Stainless hard brake line flaring tool?
06-17-2007, 07:43 PM
#1
Stainless hard brake line flaring tool? I don't know if many of you guys run your own hard brake lines in your cars...but I've gotten really sick of trying to flare stainless lines with the wrong tools (the normal stuff works GREAT on normal mild steel lines, but can't cut it on stainless).
I like to run stainles slines in my cars/trucks, and even though Classic Tube and Inline Tube can almost always sell me a hard line kit, for a stock car, they usually can't do anything for a line lock or an adjustable proportioning valve without shipping lines back and forth, and I'd like to be able to just flare them myself. Same goes for not stock axles...once it isn't stock, only choice for me now is to make the line out of mild steel junk and send it to them and ask them to duplicate it in stainless...but it takes more time.
Anybody found any tools that really work well on stainless hard lines?
I like to run stainles slines in my cars/trucks, and even though Classic Tube and Inline Tube can almost always sell me a hard line kit, for a stock car, they usually can't do anything for a line lock or an adjustable proportioning valve without shipping lines back and forth, and I'd like to be able to just flare them myself. Same goes for not stock axles...once it isn't stock, only choice for me now is to make the line out of mild steel junk and send it to them and ask them to duplicate it in stainless...but it takes more time.
Anybody found any tools that really work well on stainless hard lines?
06-17-2007, 07:56 PM
#2
And in that regard...has anybody ever bought "Mastercool" tools? http://www.mastercool.com/m54.html 71475 looks like a pretty nice setup, and it's half the price of Snap-on's TF700 http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....group_ID=18146
06-18-2007, 10:32 AM
#5
Originally Posted by CTSmechanic
i have a Sykes Pickavant double flaring tool it does standard and metric stainless lines also alum. Do a search on Ebay for one they are hands down the best flaring tool I have ever used....
Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it.
06-23-2007, 05:09 PM
#6
try out a Ridgid brand tool you can even pick one up at home depot, Never tried a mastercool hyd. one but the ridgid is the best i have used. Does 3/16 and 1/4 stainless reliably.
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07-24-2007, 01:38 PM
#12
I agree...I also think it's technically not DOT legal to put a car on a public road without the appropriate double flares on the brake lines...and this is 99% of the work I see myself doing with the tool...I haven't seen a Rigid that can do it. I'm happy with the MasterCool.
07-28-2007, 03:55 AM
#14
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Seamless stainless only needs a single flare. Its tubing like the typically used welded seam tubing that needs a double flair for strength. ALso keep in mind that there are many different flares out there. Older GM stuff uses the classic 42/45º inverted/double flare and the aftermarket AN stuff is 37º single flare and then there is most new cars and their metric "bulb" flares. May be some other stuff but I am not personally familiar witht them. Hope some of this is helpfull. I couldnt tell you DOT regulations for sure but I'll bet they want a certification label from a certified manufacturer and installer. I hope they will acept my "License to do whatever I want".
07-29-2007, 12:46 PM
#16
Originally Posted by NIIN20
Seamless stainless only needs a single flare. Its tubing like the typically used welded seam tubing that needs a double flair for strength. ALso keep in mind that there are many different flares out there. Older GM stuff uses the classic 42/45º inverted/double flare and the aftermarket AN stuff is 37º single flare and then there is most new cars and their metric "bulb" flares. May be some other stuff but I am not personally familiar witht them. Hope some of this is helpfull. I couldnt tell you DOT regulations for sure but I'll bet they want a certification label from a certified manufacturer and installer. I hope they will acept my "License to do whatever I want".
You can single flare stainless with any old flaring tool...the double flaring is where most tools can't get the job done.
07-30-2007, 12:00 PM
#17
Originally Posted by Mike454SS
...but a single flare on a stainless brake line is not going to seal properly in a fitting intended for a metric "bubble" or a conventional inverted or double flare...
07-30-2007, 04:40 PM
#19
Originally Posted by MikeGyver
I'm pretty sure that the reason that you don't double-flare stainless is that it not flexible enough to reliably fold over itself without cracking. You already answered your own question, though, now that you told us that you are using the wrong fittings for stainless, and not AN fittings that stainless requires.