kramttocs Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Yes! I like that! Thanks, Chad. That looks great! Glad you posted this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_S85 Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 I had to replace a line, so I took some pics and will give a short explanation. This is honestly so easy. If you do it 3 times you will have it completely mastered: There are 4 components: the hose, the female portion of the fitting which slides over the end of the hose before anything else is done, the ferrule (or olive) that goes around the end of the tubing, and the male portion of the fitting that has the designated fitting end. The fitting I'm making is a 1/4" NPT on -4AN SS hose and I am using Aeroquip steel fittings. If these were aluminum fittings, the ferrule would be aluminum instead of brass, but everything else is basically identical. Start with a hose cut to length. spread the stainless steel sleeve out and away from the inner tubing. I like to use the female portion of the fitting to do this bu simply sliding it on repeatedly with a twisting motion. As I work it on again and again at slightly different angles, I can get the wires to point outward. If you do this with your fingers you will get stabbed with the needle ends of the wires and it is extremely painful so I suggest you try this trick or find a trick that works for you. This is what it should look like when you have successfully completed this step: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7139.jpg Once the hose end is prepped, insert the olive (tapered end first) so the tube is entirely inside the olive and the stainless is all outside of the wire. You may need to tap the end of the ferrule with a hammer to force it on all the way. There is a lip just on the inside edge of the ferrule that will catch the tube when it is far enough in. Here is what it should look like: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7140.jpg Once you have the female portion and ferrule installed, you will want to place the fitting in a vice with the fittings clamp on it: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7141.jpg At this point, you want to make sure that the tubing inside the ferrule is all the flush with the ferrule. If you can look in the top of the ferrule and see the top edge of the hose pointing inward, it is going to block the fitting when you try to assemble. I like to take a small tapered but blunt tool and insert it into the ferrule and rotate it to press the opening of the tube further open and flush against the ferrule. Once that's done, apply sume assembly lubricant to the male portion of the threads and the metal tube that is getting inserted in your hose: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7142.jpg You are going to press that metal tube into the top of the ferrule and press it down until the male and female threads meet (that's why you need to make sure to get the tubing flush with the ferrule or it will be in the way): https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7143.jpg https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7144.jpg Before tightening it on give the male portions some twist counter-clockwise until you feel it pass it thread starting point. Once it is seated correctly, then start turning it clockwise. Tichten it firmly, but you can strip them so don't overdo it. If you want it to look nice, try to get the flats to line up (unlike how I did it with this one: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7145.jpg https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7146.jpg Why I am not a fan of the braided lines. Some of my issues with them are as follows. 1) If you have a 90* on both ends good luck in them lining up without kinking the hose as they dont make a swivel like they do for -AN due to pressure rating. 2) You cant crank them down like an -AN hose end and get the hex to square up, you always end up with a gap that is on the loose side to get the hex to line up. 3) for high pressure you can only get the stainless steel braided and I have yet to see one in anything but bright silver finish. They have a black braided but its nylon braid and the pressure rating of the hose is considerably lower than the stainless steel braided that makes it not very suitable for hydraulic system pressure lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlebeefy Posted August 22, 2022 Author Share Posted August 22, 2022 I had to replace a line, so I took some pics and will give a short explanation. This is honestly so easy. If you do it 3 times you will have it completely mastered: There are 4 components: the hose, the female portion of the fitting which slides over the end of the hose before anything else is done, the ferrule (or olive) that goes around the end of the tubing, and the male portion of the fitting that has the designated fitting end. The fitting I'm making is a 1/4" NPT on -4AN SS hose and I am using Aeroquip steel fittings. If these were aluminum fittings, the ferrule would be aluminum instead of brass, but everything else is basically identical. Start with a hose cut to length. spread the stainless steel sleeve out and away from the inner tubing. I like to use the female portion of the fitting to do this bu simply sliding it on repeatedly with a twisting motion. As I work it on again and again at slightly different angles, I can get the wires to point outward. If you do this with your fingers you will get stabbed with the needle ends of the wires and it is extremely painful so I suggest you try this trick or find a trick that works for you. This is what it should look like when you have successfully completed this step: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7139.jpg Once the hose end is prepped, insert the olive (tapered end first) so the tube is entirely inside the olive and the stainless is all outside of the wire. You may need to tap the end of the ferrule with a hammer to force it on all the way. There is a lip just on the inside edge of the ferrule that will catch the tube when it is far enough in. Here is what it should look like: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7140.jpg Once you have the female portion and ferrule installed, you will want to place the fitting in a vice with the fittings clamp on it: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7141.jpg At this point, you want to make sure that the tubing inside the ferrule is all the flush with the ferrule. If you can look in the top of the ferrule and see the top edge of the hose pointing inward, it is going to block the fitting when you try to assemble. I like to take a small tapered but blunt tool and insert it into the ferrule and rotate it to press the opening of the tube further open and flush against the ferrule. Once that's done, apply sume assembly lubricant to the male portion of the threads and the metal tube that is getting inserted in your hose: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7142.jpg You are going to press that metal tube into the top of the ferrule and press it down until the male and female threads meet (that's why you need to make sure to get the tubing flush with the ferrule or it will be in the way): https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7143.jpg https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7144.jpg Before tightening it on give the male portions some twist counter-clockwise until you feel it pass it thread starting point. Once it is seated correctly, then start turning it clockwise. Tichten it firmly, but you can strip them so don't overdo it. If you want it to look nice, try to get the flats to line up (unlike how I did it with this one: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7145.jpg https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n123563/IMG_7146.jpg Why I am not a fan of the braided lines. Some of my issues with them are as follows. 