School me on stainless braided line assembly

[njc1064]

Okay, so im in the process of upgrading my fuel system. I can cut the line and get great clean edges. The problem is that i can not seem to get the line into the fittings. Any advice?

 

[forcefed4]

Pirate4x4.com - The largest off roading website in the world.

Scroll down.

 

[njc1064]

Well, i was using duct tape, assuming the glue would help hold the braids on the line...I will try electrical tape...Great link though! Worth the read!

 

[snowborder714]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...how-work-stainless-braided-hose-fittings.html

 

[My1GLaser]

You could probably keep 1 layer of tape on the braided hose to keep the frays together.

Duct tape the shit out of the hose before you cut it and it keeps the SS braids from coming apart so much. Even a clean cut makes the SS braid expand larger than the original diameter.

You can use a cut off wheel on a die grinder which makes a better cut, since you don't have to pull a saw back and forth thru the SS and get it all out of whack.

Expect a few of those bastards to stick in your finger while you are putting it together.

Just squeeze the hose end tight and twist the SOB into the fitting.

 

[turbosax2]

YouTube - #6 Swivel Seal Assembly

 

[redline6k]

I could never get them done by hand so i bought the AN fitting tool from Koul Tools. That tool saved me so much time and patience.

 

[crimsondragon]

Here's a litte secret of mine. I used to care about fray till my hands became all bloody. I now cut it the easiest way possible with just duct tape, and aim the hose directly over the fitting while applying medium pressure. Any runaway braids, gets shoved in by my small screwdriver.

 

[duwackerTSi69]

I always wondered how they made these SS lines?? Great video man, gives me ideas..

 

[njc1064]

The replies are excellent so far! I have indeed made progress and i am finally starting to figure out how to work with these lines! I must admit, it gets frustrating at first, but, once you get rolling, its not too bad! Patience is key...

 

[snowborder714]

I could never get them done by hand so i bought the AN fitting tool from Koul Tools. That tool saved me so much time and patience.

How do those tools treat the fittings? Do they keep them from scratching? They look pretty nice, but I'm not sure if it'd be worth it when I can do it with a bench vise.

I would like a pair of the clippers made for SS line.

 

[redline6k]

How do those tools treat the fittings? Do they keep them from scratching? They look pretty nice, but I'm not sure if it'd be worth it when I can do it with a bench vise.

I would like a pair of the clippers made for SS line.

Nope it doesn't scratch the fittings.

 

[99gst_racer]

These things are a god-send when working with AN fittings:

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They are vise inserts. They are made of a dead-soft aluminum material and fit the hex of any AN fitting without scratching it. They're made by Aeroquip (part # FCM3661) and they sell for around $20 for the pair.


Also, this type of cllear, fiberglass reinforced packaging tape has been absolutely awesome for wrapping and cutting SS braided hose:

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Does a really nice job of helping contain the overbraid and keep from freying.

I've been using a small hack saw with a nice, new metal cutting blade. This combo made very nice, clean cuts.


Also, NEVER leave the tape on the end of the hose. I can't stress this enough. The fitting is not designed to have that soft, lubricating piece of electrical tape wrapped around inside of it. It can compromise the seal, and more importantly compromise the fitting's ability to maintain a positive compression on the hose. I speak from experience. It's not fun to have a fuel line blow off of your FPR at WOT.

 

[njc1064]

Good Advice. Luckily, im safe! Actually, i didnt even have to use tape. I worked with the dremel, wrapping electrical tape around the area i was cutting. It really wasnt working very well. Even with the electrical tape, the line was still very difficult to work with. Then, i decided to give the cold punch idea a try. WOW, what a difference that makes! It was so much quicker and the braids on the line stayed in almost perfect shape. In fact, i was able to cut the rest of the lines and get them into their respective fittings in an extremely timely manner! I would definitely recommend that anyone who is working with stainless steel line at least try the cold punch technique!

 

[turbosax2]

Good to hear the chisel worked for you. I tried it and couldn't get it to work; I don't think I had it sharpened good enough though. Next time I have to work with SS lines I'm going to try it again.

 

[njc1064]

Was it a cold chisel? I originally tried some chisel that i had laying around. I sharpened it and then tried it, but it didnt work. So, i went to the store, picked out a "cold chisel", which, from what i read, is basically made to cut metal that is softer than the chisel itself. So, i bought it. I came home, found a piece of old, flat stone (maybe some type of concrete block), layed it on the bench, put the line on it, placed the chisel on the line and gave it a few good blows. This method gave me a clean cut every single time! I made five more cuts, no problems!

 

[turbosax2]

Mine was just a regular chisel I guess, I never heard of a "cold chisel" before. So you didn't have to sharpen the cold chisel?

 

[njc1064]

Nope, bought it, brought it home, used it...Worked very well. I went out and tried one of my masons chisels (after i had sharpened it) and it also worked well. So, i guess a sharp chisel works just the same!

I am having one issue though. One of my fittings is giving me some trouble. I get the line in, no problem. Then, i try to screw the hose end back in, and as im tightening it, the line backs out of the other fitting. Whats that about?

 

[94Jettameowpsst]

wooden stairs, aluminum wrenches, a small screwdriver (to press the line into the inner lip) and patience.

i hate these fittings but they look so nice

 

[snowborder714]

Make sure you put a bit of oil on the fitting so that it slides into the hose easily. And make sure when screwing it in to only touch the hose and not the fitting.

 

[kahl23]

One trick I suggest is using a worm clamp to keep the stainless braid from unwinding. After you remove the electrical tape, put a worm clamp about 1/4 to 1/2 inch below the end of the line and tighten it snug, but not so much that you distort the line. Then put the fitting on. Once you've got the fitting started, completely unscrew the worm clamp and remove it.

 

[99gst_racer]

Make sure you put a bit of oil on the fitting so that it slides into the hose easily. And make sure when screwing it in to only touch the hose and not the fitting.

Ahh, took the word out of my mouth!
Lubricant works everytime.

 

[slowgsr]

easiest way ive found..

once you get the hose cut, in order to get the fitting on put the one piece of the AN fitting into a vice, and than insert the hose and using the weight of your body push and turn and thread it into the piece, once it bottoms out, put it in the vice from the bottom (so the hose hangs off the bottom) and put in the other piece (the piece that does the actual connecting) and with the proper size wrench just thread it in.. watch to make sure it dosen't push your hose out of the other fitting at all, I always watch but never had it happen.

Goodluck.

I mostly use push lock fittings, much cheaper and faster install. Approved for everything we need to do as well.

 

[turboglenn]

ever since i saw the video on cutting them with a chisel i've never had an issue. Some now days have counter clockwise threads in them to help fit them to the SS lines. I've also grown partial to the push on blue hose, just as good as SS IMO unless it's in a high wear enviroment.

 

[talonguy91]

After I cut my SS lines I put clamps on the ends of the hoses and snugged them up good, then I put the hoses with the clamps on in my freezer and after awhile I took them out took off the clamps and pushed them into the fitting and they slipped right in without fighting with them. Then I put some oil on the barb and screwed them in. After I finished the first hose I would take the next hose out the freezer and repeat. Then I just let them sit outside in the warmth or you can heat them with a heat gun or something so the hoses expand and settle. My car was down anyway so I did it this way because obviously I had the time to do it.