i picked up a new 3/8 inch fuel line for my '55 chevy sedan project. i am ready to install it but i'm curious about the tricks of the install. first off, the new line comes bent about 180 degrees. it's like the wanted to take a 6 foot line and fit it into a 3-foot box. it's not kinked, just wrapped into 2, basically. but it also had quite a few other kinks in it. and they just don't seem to make sense why they'd be there. so my questions are these: 1) why all the random bends that don't seem to go anywhere? 2) how do you straighten it all out? thanks for any advice.
I never buy pre bent brake lines or fuel lines, that's one of the many reasons............. You will never be happy with them even if you had a way to straighten them out SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
OK, I have herd of guy's taking a block of wood, drilling the rite size hole in it, mount in vise, and pulling the tubing threw it, but I bet your lines have lots of 90z in them not going to work.....................
Insert it into the 3 ft box and return it sayin it is bent wrong,.....then go to a local parts store and buy a 60" length of 3/8" hardline and do your own.
who was the vender? Usually they have tape at each end of the 180 bend so you know how to bend it back, no old one to compare it to?
bought prebent fuel and brake lines just slowly bend them back by hand no big deal. they couldnt be shipped if they werent
Some one posted on the do's and don't s of brake lines thread to take the line between two pieces of plywood and roll it back and forth. I think it should work quite well actually.
follow up note... we made it fit. but everyone's who told me to toss it and just get some line and make my own ... you were totally right. the pre-fab one ****ed. it ****ed a lot. what a pain. and it looks a lot less clean and straight. it works, but it's not great.
I've used a rubber mallet on the floor to take out slight bends, but I don't know about no 180˚ bend!! You'd just have to work it!
I've bought "custom, pre-bent " steel lines a couple of times myself, and they're never even CLOSE. As Kenny stated, the best way is to bend up your own...to fit YOUR vehicle...and to fit it RIGHT. Yes, that can mean a few pieces end up in the s**** pile as your learning curve sharpens, but in the end you'll be MUCH happier than you would be cobbling some 'nearly correct' pieces into place and living with the sub-par results.
I've purchased both stainless steel and OEM prebent brake and fuel lines from Inline Tube in the past. They had the correct factory bends. Followed their instructions for straightening and had no problems. Following directions direct from their website and also come packaged with their lines: What is a shipping bend? Shipping bends are required to ship all lines over 6 feet in length. This bend is a large-radius bend that is the same as a 5 gallon bucket. The tubing is not stressed so the bend is easily straightened to the original form. To remove the shipping bend, simply unroll the section marked between the tags on a flat surface such as a table or garage floor. Use the floor as a straight edge. Whatever gentle bend is left, straighten by hand. When the tube is straight you are done.
I do the same thing myself. I've gotten fuel line in as long as 72" pieces with 1 end flared. So you have a junction here and there to deal with. Bob
ibought prebent fuel and brakelines from larrys tbird. took the shipping bend out with no problem. and they fit into place perfectly. i have no idea how they can do it so well. who ever they have do it isnt making enough money
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