The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Brake line from T fitting to Hydrovac

Just wondering if anyone ran into this problem. I am having a hard time bending a 90° bend tight enough so that the line fits between the hydrovac and the frame as it comes out of the T the runs lines to the front and rear axle. I am using one of those benders that has two handles, one handle has groves in it that pushes the tubing around a round fitting with a grove in it. The problem is the radius is too big to get a short enough leg on the 90. I was wondering if a pair of the tube bending pliers would work. http://www.eastwood.com/ew-brake-forming-tool-pliers.html
Harbor Freight has them for $5.99.
Anyone else run into this problem can give me some advice? The only other idea is to run the tube along the inside side of the hydrovac, instead of along the frame.

There's an old shade tree trick that I've used on occasion- - - -fill the tube with melted lead to keep it from collapsing while you make a sharp bend around a piece of pipe or something else with about the right radius, then melt the lead out after the bend is made. Very tightly packed sand can work, too, or maybe beadblasting media, but you need to really work a lot of it in there and pack it solidly.
Jerry

Super55, can you post a picture? Im not sure I understand what connection your talking about.

Im not sure I approve of Jerrys method. Seems like youd be asking for trouble by heating a brake line, couldnt that mess with the structural integrity of the brake lines? There isnt a lot of metal there to begin with.

We used to keep old tire weights for the lead for occasions as mentioned above. Of course today the youngsters are afraid of lead poisoning. Maybe my problem is lead poisoning instead of old age.

Here is a picture of the T fitting. It shows the T fitting the hydrovac and where the short line from the T to the front of the hydrovac should go along the frame rail. The larger line is my gas line. There isn't much room between the rail and they hydrovac, so the leg of the 90° bend that goes into the T fitting has to be shorter than what I can form with my bender. The radius needs to be smaller. That's why I want to find some of the bending pliers pictured in my first post.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Ibs2LFo3bsVM

Just a crummy placement really, can you relocate the T to a better location?

Hy Super55, you can route your brake tubing any way you want as long as it doesn't interfere with anything and is supported every two feet or so, you could make a couple of gentle bends and go right around the outside of the hydrovac if you like, at least it looks like you could do that, from your picture, hope that helps.

I couldn't find the bending pliers anywhere, other than Harbor Freight. So I am going to get a pair next time I am down in Washington. I am heading down on Friday, but in the mean time, I borrowed my neighbors spring bender. You know the kind that fits over the tube and then it keeps it from kinking. I tried a sample piece and it looks good. I'll let you know how it works out and how those pliers work when I get them. I don't want to go around the other side of the hydrovac, it will be sort of exposed, and not supported enough. Whoever put that piece in before had a compression fitting, and it was two piece.

My 46 is about the same set-up. It used a pretty long section of line coiled in order to make the turn without to sharp a bend.

I was able to get a tight enough right angle bend by using the spring bender, the type that slides over the tubing and distributes the pressure so that it doesn't kink. I put the brass fitting in a vise, pushed the spring bender along the tube up against the fitting, and carefully bent the tubing as tight as I could. It just fit. The ling heads back along the frame rail until it passes the hydrovac, does a 180° turn back to the hydrovac with a 4 inch diameter bend. It takes about 34" of tubing if anyone is curious.