Brake line, gas line, tranny lines? Bend your self?

[celeryman22]

Do you guys suggest bending these lines myself or purchasing a prebent set? How are these kits for accuracy? Where is the best place to get them?

Thanks
Mike

 

[jclit]

I do mine myself. It's easy if you have the tools. You will need a bender and flare tool for the ends. It's also alot cheeper even with the cost of the tools.

Jim

 

[brusso]

I do mine myself. It's easy if you have the tools. You will need a bender and flare tool for the ends. It's also alot cheeper even with the cost of the tools.

Jim

I agree. The only thing that I would add is ask someone, who has done it before, to show you how to make the "double flare" for the tubing ends. And no matter what anyone tells you, DO NOT USE COMPRESSION TYPE FITTINGS ANYWHERE IN THE BRAKE SYSTEM!!!! Unless you want to die in a firery crash. Only use "inverted flare unions" to connect brakes lines together. Don't let me scare you from doing it yourself. Just respect what you're woking with. After very little practice making the double flares, it will be easy. There are only a couple steps but they are all very critical.

 

[GTR1999]

Depends what you want to use. steel lines can be bent up by hand SS lines are not as easy. SS lines also don't double flare well by hand. I would use one of the prebent systems much less work but you'll still have to tweak them a bit.

 

[Bill75]

I installed fuel lines on my 75 this past winter, don't buy them prebent!!!!!!!!! I firmly believe they install the lines on the frame first then build the car! If you buy prebent ones you'll only have to straghten them out to snake them thru the places they have to go.

I can't give you any first hand experiences on the brake lines but I would suspect they install them at the same time and you'll have the same issues.

Good Luck.

Bill

 

[mike weyman]

some retailers sell the lines with the outside wrapped in spring, these springs keep you from kinking the line and makes a nicer job. i bought a line with the spring just to get the spring to bend other lines with.even with the bender the spring helps.

 

[brusso]

Good point Bill75, I think that those pre-bent lines were made with the frame off restorer in mind. I remember doing the fron to back brake line. I don't think that I was even able to completely remove the old one. The path that the line takes from the frame to the distribution block (the thingy that the driverside rear flex line connects to) is rediculous.

Mike, I think that the lines w/spring wrapped around were made for replacing brake lines that had that originally. Lines that were exposed to road debris, had that on them for protection. I'm sure that they would aid in bending, like you said.