Fuel Line - Bending and Flaring - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

XWish Ute · 11-30-2004, 03:35

Looking at replacing fuel and transmission cooler lines. Can anyone recommend brands (and approx prices) of flaring tools and tube benders to suit? Been fiddling around on some scrap sections with cheapie items that are pretty crap (the flaring tool invariably pulls the flare off centre while the tubing bender tends to kink the steel line).

I guess the other option is to hire the items.....if available as I don't think they will be a tool used every weekend!

ebxr8240 · 11-30-2004, 06:19

Take them out and take to shop?
Drive to Pirtek?
See if you can hire from parts place ?
I don't think they are that expensive anyway ???

TruBlu351 · 12-02-2004, 08:34

I just refitted all my fuel lines with 1/2" aluminium tubing.

Tube cutter, single flaring tool and tube bender all cost about $10-15 each. Available from your local hardware or plumbing shop. You can either buy a pipe/tube bender, or I used a flat wound spring that slides inside the tube. You can then hand bend it to shape, but it's real hard to get a nice uniform tight radius.

Getting the flare just right will take a bit of practice. The tighter you squeeze it the better/flatter the finish for a good seal.

When cutting the pipe, take is slowly. This will avoid a large overhang of metal on the inside circumference of the tube.

Here's a pic of what it looks like with 1/2" aluminium tube and some tube nuts. Remember to put the collar and tube nut on before you flare the tube!

Mike Gayner · 12-02-2004, 23:39

Looks great TruBlu!

bucknaked · 12-03-2004, 02:06

I did a manual to auto conversion and a 253 HQ once. After getting the auto radiator, I had to get some pipes, but no-one had decent pipes, so I went to a car shop like repco, bought heaps of pipe, ran the lines alone the chasis and got them to the length I wanted, then got Pirtek to do me 4 connections. It is far easier to use rubber hoses, because you can run them anywhere you want. The old pipes used to bend and kink if you weren't careful. This was the best solution, and cost be around $30 to do the whole job.

XWish Ute · 12-12-2004, 00:41

All, thanks for the replies! After a lot of stuffing around, I have managed to get some semi-decent lines bent up (if you close one eye and view them from about 20 yards away lol). after lots of asking around looks like I'll be able to borrow a good tube flarer off a mate, so that should take care of that problem too. also found some good kits on e-Bay.....reasonable price so may also consider that!

btw - those lines look great TruBlu!