Build a hydraulic brake line flare tool?

[great white]

Wow, they throw true safety out the window in the name of safety inspections?
Sounds like a lot of similar stuff is going on up there.

The above bender still works well on steel. When I have a lot of hydraulic tubing to run it so much faster and easier on the hands than my ridgid or imperial roller flaring tools, which are night and day above the type you posted in pic one.

The syke pickavent style is a simple pull on a long lever. very quick, dies don't mar the tubing either, very similar dies to the mastercool/clones.

The hydraulic ones are not bad, but it still a lot of pumping and it can get tiring if doing a lot.

I've got a rigid eccentric flare tool in the drawer, but it's for 37 degree flares and only single flare. I use it a lot for making hydraulic lines for implements. Works great and is esay to use as it essentially "rolls" the tube end instead of forcing it tho expand. No good for 45 automotive flares though.

I actually first went looking for those lever type flare tools. But once it woudl be at my door, we're talking within 100 bucks of the hydralic kits you can also use on the car. Then I thought about buying aset of dies for them and making the rest of the 9relatively simple) tool, but a set of dies are almost as much as the entire flare tool.

They've got me boxed in coming or going......

 

[pontiac428]

I've got a rigid eccentric flare tool in the drawer, but it's for 37 degree flares and only single flare. I use it a lot for making hydraulic lines for implements. Works great and is esay to use as it essentially "rolls" the tube end instead of forcing it tho expand. No good for 45 automotive flares though.

I actually first went looking for those lever type flare tools. But once it woudl be at my door, we're talking within 100 bucks of the hydralic kits you can also use on the car. Then I thought about buying aset of dies for them and making the rest of the 9relatively simple) tool, but a set of dies are almost as much as the entire flare tool.

They've got me boxed in coming or going......

Well, yeah, you can't do the job without the tools. You either have to buy them at the going rate to do the job, do without, or make do. If you will never do the job again, it is probably still worthwhile, since $100 on top of replacing all of your lines really isn't that bad. If you do brake lines a lot or anticipate that you will need the capability at any point without work stoppage, a CAD hundo ain't nuthin' compared to having the tool right now and in the future. I've spent five times that starting with cheap flaring, bending, and cutting tools, and upgraded my way through HF, Imperial, and now Ridgid. I should have bought once, cried once, and went on with my happy life. My suggestion is obviously to spend the hunnerdbux and be set forever.

 

[great white]

I think I'm just going to have to try and build it all. the dies are pretty simple:



I just have to get the dimensions right to hold the tube firmly enough and the flare is just a 45 degree angle, simple enough to do with a 45 tipped drill bit. I can just take an old 3/8" or 1/2" bit (lots of broken and unused ones lying around) and regrind it to 45.

For the double flare portion I have several "conventional" double flare kits that are in various states or worn out or broken so I can reuse the anvils in anything I might build. The tube holder dies are a different story, I'll have to make those as the "cheapies" tend to tear up the tubing in the process of holding it. The cheapies all use a type of internal barb that bites into the tubing when clamped. Not great if using the vinyl coated lines....

Perhaps just a bench mounted lever style one would be easier than trying to incorporate hydraulics. Maybe go with a ratcheting style torque multiplier instead of a lever on an eccentric to make it a little easier to use.

Lots to think about....

 

[great white]

Well, yeah, you can't do the job without the tools. You either have to buy them at the going rate to do the job, do without, or make do. If you will never do the job again, it is probably still worthwhile, since $100 on top of replacing all of your lines really isn't that bad. If you do brake lines a lot or anticipate that you will need the capability at any point without work stoppage, a CAD hundo ain't nuthin' compared to having the tool right now and in the future. I've spent five times that starting with cheap flaring, bending, and cutting tools, and upgraded my way through HF, Imperial, and now Ridgid. I should have bought once, cried once, and went on with my happy life. My suggestion is obviously to spend the hunnerdbux and be set forever.

This will likely be the last brake job that I will do. The Mustang is intended as my last project car. But it needs a full brake line job front to rear and a complete fuel system from tank to carb.

I'm almost at the age (and body condition) where my "driving" vehicles are likely to go to the shop when they need to be fixed instead of me groaning away in the garage trying to do the same job. I'm not to the point where I can't do it, but I'm not far from it and I'm deep into "I don't want to do it" territory.

i hear you on the buy once cry once, but that's a lesson I should have learned (for this particular tool) about 30 years ago.....

 

[wachuko]

This will likely be the last brake job that I will do. The Mustang is intended as my last project car. But it needs a full brake line job front to rear and a complete fuel system from tank to carb.

I'm almost at the age (and body condition) where my "driving" vehicles are likely to go to the shop when they need to be fixed instead of me groaning away in the garage trying to do the same job. I'm not to the point where I can't do it, but I'm not far from it and I'm deep into "I don't want to do it" territory.

i hear you on the buy once cry once, but that's a lesson I should have learned (for this particular tool) about 30 years ago.....

I can relate... I need to finish my projects before I am not able to do all the stuff I used to do with them... Like all the work I did in the 944 Turbo... there is no way in heck that I would tackle something like that today... that car still has chucks of my skin in it...

 

[great white]

I can relate... I need to finish my projects before I am not able to do all the stuff I used to do with them... Like all the work I did in the 944 Turbo... there is no way in heck that I would tackle something like that today... that car still has chucks of my skin in it...

This is why I tell my wife I can't sell any of my cars or machines.....there's so much of my blood in them that we're related at this point!

Although, I can think of one or two actual family members that I might be convinced to sell.....

 

[lordbeezer]

What year mustang you working on. I have couple 67’s I want to get on road. Much work to make it so.

 

[great white]

What year mustang you working on. I have couple 67’s I want to get on road. Much work to make it so.

83. but not exactly stock:







those are older pics. It wears a 1985 nose now. Looks like:

 

[lordbeezer]

Nice mustang.

 

[great white]

Ah, figured out the best way to go here. came across a set of 3/16 die and anvil pieces:

40 bucks CAD gets that to my door. so the precision parts are coming already made. Now all I have to make is the mechanism to press the two together. It's a simple machine, looks like this:



Should be a doodle to build that part.

the majority of the brake lines are 3/16, so this will do most all of the lines. The few other sizes I can do with the conventional "cheapie" style flare tool. The cheapie will hold up fine for the few flares i will need to make with it.