I decided since I have gone into so much detail with this resto that I would take it a step further a bend/flare/install my own stainless lines.
Well the first step I thought was I am gonna need a real nice flaring tool and a quality bender cause all I had heard in the past was "stainless is a pain in the #$#%^% to work with and a regular flaring tool just wont do" BULLSHEIT!!!!!!
Not am I out the $580.00 for the Universal Hydraulic Flaring Tool Set sold to me by the Mac ma"cause thats what your gona need for stainless" but I am out 20 + feet of 3/16 and 20 + feet of 5/16 that I used for tranny cooling lines, fuel lines and power steering cooler and countless hours of tedious perfect bending and "proper" flaring.
Why am I out???? Cause this expensive waste of my money and time WILL NOT work with 304 stainless tubing.
Turns out it is too think of a material dont get me wrong the flares were beautiful however you can not achieve a 45 degree flare with the stainless.
All I needed was my $19.95 Walmart flaring tool!!!!!!!
When I started her up it looked like a hydraulic/fuel sprinkler was going off under the hood and brake fluid spurting all over the place when I bleed the brakes.

 

Anyhow I thought this would help save people some time and money knowing you only need the basics to install stainless lines on our trucks and they can turn out real nice.

 

I always learn most things the expensive way too.

 

Can't you pretty much order all SS lines from the parts suppliers of our trucks? All pre-bent and ready to go?

 

Not that I have located and would not have to "unbend" do to shipping purposes and there was some extra bends I wanted for neatness.

 

So, you used a standard flaring tool for the SS line? I like your idea for the coils and I do similar things around the shop. It has been a long tome since I have tried to flare and brake lines. I remember when I was younger, I never had any luck with lines I tried to make myself.

For my current project, it is going to need some new lines bought or made. So, I guess I will ge another shot at it.

 

A lot of it depends on the style/quality of the stainless line you use as well. Annealed stuff is a bit softer and easier to work with supposedly.

 

You got it just a simple "Harry Homeowner" clam shell flaring tool.
Auto Zone and all the other guys sell them, and not one leak when I was done.
I tried free handing the coils and they went in the trash too but I noticed the stuff bent easy by hand and thought what the hell I'll wrap it around something.

 

I just ordered the $170 Stainless steel kit from JBG. Did you look at those?

 

Being a "particular *****" I did not want to have to "unbend" my new lines that were bent up to put in a box small enough for shipping purposes. Just how I am and really I am the only one that would be looking that close. Too **** I know.

 

Yeah, I'm expecting my box to arrive tomorrow Ace Ventura style. That's usually how they arrive.

 

Mine came from Inline tube...they made it to my door still pretty. Had to do a "make it fit" on a couple but they look pretty good. Unbending was not an issue.

 

Unless you have a early 77 highboy and then things get screwed up. I ordered a pre bent kit and not one frickin line would work. I tried to make them work since I waited and waited for them to arrive and that didn't work, so I ended up just making my own out of the standard stuff.

 

I was told to don't think they are going to arrive and you put them in place with out a lot of bending yourself. So I figured, if I got to do the bending myself I might as well just get the standard line and bend it.

And since my dent only comes out on nice days, and never in slop the regular line will be just fine.

 

I ordered all the stainless lines that Inlinetube made for my truck, brake, fuel, trans., emission, etc. There were no major fitment issues. The only two lines that had "shipping bends" in them were the fuel and emission lines. These were large radius 180 degree bends that were easy to straighten.
Everything installed easily and looks really good.