Remember that one bender usually can not do all you need. I have a nice Rigid andone of those circular 3 in one benders and a couple I forget. I also made a jig to bend 3/16 lines real tight close to the flare nut for weird tight bends that nothing else will do.
i don't mind it so much, it takes patience, and doesn't always come out the first time. it's to easy for me now, so next build is mechanical brakes. that should piss me off properly.
Lots of trial & error, my friend. Using coat hangers/welding rod for mockup really helps, too. Best money I've spent was on the Eastwood flaring tool. No leaks and I've made quite a few brake and fuel lines on my 61. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I hear you did some lines on my 61 Catalina ragtop up front with the motor in place bent them to fit they looked close they were not pretty just want the bakes to work but this simple task turnout to look like a mess weaving around everything - next time i try this i'll remove the obstacles
I find most of the benders are too big a radius so I spin up small diameter bungs and machine a deep 3/16" groove in them, then i just bend the brake line around the small diameter, works great and you get nice tight curves.
I made up sets of 90 and 45 degree bend templates for 3/16", 1/4", and 3/8" tubing. First I rolled a tubing cutter around the tube where it lines up with the bend mark on the tubing bender just to score the tube, don't cut the tube, this is just the line up mark.Then cut up 3" sections and make your sample bends. I keep the templates in my tool box and when ever I need to make an exact bend I just align the score mark to where I need the bend and mark it on the new tube with a sharpie and make the bend, it makes perfect bends every time. Also I found out the hard way that it is NOT recommended to use a tubing cutter to cut stainless steel tubing. The wheels on the tubing cutter "work harden" the tubing and it will crack, use a fine and new hacksaw blade and it works great!
The one's that I finally "nail" are usually the one's that I forget to put the flare nut on! Then again, that's all practice too!
My favorite bender. I clamp the non-movable arm in the vise and then you are able to copy a damaged piece very close. A sharpie lets you mark the center of the bend and all you need to do is rotate the old tubing until the new bend is level and then bend to match. I've replaced an ass load of brake lines in my brake shop with only the cheap red plastic kits sold at all the tool suppliers. You can buy some fancy expensive benders and flaring tools but it's really not necessary. others may disagree. The mini cutter is handy too. Don't get all hung up on a crooked flare. The flare nut pinches the flare against the fitting. It will seal just fine when tightened up. I really enjoy it.
For bending the lines I was pleasantly surprised at how well the HF brake line pliers work. I did have to take a round file and clean up the rough areas inside the jaws of the pliers, otherwise they did a good job for me for around 10 bucks.
I exclusively use Imperial tubing benders ... But you need a different one for each size. 1/4, 5/16, 3/8 and 1/2 But they work exceptionally well. And I use a 71475 Mastercool flaring tool. Here is a YOUTUBE video of the Mastcool flaring tool being used. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJJKA_Gm9Ks Good tools DO NOT cost money ... they save you time and money
Call inline tube. They show up in a box all done. After you get the bends all pretty and then screw up the flange. That's the easy way
I just used a tool like above for my lines and it was much easier to use than I expected from a ten buck Azone tool. Having a vise handy would have really simplified things. I used pre-flared lines as I'm still nervous about doing that myself.
Also keep in mind that one day when the car is finished and together you may have to get to a line to fix it, or get it out to replace it. . . so don't make some overly complicated brake line that's not serviceable.
Lots of good advice. One more idea that I think is worth mentioning. Make the longest brake line first... This is usually the line from the master cylinder to the rear of the car. And then make the next longest. If you screw up a long line you can still cut it into smaller lengths to make some of the shorter lines. If you make the shorter lines first and you screw them up, well, then it is time to buy more line. Someone mentioned using cunifer brake line which I find is a lot easier to work with than the traditional steel brake lines. Plus the cunifer brake lines don't rust over time.
The Jalopy Journal
