Thank you guys and no problem, happy to share any details you want. So when I did my Camaro, I broke down and bought some Eastwood tools for doing lines. I bought their flaring tool, tubing straighteners, the blue bender below and then sought out a tight radius bender specifically for brake lines (the black one). Stainless can be a little difficult to work with in 3/8” or bigger sizes but on 3/16 line it’s not bad but it does require good tools, especially for flaring. The pics below are everything I used for both my Camaro and the Nova. I use the blue Eastwood bender for my fuel lines and it does quite nice but it’s about all you want when bending 3/8” stainless. I wish it had a tighter bend radius but it is what it is. The Nova has some very complex fuel lines, especially around the Quadralink area going to the tank as I wanted to keep everything tucked in tight and out of sight and away from the path of the exhaust and moving suspension. The black bender is what I use exclusively for the brake lines. It does great. For the tightest bends (like coming out of the master cylinder) I’ll actually place the fitting threads against the stabilizing arm on the bender to keep the bend really tight and close to the brake fitting.
At the risk of making this a long post, here’s the process I follow ritually when bending stainless. It can be frustrating to have leaks but I’ve found that this has worked best for me and I’m pretty OCD about it but again, the importance of a quality flaring tool can’t be overstated. If you’re gonna go cheap, do it on the bender(s) not on the flaring tool. I also use a straightened-out metal coat hanger or wire to make a template. I usually work in small sections the length of the hanger so I can make adjustments as I go if needed. I mark the tube where the end of my template stops each time for reference. Then I re-straighten my hanger and pick up where I left off, using both the actual line and the template to form the next section.
1. Since I start with a coil of line, I straighten out a section, however much I think I’ll need with the straightener pictured below. I try to get it as straight as I possibly can. I got mine from Eastwood but they’re not cheap. They do put them on sale regularly so that’s the best time to get them. Most importantly, when you cut stainless with your tubing cutter, use a new disc and don’t crush or deform it by trying to cut it too quickly. Take your time and let the cutter do the work. You may find that you need to change the cutting disc if it gets dull. Check the cut end for deformity and bad burs. A bad result here is only going to ensure you’ve wasted your time and material going forward.
2. I place the end to be flared in the tool and get it in position and then I place a VERY small dab of Anti-seize on the end of the tube to ease the process a little. Don’t cake it in the end of the tube but more around the edge. Don’t forget your fitting!
3. form the flare using the two step process and consistent, firm pressure making sure the tool is bottomed out in both steps. It takes A LOT of force even for 3/16 stainless but don’t be jerky or ramming the tool back and forth as you can cause deformations in the flare.
4. After inspecting your perfect flare for any burs or deformations, now take a red ScotchBrite pad and pack the corner of it into the flare and rotate it back and forth several times. This removes any slight burs and smooths out any slight imperfections in the flare surface where the metal’s been squeezed and folded. Also slide fitting to the end and rotate it, feeling for any “wobbling” that may indicate the flare’s out of round which won’t seal.
5. from there, I’ll take an air hose and blow the line out and use some Mother’s polish and shine it up, removing any Sharpie reference marks I had while making the bends.
I’m sure there’s someone that has a better, more efficient way to do it but I try not to be in a hurry and I rarely have any leaks when I’m done and put fluid in the system. Hope this helps!
p.s. you can also buy dies for doing 37° AN fitting flares with the Eastwood flaring tool…pretty handy!
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At the risk of making this a long post, here’s the process I follow ritually when bending stainless. It can be frustrating to have leaks but I’ve found that this has worked best for me and I’m pretty OCD about it but again, the importance of a quality flaring tool can’t be overstated. If you’re gonna go cheap, do it on the bender(s) not on the flaring tool. I also use a straightened-out metal coat hanger or wire to make a template. I usually work in small sections the length of the hanger so I can make adjustments as I go if needed. I mark the tube where the end of my template stops each time for reference. Then I re-straighten my hanger and pick up where I left off, using both the actual line and the template to form the next section.
1. Since I start with a coil of line, I straighten out a section, however much I think I’ll need with the straightener pictured below. I try to get it as straight as I possibly can. I got mine from Eastwood but they’re not cheap. They do put them on sale regularly so that’s the best time to get them. Most importantly, when you cut stainless with your tubing cutter, use a new disc and don’t crush or deform it by trying to cut it too quickly. Take your time and let the cutter do the work. You may find that you need to change the cutting disc if it gets dull. Check the cut end for deformity and bad burs. A bad result here is only going to ensure you’ve wasted your time and material going forward.
2. I place the end to be flared in the tool and get it in position and then I place a VERY small dab of Anti-seize on the end of the tube to ease the process a little. Don’t cake it in the end of the tube but more around the edge. Don’t forget your fitting!
3. form the flare using the two step process and consistent, firm pressure making sure the tool is bottomed out in both steps. It takes A LOT of force even for 3/16 stainless but don’t be jerky or ramming the tool back and forth as you can cause deformations in the flare.
4. After inspecting your perfect flare for any burs or deformations, now take a red ScotchBrite pad and pack the corner of it into the flare and rotate it back and forth several times. This removes any slight burs and smooths out any slight imperfections in the flare surface where the metal’s been squeezed and folded. Also slide fitting to the end and rotate it, feeling for any “wobbling” that may indicate the flare’s out of round which won’t seal.
5. from there, I’ll take an air hose and blow the line out and use some Mother’s polish and shine it up, removing any Sharpie reference marks I had while making the bends.
I’m sure there’s someone that has a better, more efficient way to do it but I try not to be in a hurry and I rarely have any leaks when I’m done and put fluid in the system. Hope this helps!
p.s. you can also buy dies for doing 37° AN fitting flares with the Eastwood flaring tool…pretty handy!
