I am at a decision point on my '55 F100 rebuild. (Linked in signature) The next thing is to install new brakes. This includes new hard brake lines. The truck will remain stock so I have a choice of building all of it from scratch or buying one of the pre-built line kits available from a number of sources. I have not done a detailed cost analysis but I suspect that cost might be similar either way. the reason being that I would need to by a tubing flare tool if I go the scratch route. And I favor the nice one that Eastwood sells. ( A little bit of PTSD here as as a kid messing with cars I had a lot of "do overs" with my Dad's flaring tool as it tended to let the tube slip and mess up the flare.)

So, I am asking for your input. Are the pre-built kits as wonderful as they claim? If so, which kit is THE one to use? I'll start by saying that I am concerned that the tubing kit would get mangled in shipping and be a real project to properly un-mangle. But, if the right vendor knows how to pack and ship this may be a non-issue. I don't mind the work of scratch building. I just want the best result.

Over to you...

 

https://www.inlinetube.com/ Couldn't make lines any neater and fit better than the pre-made with original fittings this company sells.

 

We made our own for the 52 F1 build. Inline tube makes a nice zinc coated line that flares well. Besides the flare tool, you will need a good bender, and a good straightener. I did buy the rear axle line pre-made from DC, it has a lot of detailed bends, and is easy to ship.

JB

 

I bent my own on my 55 F250. It was considerably cheaper and it gave me the opportunity to learn.
I bought a flare kit and went to work. I used a fine very dry sand to help with the bend. Fill the brake line with the sand and you can mostly bend by hand and it won't crimp.
Be sure to use dry sand and get it all out when done.

I bought a pre bent fuel line and it came bent extra to fit in a box, so I had to straighten it at that location anyway. Pre bent brake lines might be the same way.
If you have a fairly decent flaring tool you should be good. I practiced a bit on my flaring.

 

I bought the Eastwood Flaring Tool, Bender, Line and Fittings.. Built the entire system for about what I would have spent on a pre-bent kit, including a Dual Master Cylinder..
It came out very good and I now have the tools if needed.. (My brother in law is now using it to do his International Scout and another friend is next on the list for his F100..)

 

Bob, how is your 53 coming along? Any updates? With pics?

Joe Harrier, I must have gotten the same prebent fuel line. You had to straighten it at the designated spot.

 

I bought the eastwood too because with 7 trucks i knew i would be doing many lines. You cant get easier and fuel lines and air lines are even more reason to buy.

 

I've never bought a prebent set, I've always have done my own.

#1 rule I've found is to buy a good flaring tool. When I did my last brake lining on my '37 Buick I tried to go cheap and use the free tool rental from two different McParts auto parts store. All of the tools were worn in the gripping area. I got smart and bought a brand new flaring tool from NAPA, it wasn't that expensive, I think maybe $30-35, maybe.

#2 use a straightened metal coat hanger and use it to make a pattern for your bends.

#3, and this is really BIG, before flaring the end of your line make sure you have the fitting on the tube. This might sound stupid but I did a few really nice long runs with some intricate bends, flared the end and found I forgot to install the fitting

#4 the new type of coated lines are easier to bend without kinking and sometimes somewhat easy to straighten if you make an incorrect bend or if you over bent. The old type of line is a PIA to work with, kinks easy and is impossible to straighten once bent.

I buy the line in a large coil, not sure but I think it comes in 25 foot lengths. I unroll what I need, cut and then use a piece of plywood or cleared bench top and a 2x4 cut about a foot long and use it to roll the line on the plywood working my way down until I have a straight piece of line.

Also, if you've never done it before there are a load of videos on Youtube of people bending and flaring brake lines. I used to help my dad do all kinds of auto repairs and learned a lot from him but he died 30 years ago and in the mean time I don't as much auto repairs as we used to do so I get rusty and the videos help a lot.

 

I've done it both ways, scratch built and kit purchased. If you're doing it for a customer the labor to scratch build doesn't pencil. I've had good experience with Inline Tube and Classic Tube. Some companies sell products that others don't, so you'll have to shop around if you go that route. It's very common when needing to ship an 8 foot line in a 4 foot box to have it double back in the middle for shipping. The bend radius is very large and easy to undo. There's instruction on how to do it, and it works. If I was time crunched and needed to get it done, I'd buy the kit. If you have time and talent, you can make your own. There is a trick and learning curve to making the bends just right so the line goes in the direction you want, where you need it to. Figure on wasting a few practice lines if you're a beginner. You do need a certain level of patience, but it's definitely doable.

 

I bought an expensive flaring tool from Eastwood. It has dies and there are 2 steps to the process, but they come out perfect every time. I have a bunch of trucks and figured it was money well spent. Just finished the 56 and I am very happy with the results. I also buy the 25 ft. rolls but made a tool to straighten out the lines. You can buy these but I chose to build mine

 

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What "thrifty" said....

 

This has become an excellent collection of approaches and experiences. I thank you all for your time and consideration.

The positive experience folks have had with the named pre-bent suppliers combined with the fact I am only doing one truck has led me to conclude that purchasing pre-bent is best for me at this time.

 

That's what I would do. I installed a stainless steel pre-bent brake line kit from Inline Tube on a 1969 Mach 1 and it fit just like the original. The stainless is more difficult to work with and also it can gall where the tube nuts bear up against the back sides of the flares. I put a very thin film of anti-seize compound at those locations.

If you were determined on making your own I'd think about using the newer Nickel-Copper brake line tubing since it's easier to bend and flare and there are no long tern corrosion issues like with steel. I found The Stop Shop has some fairly good prices for do-it-yourself kits and individual parts and line.