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How to Weld Exhaust Pipe Tubing

Installing a custom exhaust can increase horsepower to your vehicle, and give your ride a quality sound that can really change your feelings about the car. This is something that can be done at home on your own, but it does involve some special skills and tools to get the job done correctly. In this case, the project is welding a muffler onto an exhaust on a 1999 Honda Civic to demonstrate proper exhaust welding techniques, but the process is the same for welding the rest of the exhaust, as well.

Instructions

1

Lift up the vehicle using the jack, and place it on jack stands. Make sure the vehicle is secure before you crawl underneath it.

2

Cut off the factory muffler using the reciprocating saw, just behind the factory muffler. This is a rough cut, so dont worry about how accurate it is; just make the cut as close to the muffler as possible, so that you have room to work with later.

3

Remove the factory muffler from the exhaust hanger using the 24-inch pry bar. Place the muffler to the side.

4

Mount the new muffler with the vehicle-specific exhaust hanger onto the exhaust using the hanger on the muffler. The rear section wont be hooked up, so it will hang off to the back.

5

Pick up the muffler and hold the entry point to the muffler to the cut end on the exhaust tubing. Mark the exhaust tubing with the permanent marker where the muffler will connect. You want it to be as accurate as possible; that way, you can get a nice,flush fit.

6

Cut the exhaust, using the reciprocating saw, along the permanent marker line. Then hold up the muffler to check fit. If the exhaust doesnt line up, then cut off more exhaust tubing until it does.

7

Put on the welding gloves. Hold up the muffler with one hand, positioning the entry point to the muffler next to the exhaust tubing, as close as possible. Then place a small tack weld on the side of the tubing, welding the two pieces together. Do the same on the opposite side of the exhaust, so that its held in place. A tack weld is a short weld, typically less than one second in duration, meant to hold two pieces together before its finish-welded, just in case you need to break the welds apart.

8

Set the MIG welder to weld thin sheet metal, at a low voltage and speed. This will ensure that you dont blow through the steel as youre welding. Put the welding helmet on and weld the seam together, using slow movements around the tubing. You want to keep the welder steady and at the same length from the tubing at all points, and make sure the weld goes all the way around the tubing.

9

Start the vehicle and listen for exhaust leaks. If you hear any, weld up the hole using the welder. Otherwise, lift the vehicle off of the jack stands using the jack and place it on the ground.