Will aluminized steel exhaust pipe weld up ok with Oxy-Acetylene?
I bought pieces without expanded ends and will have to butt weld them. I looked for a cheap expander from Harbor Freight but they don’t sell anything large enough for 4” pipe.
I’m fine with welding but do I need any special filler rod or will the plain Jane mild steel be ok?

 

I would not recommend using the Oxy-Acet for welding aluminum. I highly doubt they make a flux that will do it. You might be able to gum something up though. Try to get your hands on a TIG or a MIG.

 

You should be just fine welding aluminized STEEL with regular rods. If anything you may want to grind/sand off the coating at the joint.

 

Yes it will be fine. The extra heat from gas welding will burn more of the aluminum coating off so you will lose more rust protect but some high temp paint will help with that. Another option you have is band clamps. They make then in stainless and I think standard. I always use the stainless but they are like $10 a piece.

 

I totally missed the aluminized steel part of his post. I was thinking he was talking about straight up aluminum. My bad.

 

Ya, you'll be fine. angle your torch to heat a little extra ahead of you, and have the flame a little to the oxygenized side of neutral. those will both make the coating not affect the weld.

 

Thanks guys,
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Farm69, I knew exactly what you were thinking when I read it. Back in my college days a vendor came to the shop to demonstrate an acetylene torch (no oxygen) that would weld aluminum ok but wire feed was starting to catch on and performed better than anything he could do with his torch.
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The stainless bands look like the ticket for the down pipe and muffler. I’ll weld everything back from there.
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Does anybody sell pre-bent hanger rods or do you bend your own?