Topic: Non motorcycle brake line bending question.

[Bailgang]

My truck blew the steel brake line where it connects to the flexible rubber brake line, fortunately it's the drivers front brake closet to the ABS so I was able to remove the entire steel line in 1 piece without deforming it. Now I'm debating whether to splice in a new line using dbl flare fittings (prefer not to use compression fittings on brake lines) or simply bend an entirely new line using the old one as a template. I've got the correct tubing benders needed for tight radius bends but the old line is coiled just a bit which I assume is to allow the rigid line to have some flexibility. My question is can I make that coil using a piece of pipe to wrap the tubing around and do it without crushing the tubing? I'm open to all ideas.

[Bailgang]

I shouldn't have wasted space on this site asking this question because I spotted this vid that pretty much explains it all. How to make that tension relief coil in your brake tubing.

[MJL]

I haven't seen that tool before. The tools I have won't do that.

[Bailgang]

I haven't seen that tool before. The tools I have won't do that.

I've got one but I seldom use it compared to my other benders however it did come in handy making the coil, it didn't come out perfect but it will still serve its function. What pissed me off is that I had to get another dbl flare tool because the one I had had a broken bit which happened to be the bit I needed to make the dbl flare for a 3/16 line. I could've ordered new bits but I needed it asap which meant buying the entire dbl flare tool set. Oh well the good news is that once the line was bent I went ahead and replaced the flexible lines that lead from the hard lines to the calipers and once everything was bled the brakes worked like a charm.

[Duanob]

I 've rebuilt two boat trailers with surge brakes using a tubing bender. Works great. That being said depending on what truck you have you might have to go OEM. My 97 Ford F150 had a leak in the brakeline. When I found it it was a tiny hairline crack in the flange at the wheel cylinder. Ford wanted $50 and two weeks to get it in stock. WTF?!? I bought a ford because according to the commercials its the biggest selling truck of all time. Which means parts should be cheap and plenty available. I went down to NAPA and they had a brakeline the same length all I had to do was bend it with my tubing bender just like the stock one. Then I noticed in Ford's infinite wisdom they put two different sized end nipples. WTF!?! I called the local wrecking yard and luckily they had the same truck so for $5 I went down and pulled it off. I sold that truck for many other reasons but this was definitely a straw in the camel's back. That will be the last Ford I ever own.

I love my Tahoe 

[Elan]

I just bent em with my hands

[Duanob]

I just bent em with my hands

Except you will kink them then you won't have any brakes. 

[Bailgang]

I just bent em with my hands

I tried that many moons ago and decided it was in my best interests to get a bender. I'll do it on long sweeping bends but not on a tight radius. My favorite bender is actually the smallest one I have, it's intended to bend hard line for people who hard line their nitrous oxide for direct port injection so it can make some really tight radius bends without kinking the line.

I 've rebuilt two boat trailers with surge brakes using a tubing bender. Works great. That being said depending on what truck you have you might have to go OEM. My 97 Ford F150 had a leak in the brakeline. When I found it it was a tiny hairline crack in the flange at the wheel cylinder. Ford wanted $50 and two weeks to get it in stock. WTF?!? I bought a ford because according to the commercials its the biggest selling truck of all time. Which means parts should be cheap and plenty available. I went down to NAPA and they had a brakeline the same length all I had to do was bend it with my tubing bender just like the stock one. Then I noticed in Ford's infinite wisdom they put two different sized end nipples. WTF!?! I called the local wrecking yard and luckily they had the same truck so for $5 I went down and pulled it off. I sold that truck for many other reasons but this was definitely a straw in the camel's back. That will be the last Ford I ever own.

I love my Tahoe 

The first thing I had to do was remove the threaded nut on the end of the original line where it went to the ABS and used it on the new line because it was different than the new one so I had to use a dbl flare tool one way or the other. I had to settle for a line that was 12" longer than needed so when I got to the end I just cut off the excess and dbl flared that end where it went into the flexible line.

[ChuckG750f1]

I just did the front lines on my '97 F-150 with flex lines from NAPA with the ends already on.  I bent them by hand with no problem.  I made my 90s with a large radius to prevent kinks.  BTW, the line from the master down to the driver side junction was $130!!!  I was told by Ford that it is no longer available (thank God).

[Bailgang]

When I got the hard line for the brakes at the auto parts store it turned out I had 2 choices, 1 was the regular steel hard line or an alloy line (at least that's what they called it). Don't know much about it other than they said it was easier to bend and flare than the reg steel line plus I think they said it didn't rust either. I would've tried it out except it cost twice as much, not that it would've broke my wallet but my truck will probably be gone by the time the new line corrodes and fail again.