1) If you have a 90* on both ends good luck in them lining up without kinking the hose as they dont make a swivel like they do for -AN due to pressure rating. 2) You cant crank them down like an -AN hose end and get the hex to square up, you always end up with a gap that is on the loose side to get the hex to line up. 3) for high pressure you can only get the stainless steel braided and I have yet to see one in anything but bright silver finish. They have a black braided but its nylon braid and the pressure rating of the hose is considerably lower than the stainless steel braided that makes it not very suitable for hydraulic system pressure lines. You're completely right, but let me give a few more tips to address the downsides. First, when it comes to lining up the flats, leaving the fitting a quarter crank too loose to get the flats lined up will not cause a leak and is not noticeable (it's like the width of a hair). I have done that on my Power Steering lines and they don't leak. It's just tricky and it takes practice to know when the fitting is "tight enough" to stop. Or just crank it down and get it tight because no one but you is looking at your flats anyway hahaha, Second, with the stainless hose being the only high pressure option, that is true, but... you can get a vinyl coated line in black (for example) from a couple of other manufacturers, like Fragola. I can't speak to them cuz I didn't use them. Third, and most importantly, the part about hose with angle adapters at both ends lining up is absolutely true. It is very hard to get them to line up at the right angle and the only thing I can suggest is the same as lining up the flats: know when it's tight enough to stop because that is where the angle of those fittings will permanently be at. However, it is not an issue as often as one might think. You can get around he problem by using swivel angle adapters on one end when you convert to AN (even if you don't have to adapt), but that's only a plus when you need the adapter anyway. On the benefits side, I will say that making my own hose has made it extremely easy to fix problems when they happen. Virtually all of my hose is one of two varieties and all of my fittings use one of 3 ferrules. So I keep five parts on hand and I can fix any line in my truck myself immediately in my garage. Now I'm going to make 2 x3' vacuum lines for my truck with AN fittings and throw a couple of flare adapters in the glove compartment; that way, in an emergency, I can use one of my vacuum lines to temporarily replace virtually any line in the truck. Sure, I have Hagerty Club to tow me if I have a problem, but I still think it's pretty cool that you could do something like that if you want to. I admit, though, it's not for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_S85 Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 You're completely right, but let me give a few more tips to address the downsides. First, when it comes to lining up the flats, leaving the fitting a quarter crank too loose to get the flats lined up will not cause a leak and is not noticeable (it's like the width of a hair). I have done that on my Power Steering lines and they don't leak. It's just tricky and it takes practice to know when the fitting is "tight enough" to stop. Or just crank it down and get it tight because no one but you is looking at your flats anyway hahaha, Second, with the stainless hose being the only high pressure option, that is true, but... you can get a vinyl coated line in black (for example) from a couple of other manufacturers, like Fragola. I can't speak to them cuz I didn't use them. Third, and most importantly, the part about hose with angle adapters at both ends lining up is absolutely true. It is very hard to get them to line up at the right angle and the only thing I can suggest is the same as lining up the flats: know when it's tight enough to stop because that is where the angle of those fittings will permanently be at. However, it is not an issue as often as one might think. You can get around he problem by using swivel angle adapters on one end when you convert to AN (even if you don't have to adapt), but that's only a plus when you need the adapter anyway. On the benefits side, I will say that making my own hose has made it extremely easy to fix problems when they happen. Virtually all of my hose is one of two varieties and all of my fittings use one of 3 ferrules. So I keep five parts on hand and I can fix any line in my truck myself immediately in my garage. Now I'm going to make 2 x3' vacuum lines for my truck with AN fittings and throw a couple of flare adapters in the glove compartment; that way, in an emergency, I can use one of my vacuum lines to temporarily replace virtually any line in the truck. Sure, I have Hagerty Club to tow me if I have a problem, but I still think it's pretty cool that you could do something like that if you want to. I admit, though, it's not for everyone. Dont get me wrong they are a great system and makes it very easy to make up your own lines custom for hydraulics. I have just seen so many leak under pressure that Ive tried leaving loose to get everything to line up and honestly in a business setting where time is money its not worth it for me to spend hours messing with something that only will get me paid a few hundred for the whole job. For my own personal vehicle if I used it then by all means I would take my time and try to do it right. Its probably the route I will end up going if I use hydroboost from a '88 F-superduty truck in place of my vacuum booster if my engine doesnt make enough vacuum. Its going to be a chore trying to get the 90s to line up properly cause I prefer using 90's on the hydroboost as it angles the line down towards the steering shaft and gives a nice drape over using straights. -AN is what I personally have been on a kick with. When I finished up that '77 C10 truck at work I flared the brake lines with my -AN flare die and I did not have to go back and mess with it there was no leaks even with full hydroboost pressure on the brake line. I am going to sleep a little easier at night on my engine build but at the same time I know my hardlines are not perfectly square so I am a little worried that the -AN flare might not seal up to 100 psi fuel pressure without leaking. I know that it should though. It also has me rethinking if I want to rent the GM male quick disconnect flare tool as I was going to flare the stainless steel hardline from Inline Tube to have it fit directly to the Corvette fuel filter/regulator assembly. But I forgot about not having a fuel pressure gauge port so I am leaning towards just AN flare on both ends of that hardline and use a male GM quick disconnect to -6 AN fitting and install a inline -6 take off fitting with pressure gauge port. I would have much rather have the pressure port up at the sniper on my setup to see what pressure is at the engine but the only place to place it where I can see it will be under the truck in front of the fuel tank as up front at the rubber flex line it would be hard to read. Plus I need to get to it as my plan is to get the RTX Retro cluster for our trucks from Dakota Digital and install a 0 - 100 psi fuel pressure sensor and attach it to a Dakota Digital interface so I can read fuel pressure live on the cluster as well as program in a warning light at 0 - 50 psi and 65 - 100 psi That is the beauty of having these tools is that all of this equipment makes it very easy for the DIY'er to make their own lines and systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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