The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Help bending new fuel line

Hi all -

Will you please give me some pointers about tube bending re: tools, line stock, and tips? I'm gonna try to bend a pump-to-carb fuel line for my '54 3100 235 with Rochester B carb, "angled port" glass bowl fuel pump, and Durex-Moraine glass bowl fuel filter. 1/4"ID; 5/16"OD steel line (not stainless). Never done it before / not afraid to try.

My goal is to make the line look factory original. I bought pre-bent lines from two suppliers - - neither of them fit correctly.

> TOOLS: Which, if any, of these HF bending tools would be an acceptable choice? Any better choices for the money from other suppliers? I will probably use the tool only once ... or a few times if I screw up.
"Tube Bending Pliers"
"1/8" to 1/4" Tube Bender"
"Tubing Bender"

> LINE STOCK: Where can I buy steel line locally? Looks like I can use a 3' line with premade flared ends and brass fittings. Advance Auto Parts has only black brake lines. I may cut off one flared end and use a compression fitting to connect to the Durex fuel filter - as shown in the 1954 Accessories Installation Manual.

> TIPS?

Thanks as always for your help,

I use one like #3. It makes a good bend but you cant get real close to the fitting.

I've got a set of the pliers.
They worked well for making really
tight bends close to the fitting.
BUT, they left tool marks on the tubing
that I wouldn't want on the fuel line
where it'd be highly visible. see what I mean

I usually use a KD Tools 2189 for more gentle bends.
I expect the HF 3755 will work fine as well

regards,
Leon

Lonnie, I used a $10 tubing bender from Summit racing. It's a simple device and makes tight bends in 1/4", 5/16" and 3/8" tubing and can get the bends very close to the fitting.

If you'd like to see pictures of how tight the bends can be made, I'd be glad to email you a couple. I've use it for gasoline, brake and transmission cooler hard lines. I don't know how to post pictures here (no computer skills). My email is [email protected]

I know this is a dumb question - what friendly local auto parts store sells steel lines with flares and fittings on each end?

Is a bender like Ray bought from Summit available at my FLAPS? (Ray - is this the bender that you bought?) Otherwise, I'll buy from HF. My truck has been down since early April waiting on a fuel line. Want to bend now!

I got my bender a HF and my double flaring tool for around $10 for both. They worked just fine for getting the job done.
Napa Sells brake line in 5ft. I when to the home depot and got some 5/16 copper line and made mine.

http://talk.classicparts.com/picture.php?albumid=180&pictureid=1561

http://talk.classicparts.com/picture.php?albumid=180&pictureid=1562

Here is a couple of helpful videos.







Good luck

NAPA will have the brake line in multiple lengths. Get a little longer then needed, the bends will use up some length. Get the bottom tool in your list, it will do everything you need for a one time use tool. I would stay away from compression fittings on fuel lines, I know a lot of guys do it and get leak free results, but NHRA and other racing associations ban them. I figure if they don't want them, neither do I.

NAPA also sells a greenish/gray line that can be bent with your hands. Its pretty fool proof and kink free. If you can stand the color, its a good way to go.

When you go buy some line, buy a extra piece for practice. It takes a time or two to figure out where to start the bend so it ends at the right distance from where you started. You will also note that the line has a weld seem on it, use that as a reference guide so you know which way the bends should be going from one another.

Start at the carburetor and work down toward the fuel pump. If you have extra line or miss the turn a little, you can correct it and have it not show to much. A mistake at the carb will be obvious since its the first thing you see.

Joe

Lots of good info on this thread. I gotta question - is copper tubing o.k. to use on fuel lines? I see Grandpa used it on his truck but I'm just wondering why all the factory lines are steel and not copper?

It's been done, and was used factory in the teens and 20's.
Now days we're concerned with vibration and the copper work hardening, getting brittle, and finally cracking.
Steel line is the better answer. Copper-nickel alloy brake and fuel line is also a great, and I think an even better choice.

Grigg

Lonnie, that's a much nicer bender than the one I got from Summit years ago. You can get tubes with nuts installed and double flared ends in a variety of lengths from auto parts stores.

When I'm making a complicated hard line I make it first as a pattern using a gas welding rod. Then I duplicate the pattern with tubing. Mark on the tubing where the CENTER of the bend will be then place that mark on the center of the bender mandrel.

It's very cool that you are willing to try this. You can do it! It's really sad how many guys want to get somebody else to do all of these interesting tasks. We're never too old to learn! I'm 66 and I recently re-learned tig welding after not touching it for over 40 years. Yee haw!!!

I only used copper cause I like the look it gives. For me it is a classic look but its up to you. Steel will last longer for sure. But do what you like. Good luck. Easy job to do once you got all the right tools.

buy two lines that way when you mess one up you dont have to run back to get another one only to find out they are closed. what i do is to tape the nuts to the end of the tube. too many times ive bent the tube only to find out in the process that the nut ended up on the wrong side of the bend. i have a shop full of silly straws due to mistakes.

Is that a fuel filter between the line and carburetor?

"what i do is to tape the nuts to the end of the tube".

AMEN!

I have bent lines around bottles before.

However. Today, I think I would use one of the tools.

Thanks to all of you, I bent my fuel line - and it looks pretty good!

Driver's side w/Durex fuel filter.

Passenger's side. Difficult to see where the line bends to go down. I kicked it out a little to give some more distance from the heater and radiator hoses.

The vac advance line is from InLine Tube via Chev's of the 40's. I am returning the pump to carb fuel line that I bought because it wasn't bent correctly. That's why I started this thread asking for advice.

Line clips from Shafer's Classic Reproductions, Tampa - via Eckler's.

I bought the HF #3755 tube bender and #66534 double flare tool. About $20 for both with coupons. Took three pieces of 40" NAPA tube stock to get it right - steel colored, not green.

"Grandpas Truck" thanks for the videos.

Joe - You convinced me. I used flared fittings at all unions. And thanks for suggesting that I start at the carb. For some reason, I had planned to start at the pump.

No fuel in the filter because I haven't started it yet ... The carb did not have an insulator, so I added one. Looks like a previous owner cut off the tip of the throttle carb rod and welded on a threaded piece to compensate for the lower height of the carb without the insulator. So now, the rod is too short. Can't start it until I fix it. Guess I'll have longer threaded rod welded to it. Eventually try to find the correct rod.

Thanks again for your guidance.

For an inexpensive chrome plated line in 3/8 I used to buy the plated copper lines that were available for plumbing installation.It worked just like bare copper and seemed to be high quality chrome.Probably been replaced by plastic now like everything else.

Lonnie,

You can make the accelerator rod yourself out of of steel rod stock from Lowes, Home Depot or equivalent. A 1/4 x 3 ft piece is about $2. You did such a good job on the fuel line, it should be a piece of cake.

regards,
Leon

Hi Leon,

Thanks for your confidence in my limited abilities! I made a separate post re: the short carb rod. Doubt that I will try to make a new one.

I found the source of the threaded carburetor rod on my truck ...
Posted in another thread.

ScottSeWall, Yes that is a filter between the carb and the fuel line.