i just got my '63 ranchero from the machine shop and i took the car out for a quick spin around the block, and about a block from home i blew a trans line. my trans (AOD) was rebuilt about 2 years ago and i'm running rubber lines. i've personally never cared for them and never got around to swapping them over. my question is, who makes a nice Tube Flaring kit? will my trans line need a Single or a Double flare at the fitting ends??? how hard is this to do for some one like myself who has no experience with making hard lines?? i've tried searching for any info on the board here but didn't quite find what i needed for info?? anyone have any tips on making lines?? would appreciate any tips or info you guys could share. thanks guys! oh yeah another question, how the hell do i clean off trans fluid with out making more of a mess? this stuff is all over my fresh and nice and shiny motor?? typical engine degreaser maybe?? -eric
i picked up a flare tool at the local parts store. I had no idea what i was doing and i flared a compression fitting for my brakes first try. I don't know how polished your engine is but i usually use either brake kleen or engine brite on my motors. brake kleen is great cuz it blasts shit away and dries quickly. just dont spray on electronics or rubber stuff. but i think that's the rule for all cleaners. Did your trans line actually pop? Like in the middle of the line? or did it blow off of a connection?
i personally have not had a chance to crawl under the car, i got frustrated and just walked in the house. this car has been fighting me the past month. it was running like total crap so i sprung for a fresh motor, runs awesome now, darn now it doesn't want to stop, i buy a font end rebuild kit and a disc brake conversion, and i finally give my daily driver some much needed upgrades and it seems like its fighting me. cars are funny!!! i think that when the machine shop installed the motor they moved the rubber line some where that it was rubbing on something, cause i noticed some white smoke and thought maybe my motor, but then i realised my trans started to slip, as i came to the stop light i hit the gas and nothing then the trans caught and i gave it just enough gas to make it around the corner and into my drive way. when i restarted my car i hit the gas (in park) and noticed it began to spew all over the place. i'm almost positive it's the line, i think it rubbed through and got bigger as i hit the gas. i'll wait till it cools down outside then i'll crawl under it.
don't hold me to it, but it does kinda sound like somethin might've been rubbing somewhere. How much pressure do those lines hold? that'll come into play when using compression fittings.
get yourself a good flare kit from ridgid. I must have bought 3 or 4 cheapos that didn't work for shit. got me a ridgid and now I'm flaring like a pro. my buddy has a snap on that seemed to work well the one time i used it,, but I like the ridgid better... practice on a couple of short peices. it is easy to master, just follow the instructions inside the box. wax and grease remover from the paint store is good stuff for cleaning oily messes. and lots of rags.
i rebuilt the trans about 2 years ago, i wanted to take my car by the trans shop just to make sure everything is hooked up properly, i don't feel like burning out a trans this soon, especially considering all the $$$ i've just spent on it. i'm pretty positive it just needs a new line. i have no idea how much preasure the lines are under, you think i'm better off having a well qualified shop run the hard lines rather than do them myself??
I have had hardlines on my model A pickup for about 7 years now and no problem. The rubber in the lines with heat will start coming apart and get into your trans.
easy to make your own cooler lines. just buy a good flare kit (the best i've seen is an old kit made by imperial). you don't need to double flare but it makes it easier, because a single flare needs to have a clean end (some filing might be involved), but a double folds over on itself creating a clean end. even if you have a cheap flare tool you can stick it in a vise to help hold the tube, because the cheaper kits don't hold the tube from slipping down when your trying to flare it. i found this http://www.stu-offroad.com/suspension/flaretool/ft-1.htm
It's not hard to do. Get a good double flaring tool (Rigid is my fav) and a 5/16" tubing bender, or universal bender. Get a few pieces of 5/16" tubing at the auto parts store, and give it a try. You might go through an extra piece or 2 until you get the bending part right, but it's a skill worth learning. Later you can do fuel and brake lines, as well. I have a set of bends I made that I marked with a permanent line at the Zero notch. I use them to line up where I want the tubing to go, and then transfer the "zero mark" to the tubing so I make it in exactly the right place. If you are having trouble with the "direction" of the tubing's bend, when it is in place, put a marker line long-ways on the tubing in the direction it needs to go in. When you put the tubing in the bender, use the line to make the bend in the right direction.
awesome, thanks guys! i was hoping to maybe making my own fuel lines, i want to clean up the engine bay to my ranchero. where can i find a RIGID flaring tool?? harbor freight? sears? any automotive store?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MAST...ryZ63700QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I use this tool ... it's is $270 but the BEST tool money I have ever spent. I get perfect double flares every time and it is very easy to use. I had a heart attack and my upper body strenght is not as good as it once was ... so the hydraulic pressure of this tool makes it easy to put a LOT of pressure on the flares so that they seal great ... I would do it myself ... and have to tool ... instead of paying the shop and not having the tool ...
rubber tranny cooler lines are fine IF you use the line that is designed for it. someone may have used fuel line on your car...that is the wrong stuf and will not take the pressure go to Napa and get transmision cooler line if you wnat to keep the rubber steel hardlines are probabilly better
they are rubber trans lines, i didn't like the way the previous owner installed them so i bought new lines and rerouted them to my liking and when i picked my car up from the machine shop this past week, the first thing i noticed was they had moved them. i'm pretty positive the cause of the leak was from rubbing through some where. it's pretty hot outside so i'm going to crawl under in a few hours when it cools down. thanks for the pic duece roadster, i also would much rather learn a new skill and buy a pricey tool rather than have a shop do it for me and only get a hard line out of the deal. making hard lines seems like something that will be very benificial to my projects . thanks again guys!
I have a wide assortment of tube tools ... benders, flaring and cutting ... I enjoy the hard line running process ... myself ... Henry Ford said that " Tools do not cost money ... good tools save money "
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