What flaring tool have you guys used for stainless steel brake lines? I have found a Rigid but is very expensive, thanks

 

make sure when you're looking that you get a 37 degree single flare tool.. SS lines use "AN" style fittings and they are 37° and single flare... not like the standard steel lines that are 45° and double flared.

you can find them at Yogi's or Summit Racing has one for around 30 bucks

http://www.summitracing.com/search/D...ew=ProductName

later
John

 

Eastwood makes one. I bought one to do my brake lines. It is quick and does an excellent job. You produce the 45* double flares needed to connect to standard brake fittings (like master cylinder, brake hoses, etc).

 

Be sure that you buy the proper tubing...ss comes in various wall thicknesses and if you get the thick stuff there is no way in h**l that you will get it to flare. Don't ask how I know this....

 

Ill take a look at what eastwood has to offer, thanks. did you use stainless steel tubing because i got one of those cheapies from summit and it just pushed the tubing out the holder and then i cranked it down so tight i broke a stud. I will be using the double flare 45* because thats the flare nuts i got.

 

I found the Rigid was worth the money. If you are going to go with the AN 37 deg fittings, make sure you get seamless tubing. I found my tubing at McMaster-Carr.

 

The one at eastwood looks like a very nice piece but way more than the Rigid. HD74 you said you used the Rigid was it the 458R? If i gotta buy one of these i only want to do it once i wish i could rent one somewhere, lol

 

Does the Rigid produce double flares? I was going to borrow one (don't remember which model) and it would only do single flares. The eastwood is expensive, but it was the only one that I could find that could handle stainless.

I did use the stainless tubing from summit racing. It worked very well once I got the right tools.

 

Model #377

 

To produce the double flare all you need is the extra pieces witch i have already from my other kit but now looking at that eastwood tool looks like it would be worth the 200 bucks and i wouldnt be stuck doing one type of flare either, Thanks i think youve sold me on it.

 

nordvic72..

I might be mistaken... but somewhere in the back of my neandrathal mind I remember that you can't double flare SS tubing... seems like I remember it being too hard and will crack on the second bend... maybe someone will correct me if I'm wrong...

john

 

John,
SS tubing can be double flared, many vendors including Inline Tubing offer 45 degree double flared SS brake lines and kits.

 

As long as it is double annealed it can be flared.

 

The flaring difficulties may be because there are two grades of stainless tubing: 304 and 316. If my feeble memory serves me well, 304 is softer that 316 but is prone to rust in very humid conditions.

 

Thanks for the recommendations on tools, I did not realize that there was a 37 degree flare for stainless. Great stuff. I had found some1/4" seamless MIL-T-6845 304 1/8th hard stainless steel tubing and bought it for brake lines. It's designed for<style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --></style> use in high pressure hydraulic and pneumatic systems in which corrosion resistant materials are required.

I have read that 304 is not as corrosion resistant as 316, but it also doesn't work harden as easily due to it's lower nickel content. I have been bending the MIL-T-6845 304 stainless for another project and find that it forms beautifully. I'll have to get a flaring tool & see how that goes, it also polished well and it's gorgeous.

Now all I got to do is get off of my lazy rear and get the brake lines done. So many projects, so little ambition.
Best Regards To All,
Jon