Building hairpins

'''How to build hairpins'''. I use 7/8 DOM steel tubing for hairpins and steering components.  If you have high horsepower and big tires you should probably use 1 " DOM for the rear.  Use a piece of cardboard to mock up the design and shape.  Make sure rear hairpins will not hit the body during suspension movements. I use my Harbor freight pipe bender to make the bends. You need extra length tubing to fit in the bender to get the bend in the right place.  Since I don't have a big lathe  I cut the pieces one inch longer than the finished size For the threaded ends. I use a large slow right angle electricians drill and start with the smallest bit that will just remove metal Use plenty of tapping or thread cutting lubricant. I keep changing bits to remove a little at a time until I get to the size required for the tap. In most of mine I use 5/8 threadesd clevis or heim joints. I next drill that extra 1 inch with a 5/8 bit just that extra one inch. Now I use the tap and that extra 1 inch bore aligns the tap and you can make good straight threads. Sometimes you have to back the tap out after a few turns to clean out the chips, when you have tapped as deep as you can cut off that extra one inch, re drill with the correct size for the tap then tap the extended length.  If you have trouble holding the tubing in a vise you can weld a piece of scrap metal to that extra inch,  just have to be careful the tubing doesn't slip when you are doing the final drill and tap process. I lay out the pieces on my cardboard patern and figure where the intersection points will be and set up the tubing notcher and use a holesaw and plent of oil to make the cut. I bolt the notcher to a steel top table and use scrap pieces of angle iron  or clamps to hold the pieces to make the cuts. prep the areas to be welded.  Tig welding works best.

'''How to build hairpins'''. I use 7/8 DOM steel tubing for hairpins and steering components.  If you have high horsepower and big tires you should probably use 1 " DOM for the rear.  Use a piece of cardboard to mock up the design and shape.  Make sure rear hairpins will not hit the body during suspension movements. I use my Harbor freight pipe bender to make the bends. You need extra length tubing to fit in the bender to get the bend in the right place.  Since I don't have a big lathe  I cut the pieces one inch longer than the finished size For the threaded ends. I use a large slow right angle electricians drill and start with the smallest bit that will just remove metal Use plenty of tapping or thread cutting lubricant. I keep changing bits to remove a little at a time until I get to the size required for the tap. In most of mine I use 5/8 threadesd clevis or heim joints. I next drill that extra 1 inch with a 5/8 bit just that extra one inch. Now I use the tap and that extra 1 inch bore aligns the tap and you can make good straight threads. Sometimes you have to back the tap out after a few turns to clean out the chips, when you have tapped as deep as you can cut off that extra one inch, re drill with the correct size for the tap then tap the extended length.  If you have trouble holding the tubing in a vise you can weld a piece of scrap metal to that extra inch,  just have to be careful the tubing doesn't slip when you are doing the final drill and tap process. I lay out the pieces on my cardboard patern and figure where the intersection points will be and set up the tubing notcher and use a holesaw and plent of oil to make the cut. I bolt the notcher to a steel top table and use scrap pieces of angle iron  or clamps to hold the pieces to make the cuts. prep the areas to be welded.  Tig welding works best.