Fuel line bending tips?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 936
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa OK
Fuel line bending tips?
Can anyone offer up some tips on bending steel fuel line without kinking it? I do ok with shallow angles, but approaching those 90* angles it starts buckling and I'm afraid of restricting flow.
I'm using this bender:
And it's coming out like this:
I tried staging it, moving the line down a little bit at a time, and this is the result:
I'm using this bender:
And it's coming out like this:
I tried staging it, moving the line down a little bit at a time, and this is the result:
Last edited by Xakk; Apr 12, 2006 at 10:49 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
try a little heat. I have 2 diffetent benders for different size lines, that looks like a "universal don't quite fit all" kinda tool, never used one. I "stage" it like you siad, make a lil bend, move it, make a lil more, etc..
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,725
Likes: 5
From: Minnesota
That shouldn't happen. Are you sure you're using the right parts in the bender? The pipe should fit very snugly into the grooves before you try to bend it. If it doesn't fit right you might as well bend it with your fingers.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 14,384
Likes: 6,408
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
You need a better tube bender - that's not a good one. Snap-On makes a nice bender that will bend 4 different sizes without kinking - there is a photo of it in my "How to Build a Fuel Line" article if you want a copy:
V8FastCars@msn.com
Lars
V8FastCars@msn.com
Lars
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 14,384
Likes: 6,408
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Xakk -
Seriously, you need to throw that tube bender over the fence to your neighbor's yard and go buy a real tube bender. That's not a real tube bender.
Seriously, you need to throw that tube bender over the fence to your neighbor's yard and go buy a real tube bender. That's not a real tube bender.
Drifting
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,546
Likes: 5
From: Sacramento California
A old trick I use it to fill the line up with table salt, tape off both ends and then bend. That will prevent kinks, I have used that method over and over with good results (even without a bender) when you're done pour out the salt and rinse out with water.
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Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Originally Posted by PRNDL
that salt thing sounds like a neat trick. I used a bender that looks pretty much like this pic:
it worked great and cost about $9.99.
it worked great and cost about $9.99.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 16,945
Likes: 9
that's a junk bender, get a bender like the pic above. You can buy one that does several sizes (cheaper0 or one that does only 1 size (more expensive, usually higher quality tools)
I like the single size benders because the one size fits all won't let you make tighter bends in the smaller size tubing, that's the only drawback of those
I like the single size benders because the one size fits all won't let you make tighter bends in the smaller size tubing, that's the only drawback of those
Last edited by Twin_Turbo; Apr 12, 2006 at 04:37 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,198
Likes: 2
From: Eastern Connecticut
Be careful with those multi-fit benders, they work well but if you put the tubing in the wrong slot, the cast aluminum tab will break right off (ask me how I know). I got a one-size from grainger for about $40 and it makes beautiful tight bends without kinking, and the tab is steel. JOe
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,083
Likes: 2
From: Montreal Qc.
Originally Posted by lars
Xakk -
Seriously, you need to throw that tube bender over the fence to your neighbor's yard and go buy a real tube bender. That's not a real tube bender.
Seriously, you need to throw that tube bender over the fence to your neighbor's yard and go buy a real tube bender. That's not a real tube bender.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,342
Likes: 2
From: Dayton Area Ohio
St. Jude Donor '08
Originally Posted by PRNDL
that salt thing sounds like a neat trick. I used a bender that looks pretty much like this pic:
it worked great and cost about $9.99.
it worked great and cost about $9.99.
Harbour Freights website regular $6.99 marked down to $3.99
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 936
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa OK
Ok ok ok. I returned the crappy thing to O'Reilly and I'm heading down to Napa to see what they've got. Our Sears is about 10 ft sq, so they don't have squat. Worst case, there's always AutoZone.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 936
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa OK
Ok, so I took Lars' (and everyone else's too) advice and returned the O'Reilly's bender and took a trip to Napa. After they tried to sell me the same bender I just returned, we found this one sitting on another shelf:
And here's the results of Round Two of the Great Fuel Line Wars:
Looks like I may have gotten a slight flat spot here. I think from trying to make things fit, but it doesn't look like it'll hurt anything. It's not bad.
I figure I'll have to reroute it when I go to put AC back on the car, but I'll deal with that later. This was the best I could do without flaring my own tubing (ie fixed length of 30"). Next time I'll try my hand at flaring.
On a side note, the tubing that O'Reillys sold me was labeled as brake line and not fuel line. Is this going to cause a problem? The car's still not running yet, so I've got plenty of time to change it if so, I'd just like to know ahead of time.
Thanks everyone for all your help!
And here's the results of Round Two of the Great Fuel Line Wars:
Looks like I may have gotten a slight flat spot here. I think from trying to make things fit, but it doesn't look like it'll hurt anything. It's not bad.
I figure I'll have to reroute it when I go to put AC back on the car, but I'll deal with that later. This was the best I could do without flaring my own tubing (ie fixed length of 30"). Next time I'll try my hand at flaring.
On a side note, the tubing that O'Reillys sold me was labeled as brake line and not fuel line. Is this going to cause a problem? The car's still not running yet, so I've got plenty of time to change it if so, I'd just like to know ahead of time.
Thanks everyone for all your help!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 12
From: Massapequa Park NY
Originally Posted by PRNDL
that salt thing sounds like a neat trick. I used a bender that looks pretty much like this pic:
it worked great and cost about $9.99.
it worked great and cost about $9.99.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,345
Likes: 3
Originally Posted by PRNDL
that salt thing sounds like a neat trick. I used a bender that looks pretty much like this pic:
it worked great and cost about $9.99.
it worked great and cost about $9.99.