Affordable (read: cheap) bead rollers?
 

I'm broke, have no fab skills, and need a bead roller to roll some 2.5" intercooler piping.

What do/buy?

I keep seeing mention of a $99 HF bead roller on the internets, but then all i can find on their site is a $200 unit. Eastwood has their Economy model for $145 to my door that i will buy if i absolutely have to, but i'd prefer to go cheaper if there's something out there i'm missing.

Lay it on me, teach me.

bro, do you even diy?

https://www.google.com/search?q=diy%...BOf-2QXws4GYCA

http://www.theturboforums.com/thread...-for-only-7-83

edit: damn, beat to the punch

They all require welding things, and as said in the first post, i'm broke, and have no fab skills. (nor a welder.)

If Nuge would ever buy his damn welder, i'd attempt the vice grip "roller" idea. :P

No fab skills, you gotta buy ready made stuff. Or, learn to fab things.

Welding is not necessary, you can drill and tap the Vice grips for the roller.

you're broke and don't have fab skills?

go back to your corner and play with your anal beads then

Right.

Which brings me back to my original post: Is there a "ready made" roller cheaper than $145 still? Or was the old Harbor Freight $99 unit that went the way of the Dodo it?


By "broke" i mean i'd prefer to spend $100 or less and/or don't need a $2000 pimpy shit unit.

Are you good at starting a lawnmower?

:laugh:

Buy a exhaust clamp and vice grips online and have it shipped to a willing welder here on the board, I'm sure they'll donate a washer and a few minutes of their time for a $20.

Would we trust the somewhat-not-so-pretty-beads made by that tool to hold 30psi+?


If so, then who here wants to do a quick weld job? :)

I'll do it for free, but there is a one-time service charge of $1500 so I can buy a welder.

Totally making a bead roller now.

Thanks for this.

:giggle:

Make me one as well.

Cash up front?

Sure, email me @ celicahalftrac at geemalez dot cum and we'll work it out.

I've had my eye out for a decent tubing bead roller for awhile. Good ones are frustratingly expensive. I've been making do with the vice grip types.

Jegs recently added one to their tool section. Looks similar to the $500 units, but lists for $130. I'm going to try it out.

Link: JEGS Performance Products 80083 JEGS Tubing Beader

Looks cool. :)

Here's the Eastwood one for comparison: Economy Bead Roller Kit- with Mandrels - Bead Mandrels - Bead Roller Mount

My hesitation with the Eastwood Bead Roller is that it's designed to put beads and flanges into flat sheet metal. I'm not sure how well it will work on tubing. The link I posted is specifically designed for tubing of various diameters.

Ohhhhh!!!!! Ok, that makes sense then.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1379541828

+

decent solicon couplers

+

T-Bolt clamps tightened like a man

OR

Muffler clamps + flat stock and a drill to make weld free lock bars.

The thing is... my shit has held over 20psi thus far, but i'm thinking a lot of that is because it's been together for so long with t-bolts tightened like a man that it's all become one piece.

Unfortunately, it's all gotta come back apart for the first time in well over a year and it's one of those "while i'm in there" kind of deals.

I'm thinking i got lucky holding 20-24psi without beads. Not sure if i want to push my luck at higher boost.

I was blowing off couplers at 10psi until i tried the "hairspray" trick.

That worked long enough to get a solid tune on the car, and a better coupler in the mail.

Really, i need to get off my ass and get a TIG welder and learn to do it.

Because...


Dem failure points. I have them.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1379542252

flare the ends with a hammer and a big metal cone if you're that cheap

Hrmmm... i can work with this. Slide couplers over pipe first, then flare. :bowrofl:

The google diy solution works but its ugly as hell and takes ages, it will be cheapest to just get a few dots welded on for the clamps to bite into.

Hairspray also works.

Dann

On my volvo I just used vice grips to bend the edges of the pipes out. Never had a pipe pop off at 25 psi and to top it off I just used cheap worm clamps.

The Eastwood and Harbor Freight units are from the same Chinese prison. To function, they need to be reinforced so the two sides don't 'scissor' when you put tension on them. They work somewhat for larger tubes but I don't remember a die smaller than about 1.5". I made one of the vise grip/clamp units and it worked ok but all the squeezing kicked my Popeye-forearm ass.

The Jegs unit looks like the way to go. The design is better and it is able to do 5/8" and up which will handle the smallest tube. This is the one you want for intake fabrication.

Cool thank you. :) My birthday is soon, i will see if i can convince my wife to buy it for me.

oo that Jegs one does look good. looks like a vey nicely done copy of the Beadform #3 for 1/4 the price. I have gon to a friends shop in the past that had one of the nice Bead form ones Kramer Metal Fab, Inc. - Bead Form but for $130 it would pay to have my own.

Vibrant performance also sells one like this but it is about $275 street price.

Here's the one I made. How long would you need it for? The pics arn't the best, but you get the idea.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1379663600

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1379663600

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1379663600

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1379663600

How long would i need it for?

I need to do two cars by the middle of November, both pushing decent amounts of boost. The lower number/more conservative car is going to be in the 20-25psi range. The other in the 30psi maybe more range if i can keep the head on the block. (Car in signature)

Then i'll need to do at least one more for myself when i get into building the 93 Miata for ALLOFIT boost amounts. (Because 30psi isn't ALLOFIT)

I'm buttering up the wife pretty good (kinky!) in hopes i can squeeze the Jegs setup out of her.

Did you happen to order this? Id like to hear what you think about it. I'm in the market for one as well.