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HELP I can't find any 4" tubing for my De Dion?
F1 Mini - 19/10/04 at 11:02 AM

The only places that can supply 4" diameter 2-3mm wall thickness tubing will only sell me there minium lenghts of 6M. That's alot of extra seeing as I only want 500mm. No where else I know of stocks it.

PLEASE HELP.........I've been tring for 6 Weeks now and it's doing my head in....


phelpsa - 19/10/04 at 11:04 AM

You could ask a supplier (ie gts tuning) if they have any they are not using.
Adam


David Jenkins - 19/10/04 at 11:21 AM

I don't know if this company has a depot near you...

Metal Supermarkets

They're not cheap, but they will sell exactly the quantity you want.

good hunting,

David


DaveFJ - 19/10/04 at 11:50 AM

The man on the front page of the Metal Supermarkets site seems a little .... happy ?

and I'm sure I have seen one of those for sale in Anne Summers ?


David Jenkins - 19/10/04 at 12:18 PM


Mark Allanson - 19/10/04 at 06:04 PM

quote:
Originally posted by F1 Mini
The only places that can supply 4" diameter 2-3mm wall thickness tubing will only sell me there minium lenghts of 6M. That's alot of extra seeing as I only want 500mm. No where else I know of stocks it.

PLEASE HELP.........I've been tring for 6 Weeks now and it's doing my head in....



How much BHP are you using? The tubes in a live axle are about 60mm 1.6mm wall thickness, I thought that would be fine for your tube. 4" 3mm tube would probably handle 395629546BHP!!


blueshift - 19/10/04 at 10:17 PM

I think he means for the hub carriers mark

500mm would be a pretty narrow track..


Peteff - 20/10/04 at 12:06 AM

sounds a lot for hub carriers. 200mm would do it easy. Why not bend a piece of plate round a former? If you can deal with a lesser gauge try exhaust tubing.


swood - 20/10/04 at 03:53 PM

Don't know exactly what you need it for, but I have had a rummage around our odds & sods rack at work, the only 4" we have is 16 gauge which converts to 101.6 o/d x 1.6256 wall thickness, could furnish you with 500mm for slush fund donation + postage


Mark Allanson - 20/10/04 at 05:48 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blueshift
I think he means for the hub carriers mark

500mm would be a pretty narrow track..



Penny dropped.


If your local technical college does welding, most use pipe to practice on, you have to weld at every angle and continuously vary the technique as you move up the pipe - they will have TONS of small lengths left over. grind all the beginners chicken poo off, and away you go


Hugh Jarce - 21/10/04 at 03:50 AM

If you need roughly '4" diameter 2-3mm wall thickness' (nice mix of nomenclature by the way!), you'll need more than just a bit of '101.6 o/d x 1.6256 wall' exhaust tube (no offence intended at all swood - kind offer).
What you should be able to find quite easily at any steel yard is DN 90mm pipe in either "medium" wall thicknesses (4mm) or even "heavy" (5mm).
In some areas it's still called by its old name - NB (Nominal Bore) pipe, or even just "black pipe".
DN 90mm is coincidently also 101.6mm OD.
The next size up is DN 100mm which is 114.3mm OD with 4.5mm and 5.4mm wall thicknesses.
Let us know your intentions (not trying to steal your designs) and we should be able to advise on the best method/materials to tackle your job, as your sort of "out there" with a Mini conversion.


Animal@valvers - 21/10/04 at 12:36 PM

I went through exactly the same. ArenaStock would only sell me 6m of the stuff @ £90!

I ended up rolling my own out of 3mm steel on a friends english rollers.

Are you going to 4" because you're using the 7 1/2" rear diff and shafts?


JB - 24/10/04 at 10:36 AM

Go to your local propshaft company. If they do truck shafts they should have large diameter tube in stock.

Dunning and Fairbank in Leeds will sell you some, probably mail order too.

JB


F1 Mini - 26/10/04 at 08:58 AM

Thanks alot lads for the advice etc, but I had a stroke of luck !!!!

I spoke to Martin at MK, and he sold me a Meter of the 100mm dia 2mm thick tube I needed. Nice bloke by the way, very helpful.

So now have both tubes just need to make the brackets that weld them all together now.

Thanks again..

PS Metal Supermarket in Coventry haven't stocked that size for over a year, and only in 3mm. But I do get most of my other Steel from them..