made one in 3/8" plate steel, Also knocked up the draglink in 1" CDS tube. I need to make a new pitman arm with a crank in it, will do that over the next few days.











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