Jump to content
HybridZ

Steel Braided Lines


Recommended Posts

I'm plumbing the fuel system on my sbc jtr conversion and ran into a wall on how to work with getting the AN fittings on the steel braided line. The frayed ends on the hose are endless...I tried tape, a worm clamp, griinding off the frayed ends only to get MORE sharp points to stick in my hands. It almost looks like you need a mini ring compressor to to the install the collars on the line. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

now this is might be a long shot for you, and it only works for one line. I too had that problem and I took a funnel and cut off the spout and slid it over the line and at the same time I slid the connector on. you then have to cut the funnel spout off the line with tin snips or something. We only had to do one line, and had the problems you did, so we just started expirimenting. Abviously, theres gotta be a better way

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest greimann

Wrap the area that you are going to cut with several rounds of TIGHTLY wrapped electrical tape. Use a fine tooth hack saw, 32 teeth per inch, and saw through it quickly, then remove the tape. That should leave you with minimal burrs.

 

If you have a frayed end already, you can't just cut off 1/8" or 1/4" of it to get it burr free, you will need to cut at least 1" or from another section of hose.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the perfect thread for me. I used to work at a Hydraulic and Pneumatic supply company and i would prep steel braided hoses with aeroquip fittings for local racers. We used a steel braided hose cutter that was similar to a pair of bolt cutters. They cut every strand of steel neatly, and indents the ends of the hose, making fittings slide on PERFECTLY every single time.

 

They look like this

 

hose_cutter_63045.jpg

 

And do this....

 

hose_stainless.jpg

 

I know the tool may be expensive, $50+, but i also know for a fact steel braided hose is not cheap. Hope this helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I bought my lengths of SS hose from Earls, I noticed how nice and clean the cuts were and I asked the guys what the best way to cut them were?

He said: lay it on a piece of billet alluminum (I know, we all have some of that laying around :roll: ) and use a nice sharp 3 inch chisel and whack the chisel with a hammer through the tubing. I figure a nice piece of 1/4 inch aluminum plate (get a piece of off-cut from the steel yard) layed on top of a piece of 2x6 wood should do the trick.

Tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the perfect thread for me. I used to work at a Hydraulic and Pneumatic supply company and i would prep steel braided hoses with aeroquip fittings for local racers. We used a steel braided hose cutter that was similar to a pair of bolt cutters. They cut every strand of steel neatly' date=' and indents the ends of the hose, making fittings slide on PERFECTLY every single time.

 

I know the tool may be expensive, $50+, but i also know for a fact steel braided hose is not cheap. Hope this helps.[/quote']

 

 

Man it DOES help! I never knew that, and I love big tools like that. I'll have to go get one when I'm ready. Thanks :)

 

Davy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the advise & suggestions. I had a few trial & errors and found that if I wrapped the line 2 times with 1/2 in masking tape and used an air powered cut off tool I got a usable end for the AN fittings. I now have a new appreciation for ayone whose has used steel braided lines & AN fittings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I know this is an old thread but I am in the process of upgrading my fuel system to -6AN SS lines, 3/8" hard line, new MSD pump, and cartrige style fuel filter. I too am having one hell of a time getting the SS braided lines to cut clean. I tried the tape method but it wasnt working for me!

 

David, where can I get a pair of those hose cutters?

 

I might try cutting it with a dremel first? Any other things that I should try?

 

Guy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guy,

 

Wrap 1 1/2 rounds of masking tape on the SS hose and cut it in the middle of the tape with a dremel or exhaust cut off tool. I used an air powered exhaust cut off tool. Leave the tape on and apply motor oil on the hose end, use an air ratchet and install the end on the hose. Lube up the treaded end & the inside of the hose and install it. Put a peice of tape or something at the edge where the end seats on the hose, this is so you can see if you push the hose out when you tighten up the fitting.

 

After doing 2 ends I got the process down pretty good. Remember measure twice & cut once! I came up short a couple times as I was learning how the ss lines worked, and I was picky on how the fitment looked .

 

This will work for you.

 

Rusty

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest 77vegasz

I measure all my fuel ine runs and then went to my local hydraulic hose shop.

They make a teflon lined steel braided hose with crimped on JIC style fittings that are used on high pressure hydraulic systems. I bought the matching NPT to JIC adapto fittings for my pump and filter and it makes an excellent durable leak free system.

 

Jon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I went to Home Depot tonight and found a set of cutters that look similar to the ones above only they are about 6" shorter. I used them tonight and they cut through the hose pretty cleanly. However, I couldnt stay out in the garage to mess with them since my GF was over and we were planning in spend some quality time together! Hopefully I can get out in the garage tomorrow and really try it out!

 

Oh and is it ok to leave some tape on the end and then insert the SS hose into the fitting?

 

Guy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's best to remove the tape. I put a drop of light oil on the inside of the fitting and spread it around, that made things go together much easier. I used electrical tape and a cutoff tool, came out pretty clean and the oil seemed to help the edge from fraying as I slid it in.

 

- Joe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I figured out a way to do it......

 

First I wrapped the SS line 2-3 times with duct tape(didnt have any electrical tape sitting around). Then I took your standard pipe cutter(the kind where you have a small disc and run it around the pipe and keep tightening it down until your through the pipe) and I ran that around SS line until it was pretty much cut all the way through. By doing this I also made the SS line kind of twist it self tighter. Now I used the hose cutting pliers I got at Home Depot and cut the rest of the way through the SS line. Now I removed the duct tape and took the fitting end and spun it on in the direction that I was spinning the pipe cutter so that it followed the way that the SS line was now wrapped towards. It helped that I used a wrench to spin it on and press on the fitting at the same time. Once it was on all the way I just installed the other end of the fitting and walaha! DONE!

 

It worked for me both times I tried it tonight with out any problem. I hope this info helps someone! :-) Thanks for all the help guys, I used a little bit of what everyone did and combined them into my own way and I got great results!

 

 

Guy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's an article in the January issue of Car Craft magazine that talks about this very thing, well sort of. It talks about a new type of hose created by Earls called "Pro-Lite 350 Braided Hose." The hose is black fabric braided nylon it says primarily to reduce the weight of the line in racing applications. It goes on to say "despite this, Pro-Lite maintains a 350psi operating rating and the same temperature range as stainless (-40 degrees F to 300 degrees F)."

 

The article talks about the hassel of cutting the stainless line vs cutting this new stuff. Oh and by the way Tim was right on the money with his chisel and block method that he suggested for the stainless line. According to the article that is what a fellow named Tom Neely from Earl's Store #1 in Lawndale, CA recommends using, a sharp concrete chisel and a block of aluminum for a crisp, clean cut. First wrap the end of the line tightly using duct tape at the point to be cut before cutting with the chisel or heavy clippers. Before the ends can be assembled on the hose, they should be disassembled for lubrication. They suggest using Earl's own liquid lube, engine assembly lube or engine oil for this. "Without the lube, the aluminum fittings can easily gall," according to the article.

 

The article starts on page 56 and gives a blow by blow pictorial of how to install the line. By the way folks the new black line looks great!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...