Straighten/flatten coil lines ???

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

Not sure where the best place is for this question so I'll start here. I hope to start runnign fuel and brake lines on my car soon. The brake likes are stainless and the fuel is alum. Both are coiled. What's the best way to straighten/flatten them out prior to running them down the frame??

[parsonsj]

I never could get mine straight. I tossed them, and bought straight lines.

jp

[oestek]

It's tricky, but it can be done. I can't explain it... maybe it's a good video how-to topic..

[WS6]

roll it out onto the floor. That will get it mainly straight. It's not easy to get it 100% straight though.

[NOT A TA]

I bend one end out enough from the coil to stand on the end of it. Then stand on the end and roll it forward while walking on the tubing thats on the floor and applying pressure to the roll against the floor as you roll. It comes out pretty straight with a mild bend from that. Once you've got a long enough section from the roll cut it off. Then to get out the mild bend hold the tubing out as far as you can reach on both sides of your body and pull it back against your stomach using yourself to bend against. After you play with it a bit you'll see you can make it appear almost perfect.

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

Thanks for the tips. What's the current consensous on using all braided lines and no hard lines. And I would only use hoses that had the ends factory installed. Not ones that I would assemble by hand.

[DRJDVM's '69]

One of the brake line companies makes a small tool that does it...I cant remember who....... I have the brochure at home. It looked like a small version of the hydraulic machines that fab shops use to bend pipe etc

The other way I saw on Musclecars was the take a block of wood and use that to roll the piece back and forth on the floor

[DRJDVM's '69]

here's one....not the company I was thinking of, but essentially the same exact tool
http://www.brakequip.com/tools_tube_straight.html

[gort69]

Thanks for the tips. What's the current consensous on using all braided lines and no hard lines. And I would only use hoses that had the ends factory installed. Not ones that I would assemble by hand.

I prefer regular steel hard lines. They aren't terribly glamorous, but they are very durable and reliable. You can shine them up and clear them if you are after pretty. Stainless is nice stuff, but a bitch to flare. Lots of the braided stuff still has rubber line under the braid, except now you can't visually inspect the rubber. Plus, the steel braid is a teriffic dirt trap and winds up looking funky if you drive the car a lot.