Bending 3/16 brake line

Folks,

Does anyone know what the minimum recommended bend radius is for these (NAPA) lines?

Also: Any recommended grassroots techniques that will avoid the purchase of a $33 dollar tool that I will never use again?

TIA,

Rog

bend around round objects like your knee, different diameters of pipe, etc...

i rarely use my benders

Until it starts to collapse / flatten. Ya I know wise guy remark.

Unforchantly you don't want to fill it with sand (or anything else) to prevent collapse as you run the risk of not getting it out and contamination your system.

Good quality benders will roll the tube in to the die thus the bending is done in the die and the tube can not expand outward and thus preventing it from collapsing. Cheap ones you wrap the line into the die thus the bending is occuring outside the bending die and the tube can expand outward. (not sure if this makes sense) This method will result in wider bends.

What I have done (because I am a cheep SOB). Is to use vice grips against the outside of the line as I bend it. It prevents it from expanding and collapsing. Bend a little adjust the vice grip and repeat. The result is not that neat a bend but it allows for a much tighter bend than freehand or with most cheap benders. A slow process but considering how often I actually need to do it I just live with it.

Buy the tool. Life's to short. Both work good, and you will bend lines that impress! If you live in the rust belt you cant live without one.

Depends on how tight you need to bend it. If you can get away with a larger radius I've had good luck on BABE field repairs bending around a spray can (PB Blaster if I recall) but anything tighter than that and you need the tool.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?category=&q=tubing+bender

Link to Harbor Freight. I have the bender in the top left corner. It works fine and I can make a bend up to 180 degrees with less then a 2 inch radius.

Check these out just found'em last night. i need a set of these.

http://www.cmwraceparts.com/proddisp.php?pn=CMS402

jimbbski wrote: http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?category=&q=tubing+bender Link to Harbor Freight. I have the bender in the top left corner. It works fine and I can make a bend up to 180 degrees with less then a 2 inch radius.

Got one of those too, it works great.

That is great news! As I want to replace all the lines on the Triumph. Looks exactly like one a famous English Car Parts supplier sells for mucho bucks.

Do you think it will work on Stainless Steel lines?

Once you fix the brakes on a few dozen northern cars, you just use your hands.

My usual technique is to wrap it around a baseball bat. The radius is still large enough it won't kink.

Also, Advance Auto sells their funky double- or triple- coated easy bend stuff, and it works great to bend by hand. Doesn't turn out as nice as the tool bent stuff but sometimes you can't get it bent right with the tool.

Thanks guys,

I don't buy a lot of tools these days and usually forget that there is a HF nearby...

Thanks!

Rog

emodspitfire wrote: tool that I will never use again?

Never? Seriously?

Those are brave words coming from somebody with "spitfire" in their screen name...

I've got the $5.99 HF bender, worked well until the flat piece on the side gave up. I made a new one out of stainless 8 years and 11 projects ago.

Buy it, you'll need it again someday.

Dan

To Ian F:

Hasn't been much Spitfire in the car for many years.

The only reason I need to replace a brake line is cause the Sawzall operator went nuts.....putting in a Subie diff. (Grin)

Rog

emodspitfire wrote: To Ian F: Hasn't been much Spitfire in the car for many years.

Even more reason... hell, I bought pre-bent lines for our 1800ES and still needed a bender to tweak them a bit in places. Stainless lines don't bend easily...