Best way to make brake lines?

+1,,,

This works for me as well... I had always done this, but last time I bought a roll of 3/8" black coated stuff from Jegs to run a fuel line. I could not get this crap straight enough to suit me so I am not using it.

The regular un-coated stuff is hard to get straight, but this coated stuff is extra, extra, hard.... I strongly advise against its use when looks matter.

IMO not only is it too hard to get straightened out it is even too hard to take a good bend...

 

I see you have made good progress and are near finishing up, but figured I'd throw in my .02.
I make brake lines at least a couple times a week at work. I tried getting them to buy straight lengths but they claimed there was to much waste and continue to buy 100ft. coils. I have found it easiest to cut a length and lightly(!) tap with a deadblow hammer while rolling it back and forth on the bench. This straightens it out near perfect usually.
I use tig filler rod to make patterns and then straighten back out as best I can.
After ruining quite a few nearly finished lines by cutting the final end too long or short, I've found that marking for the cut @ the very first thread on the fitting yeilds the correct line length after flaring.
When @ home however I use powdercoated black lengths from Allstar Performance. Bends beautifully without cracking the coat and also comes in lots of other colors.
-Justin

 

I got the brake lines run today, including the left front which I bent the wrong way on the last bend yesterday. Also ran the copper fuel line, which looks good, but may be a little close to where the exhaust will run. It's pretty crowded under the floor, which became apparant when I mocked up mufflers under it. I may rethink the routing, and put the fuel line between the frame and rocker panel, but that will now have to wait a week or so since I'm having surgery on my left foot tommorow and will be laid up for few days. We'll see, the line is about 4" from route of the exhaust as it is now.

I polished the lines to, which would have been MUCH easier had I thought to do that before bending them, particularly the ones out of the master cyl. I don't know how long that'll last, but it looks cool now.

 

I have gotten good 'adel clamps' from an aviation supply also.

 

I'm just fixin' to start plumbing my coupe and bought a coil of brake line. I'm glad I found this thread!

 

Was doing a search for my tubing options(SS, mild steel, etc..)and I decided to go with annealed SS for brake plumbing. BUT, for those not caring about shiny lines(but don't want their lines to rust), I found what is called "poly armour" brake lines at O'reilly's. It's got a coating I found that did not chip off, and it's as easy to bend as mild steel lines. Next best thing to SS lines, IMO


$.02
Jay

 

How often should I use an Adel clamp? Every 12"? Every 18"? Thanks, Mike

 

if it's safe enough for aircraft it's safe enough for your car

http://www.tpub.com/content/aviationmaintandmisc/TM-1-1500-204-23-3/css/TM-1-1500-204-23-3_16.htm

later jim

 

That's what I needed. Thanks, Mike

 

man *this* looks cool!



EDIT: Thanks for the chart on how far to space your clamps! and flynbyan48 those lines look great to my eyes! I've been using that polyarmor stuff that's green..I absolutely love it, and I don't know if anybody mentioned it but a drop of oil on the flare when you're doing it seems to help...or its just my imagination, one of the two, but at least it helps me!

 

I'm a glutten for punishment. I only use SS hard line, 37 degree flare & AN fittings.

This was a trial- trying to see how tight I could get the bends from some scrap & a new bender. The real piece used stainless nuts & sleeves.

I used to plumb race car & rod chassis as a side job.

 

I did a beater Suburban front to back with the sectional pre-flared lines, and a little Buick before that. The little Buick ended up with a 3" or so diameter loop under it where one piece was too long, but I never had a problem, and the lines on the Suburban have held up fine - only leak issue was a lack of tightening on my part and of course it's the one union that was hidden behind a frame crossmember. But I've towed something like 7500 lbs behind it on those lines, no issues. And I think the longest I could get was 4 feet, so there's 3 or 4 sections from the proportioning valve to the rear brake hose junction.

 

What are you guy's using to make the flares? NAPA hardline's are kicking the shit out of my flare tool.

 

nice work

 

Never met a person who bent his own lines, flared his own lines, assembled his own systems and never had a leak. You must be good.

 

i use the same method

 

Stainless takes some patience for sure but for brake lines thats the only
way I would use it,with AN fittings and a single flare.
But for 99% of everything else out there this stuff is hard to beat. Easy to
form,easy to flare. Cunifer,90/10 copper/nickel DOT certified tubing.
http://www.fedhillusa.com/

 

I saw this one in use the other day. All I can saw is wow! Sold by Eastwood. If you run a shop that uses a flaring tool often, this is the one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5p7BKc7bok&feature=player_embedded

 

that eastwood flaring tool looks awesome

 

NAPA's hand bendable lines work very well. Easy to bend, even tight bends are easy, comes in sticks. It's only available in black, however. And it will double flare with no problems. I don't think I'd ever use anything else unless someone finds a way to make it better.

 

Is this the $299.00 tool mentioned on the Classic Tube web site? I can't get a picture for some reason. Is it a series of three grooved wheels with two adjustable for up/down movement ( for pressure) grooved wheels sitting above and between the three fixed bottom wheels?

 

I've seen pics of these fittings before, but I don't understand what's going on there. Excuse my ignorance. What's the blue color extending out on to the brake line itself? Which tools are you using? I'd like to switch to that system...

 

Sorry, I was referring to this picture.

 

place tubing on floor, put 2x4 on it and roll it, like makeing a playdo snake with your hand

 

get a hand held tubing bender, use a sharpie to mark your bend ( I always mark the outside edge) It's not that hard to make a good looking tube that fits.

 

GREAT Thread, I had a very small leak thinking it was the brake hose. With a little of cleaning, I noticed a small nick in the brake line.
I cussed a bit had nightmares about curly noodles of brake line and pushing on a brake pedal to the floor and.... brake fluid is really really bad for paint.

This thread made calmed me down and I can't wait to go at it! Once again the streets will be safe and another full frame and steel won't go up in flames or the Crusher!

ja, my dad also told me about bend-y brake lines... kept in barrels? at the parts house.

 

Just finished putting brakelines on the HE-EP . We use longer that required straight lines then cut to length and double flare the one end to get a perfect fit. They are straight and look factory.
Don

 

Mike here in the UK its law that brake line is clipped every 12", I prefer 10"

 

I should uipdate my previous post on the pre-formed lines. The last time I had to do a line I had to buy this black stuff instead of the steel. Whatever this shit is, it's softer. So much so that after I paid the shop $30 to bleed after replacing two segments of line, one hard stop had it leaking at the fitting that I'd thought was tight. I had to crawl under and crank it down again. Maybe the flare wasn't fully finished, who knows, but I'd cranked it down pretty good when I put it on, enough to where the wrenches were trying to slip on the fittings.

You guys want torture, put those stainless lines on any vehicle with a GM 4WAL ABS unit on it. Looks like a plate of spaghetti under there. (a smart guy could probably adapt that unit to an older car if he wanted, it seems to be a standalone deal, is seperate from the prop valve and master, not tied into the ECM either that I can tell).

 

Zombie hotrod is exactly on the money. It works everytime and you don"t have to be a pro to do a good job,and don"t be putting aany kind of dope on brake lines,you"re not building a house.