DIY fuel and brake lines

[merc-blue]

We use anelled stainless which IMO is a safe bet and its still quite cheap

[Pube]

I have tried using a quality flare tool to carry out double flares on brake lines and power steeing lines. However as others have already said, they are totally useless!! The only way to get lines flared is with a more expensive bench mounted type unit The flares will always be spot on. The brake place I use rarely have charged me to flare a few brake lines.

[EVOSTi]

i have success with the hand flaring tool, cant complain.

[Crazyracer]

I've used a name brand, moderately priced double flaring tool ~$100 (that looked just like the cheap ones) with a fair amount of success.

I've also used some of the fancy expensive ones that clamp in a single action, but found they can be fiddly to set up the pipe to the correct height and also lose clamping force as they get a bit of use, causing the pipe to slip.

The benefit with the type with the wing-nut clamp type is that they can be held in the vice while you create the flares.

There are a few tricks to getting it right, mainly in the preparation of the end of the tube before commencing to do the flair, and setting the height of the tube carefully in the clamp.

I also found it much easier to work out how long the tube needed to be, put the flares on both ends with the tool in the bench vice, and then bend it afterwards.

Flares created in situ in the car always turn out crap.

[oldcorollas]

bending/cutting is easy.
for brakes, i would get them flared professionally by a good brake shop.
for fuel, i would just use an olive compression fitting to the hard pipe, with a (what do you call it?) properly shaped fitting for rubber hose on the other end...

at the back, only one fuel line is pressurised, so you could even go overboard with that and banjo it.. the other/s will be fine for standard fittings.

[DoctorDubb]

Just to let you know i did my metal line setup for my clutch last weekend and im sure you can do it yourself. My bending tool consisted of a tyre iron and a piece of wood with a hole drilled in it. Just inserting the bundy tube and then bending it over the tyre iron. We made up a mock up out of old line in short sections for the harder bends then just matched the new line too it.

Then took it to a place to get two double flares for each end (cost me $15) . And he said the bends were some of the best he has seen for a while - so maybe you dont need a bending tool. Just take time in doing it right.

Just remember that to double flare properly he needed about 2-3 inches on the end of the pipe to clamp into the vice. So he had to undo one of our bends to flare it so luckily it bent back no problems.

[TA-022]

*hint for DoctorDub.

ST141 clutch line bolts into RA28 and meets the clutch cylinder perfectly. ($15)

[DoctorDubb]

Ta-022 way to tell me after . Tried given you rep but must spread it around more.

Didnt matter was good pratice for when i do the brakes lol. Here is a pricture of the bends i got:

[gianttomato]

I make and flare all my brake lines. Piece of piss.

[love ke70]

i made my rear brake line, along, up, over, around and under my alfa diff in the ke70. first up i took in the original line that was in the right shape but very old and pitted and asked them to remake it. came back and fitted worse than a 2 bob glove. so i straightened it out and bent it all by hand. it takes a little while and you get sore thumbs but if you massage it enough with your hands you wont kink it and you end up with a very good fit. the hardest bit was where the 90* bend where there about 10mm between back of the fitting that goes into caliper and the damper, but even that can be done
best bet imo is get the ends put on professionally and bend away

[clubagreenie]

A company called Stauff Hydraulics make compression fitting and supply tube (met and imp). fittings rated to well over what anyone here will put through them and M/F threaded ends to suit every auto application I've come across to date.

I did used to work for them years back so there is a preference but any hydraulic shop can fit you out with something similar, it'srelatively cheap and they can bend/flare as well.

[2JZR31]

Good thread mate. I have to do some brake work soon.

[Draven]

On a related note, can anyone see a problem with using rubber fuel line instead of bundy tube for the rear section of the lines?

I ended up doing this on my '61 due to a blockage in the lines. No dramas at all.

[clubagreenie]

Tell me, are you getting your brake lines powdercoated?

[Draven]

fuckoff

(yes, that's a little bit of a sore point)