Gix11

How to "Make a Shorty can" Submitted by EXBEN (Ben Shaw - Extreme Creations)

A few weeks ago we were talkin bout makin 'Shorty' can's,so I thought I'd do a run down of what you need to do, in case anyone want's to have a go & is not sure how to attack it. "I should at this point mention that this is NOT a be all & end all guide so if you Fuck up don't blame me" You'll need at least a Drill & usually a 4.9mm bit,an angle grinder with a 1mm thick cutoff wheel,a flap disk for the grinder is also handy,a small punch & something to hit it with,some 4.9mm stainless rivets & pop rivet gun,a file, a texta, a tape measure & steel ruler. I'm sure I've missed something but we'll work it out as we go along. The can I'm cutting down here is an Akrapovic oval Titanium,similar to the one above(I forgot to take a pic before I started). First drill the rivets out of the inlet end,sometimes the heads come off & then they just spin,you may need to punch through any stuck ones so they clear the band & the outer skin,the band should come off (take note of where the join is),the inlet end should now pull out, this will take some force & can be tricky to grip onto,I use a small steel hook to pull from the retaning spring pickups,you may need help from a friend for this step. The perforated core is attached to the inlet end( This is not always true for all brands)& will come out with it. Some cans may require you to drill out & remove the outlet end as well to remove the core. If the packing doesn't come out with the core,pull it out now. Your can should now look like this: You can now mark how much you want to cut off the outer skin & inner core(cut the same amount off each),be sure to mark how much you want to cut off NOT how much you want left because the inner & outer are usually different lengths. I use a height gauge but a tape measure or ruler will also work,just be sure your lines are straight. If the inner core steps down or up in diameter at the end you want to cut off you may need to grind off the welds at the other end & shorten it there then have it welded back on. This one was nice & straight. Now use your grinder with the 1mm cutoff wheel & carefully cut both the inner & outer ( on the rubbish side of the line please). Now clean up the ends,I use a disk sander but a Grinder with a flap disk will also work. Then debur the edges inside & out ,using a flap wheel or file. If the packing is in good nick you can use the cutoff wheel( as it gives a nice cut), to cut the same amount off,if your packing is stuffed you can get more from most bike shops. Now carefully refit the packing to the inner core & feed the whole lot into the outer skin ( make sure you have the end cap around the right way).You may need to deform the skin slightly with your hand to get it to go over the end cap,at the same time look inside the outlet end & make sure the core is lining up with the end cap before you start trying to force them together. Now push or lightly tap them together so that you can still see part of the rivet holes. Line the band up with the end of the outer skin( Making sure you've got the join in the right spot),then mark the rivet holes onto the skin with a texta ( don't drill them yet). Tap the end cap in till it's in the right spot then drill the hole through the skin (with your 4.9mm bit)opposite to where the band join is. Rivet this one in place. Now work your way around evenly both ways drilling & riveting as you go. I do it like this cause when you get to the last hole it can be out to where your texta mark is( your only using the texta marks as a guide).If you had drilled this previously when you put the rivet in it will want to lift the band off the skin in some spots & it looks like shit. So you should end up with something like this (no gaps). That's it you now have a shorty can! This one started out at 470mm (Skin length) & we cut off 170mm giving us a nice short 300mm can. The only question now is how short will you go! Cheers MMMMM.........170mm can anyone?