Brakeline Bending Tip

[Gastrick]

Here's a small tip for use when bending brakelines. It makes it easy to calculate bends when making lines that need to go into, or around corners. If you don't already use it, give it a try on your next job. Works on fuel, tranny, and other lines too.

Before starting your next job, cut a pice of line approximately 5" to 6" long. The length is not critical. Get a marker and your tubing bender out.



Now place that short piece of tubing in your bender as if you were preparing to bend it. Then take your marker and mark the tubing at the 0 degree mark on your bender. If your bender is not marked in degrees, make a reference mark on it with a scribe or file.



Now go ahead and bend the short piece of tubing into a 90.

 

[Gastrick]

Now, let's say that you are plumbing your hot rod and need to make a 90 degree bend around a chassis crossmember. Lay or hold the brakeline you are using to plumb your car above or below the chassis, extending past the crossmember where you need to make the bend. Lay your short, marked piece of tubing next to your workpiece and into the corner you are bending around. Like this..........



Now, with your marker, transfer the line on your template line to the actual line that you are using for your brakeline. Now place your brakeline in your bender, lining up your mark at 0 degrees and make the bend. This makes for a perfect bend length calculation every time.

 

[gassersgarage]

Great tip! Sure will save a lot of trial and miss. Thanks

 

[FlatBroke]

That is nice and clean.

 

[BruceR&C]

Great tip !!! Just wish it came a couplea weeks earlier. Would have cut down the time it took to plumb the truck.

 

[donsrods]

Cool tip. Now, do you have a suggestion what to do with the hundreds of mismeasured pieces of tubing I have laying around the shop??


Don

 

[Bonehead]

Great tip. Explained and shown nicely.

 

[29bowtie]

Thanks,i'm about to start making all the brake lines for my car.

 

[donsrods]

It really is a very good tip. Every time I have bent lines, they are just a little longer or shorter than you want them to be. This makes such good sense.

Don

 

[22dodge]

Thanks....

Excellent tip, Gastrick. This will cut down on the frustration factor. Thanks, '22

 

[tiny1]

Very cool tip Gastrick thanks . In a few more days I'll put the tip to use . Thanks

 

[Oldrodder43]

Cool tip. Now, do you have a suggestion what to do with the hundreds of mismeasured pieces of tubing I have laying around the shop??


Don

Yeah, package 'em up, send 'em to Maine. haahaaaa Perley

 

[LOST ANGEL]

DAMN, that's a great tip! I screwed up more line than I ever got right. Thanks, my T will hopefully benefit.-MIKE

 

[roddguy]

Boy that comes just in time. I'll be doing lines on a project at work very soon.
Thanks.

 

[Dqracer]

Nice trick,, it's those little things that make life easier.

 

[Boltbreaker]

Thanks Gastrick. I am going to send my frame and suspension out to powder coat hopefully in two weeks, and then the brakeline work happens when it returns. Perect timing for your thread.

 

[Dqracer]

From the response ,,theres allot a folks with "No" brakes....

 

[Sniper]

What a cool idea! I have the same bender, but have always taken the guess-estimate approach, sometimes it even worked!! I'm going to carry your idea one step farther, and use it to do the hoops for the roadster top.Thank you, you saved me from a pile of headaches. Sniper

 

[ratty 46]

Nice tip!!! I will remember this one!

Ratty 46

 

[Dvapteam]

tip

the others have said it. allready....great tip, we just started and have already made a few mistakes that we can now tackle....thanks
DVAP