[Sectorsteve]

Hey all. Is there something you can use to temporary fix a cracked exhaust? itll be about a week before new one arrives and i still need to ride.

[Ducati Scotty]

Good auto shops will have both a repair putty and a fiberglass tape the sets with heat.  Both will fail pretty quickly as the stress that created the original crack works at them.  Used together they may hold til your new muffler arrives.

Can you get it to a welder?  For $20 I'm sure someone would put it back together.  Ugly but easy.

Scott

[Sectorsteve]

thanks for that. yeah id like to get it welded, but things aint cheap here. im sure ill pay at least $50

[gashousegorilla]

 Where is it cracked Steve ?  On the pipe or the Muffler ?

[Sectorsteve]

Right where the pipe meets the muffler

[Ducati Scotty]

Putty and tape won't hold for long there.  I'd say its worth asking a few welders. Tell them it doesn't need to be pretty.

Scott

[gashousegorilla]

  Ah....shyte. Bad spot.   I was thinking a handiband or a 360 clamp if it was on the pipe and back away from the seam. But if it's right at the seam, that won't do.   Welp, if you can get it to NJ, I'll weld it up for ya for free... Long ride though.

[REpozer]

Are you replacing the entire system?
  Any of your mates own a welder?
 That would be ideal for your situation,. Don't  have to worry about pretty looking welds.
Wish I lived closer.

[High On Octane]

Use JB Stick!

I have used that stuff on header pipes and engine blocks.  SUPER super durable and is not really affected by heat.  I had a hole in my dirt bike exhaust where the bike went down and a rock smashed a hole in the head pipe.  A little 80 grit sand paper, clean it off with some brake cleaner, get the putty ready, apply and you're good to go.

A little secret for you guys:  When working with welding putties like JB Stick, wear latex gloves and dip the fingers in acetone or brake cleaner to smooth out the finished surface before it hardens.

Scottie

[no bs]

saw some stuff at o'reilly's called tiger tape or something like that. supposed to be very high temp resistant.

[Catbird]

I have absolutely no welding experience, but would something like this work?  If so, $98 seems like a good investment.

[Ducati Scotty]

I've been soooooooo wanting to get a small welder and just have at it and start ruining some perfectly good steel...  I'm limited to one 120V, 20A outlet in my garage but it seems that still gives me a few options.

Scott

[High On Octane]

Cheap welders work OK for a short period of time, but every Harbor Freight welder I've seen has had a short lived life.  If you want to buy a welder, you can get a small Lincoln welder for around $300 that will be 10 times the welder the Chicago Electric one could ever TRY to be.  Something like a welder you're better off spending the extra money.  Trust me on this one.  A cheap welder welder will just make a frustrating mess.

I've used this welder with great success and you can buy it at Lowes and Home Depot.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_368934-1703-K2278-1_0__?productId=3499872&Ntt=welder&Ns=p_product_price|0

Scottie

[gashousegorilla]

Cheap welders work OK for a short period of time, but every Harbor Freight welder I've seen has had a short lived life.  If you want to buy a welder, you can get a small Lincoln welder for around $300 that will be 10 times the welder the Chicago Electric one could ever TRY to be.  Something like a welder you're better off spending the extra money.  Trust me on this one.  A cheap welder welder will just make a frustrating mess.

I've used this welder with great success and you can buy it at Lowes and Home Depot.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_368934-1703-K2278-1_0__?productId=3499872&Ntt=welder&Ns=p_product_price|0

Scottie

   +1   Lincoln Electric makes some very Capable 120v welders... some weld up to 1/2 plate.  And have the option to use inert gas, MIG, instead of just the splatter wire. But the flux core wire is good enough for most stuff. They make an anti splatter compound you can dip the tip of the gun into and it cuts down on the splatter.... it works.   You'll find more uses for it then you think.  Just practice on an old shovel blade or a couple of black pipe nipple's. Not hard at all....

[High On Octane]

   +1   Lincoln Electric makes some very Capable 120v welders... some weld up to 1/2 plate.  And have the option to use inert gas, MIG, instead of just the splatter wire. But the flux core wire is good enough for most stuff. They make an anti splatter compound you can dip the tip of the gun into and it cuts down on the splatter.... it works.   You'll find more uses for it then you think.  Just practice on an old shovel blade or a couple of black pipe nipple's. Not hard at all....

Also, you can go to any body shop in your area and just tell them you need some scrap sheet metal to practice on and I'm sure they'll have a few fenders or something laying around.  That way you can tear up scrap metal practicing as opposed to tearing up your exhaust.  If you plan on going this route and need some pointers on how to weld properly, send me a PM.  I've been welding and doing custom fab work for about 7 years.  Actually, I started welding way before that, but I got pretty damn good about 7 years ago.   

Scottie

EDIT:
All this talk about welding got me to looking at old pics.  Here's me welding some patch panels on a door skin.  I can't remember what car I'm working on though.      I want to say it was  the '71 Super Beetle I restored a few years back.  Nope, it was the '81 Volvo 240.