Steel braided hose assembly tips?

[Quickshoe]

Help!

I really take pride in being able to do most everything on my cars myself, but I'm stumped.

I have been attempting to make new SS hose assemblies for all my oil and fuel lines. I have purchased Aeroquip AQP racing hose and have Earl's re-usable swivel fittings.

I wrapped the hose with tape when I cut it. What is the secret in getting the hose into the socket prior to the SS braid beginning to unravel?

Is there a special tool or trade secret. Should have just purchased pre-assembled hoses...

Thanks for any tips.

[Banzai240]

Originally posted by Quickshoe:
Is there a special tool or trade secret. Should have just purchased pre-assembled hoses...

Thanks for any tips.

What are you cutting the hose with? I use a die-grinder with a cutoff wheel, which helps keep the braiding from unraveling...

My best advise to you would be to dump the SS hose, and instead, use the new "socketless" (barbed) hose/fittings, instead. WAY easier to assemble, cheaper, and weighs about half as much... and all with an equivalent burst strength... Just have to do something about the abrasion part...

Good Luck...



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Darin E. Jordan
SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
Auburn, WA
ITS '97 240SX

[Greg Gauper]

Yeah that socketless stuff is great, but I wouldn't trust it for my brake lines.....

Use a dremel tool with a small cutoff wheel. You'll probably use up two or three discs per cut. Wrap the hose end as tight as you can.

Carrol Smiths book on nuts, bolts, and fasteners mentions swearing a lot.....if the end slips while tightening.


Getting back to the socketless stuff. One tip to help the assembly is to soak the end of the hose in hot water for about a minute before inserting the fitting. The heat helps to make the hose a bit more flexible, and the water helps the fitting slide on. That stuff is almost idiot proof!

The fittings are reusable too. Just carefully cut off the old hose with a razor blade.

[Greg Gauper]

Originally posted by Greg Gauper:
Yeah that socketless stuff is great, but I wouldn't trust it for my brake lines.....and you have to cover the lines with something if they are used for oil or fuel and they pass thru the passenger compartment.

Use a dremel tool with a small cutoff wheel. You'll probably use up two or three discs per cut. Wrap the hose end as tight as you can.

Carrol Smiths book on nuts, bolts, and fasteners mentions swearing a lot.....if the end slips while tightening.


Getting back to the socketless stuff. One tip to help the assembly is to soak the end of the hose in hot water for about a minute before inserting the fitting. The heat helps to make the hose a bit more flexible, and the water helps the fitting slide on. That stuff is almost idiot proof!

The fittings are reusable too. Just carefully cut off the old hose with a razor blade.

[Greg Gauper]

I meant to hit the edit key...not the quote key.

[joeg]

Darin--Can you use the socketless style for fuel lines running inside the car?

Are they metal or a steel braid?

Cheers.

[chuck baader]

a friend told me to grease the inside of the hose prior to threading the fitting parts together. used amsoil wheel bearing grease for my -10 lines and the -4 for my fuel sample port...-4 is a helluv a lot harder to do

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Chuck Baader
SEDIV ITS #36 E30 BMW
Alabama Region Assistant Race Chair, Registrar

[Greg Gauper]

They are rubber lines, rated for something like 300deg and 250psi. So you would have to cover them if they ran thru the passenger compartment. If you are handy with a conduit bender, this makes a very clean (and legal) method of providing protection.

[Banzai240]

Originally posted by Greg Gauper:
They are rubber lines, rated for something like 300deg and 250psi. So you would have to cover them if they ran thru the passenger compartment. If you are handy with a conduit bender, this makes a very clean (and legal) method of providing protection.

Yah... what Greg said... Inside the car you have to use a metal covering of some sort. Not sure how I'd handle the use of bulkhead fittings with this stuff, since at some point near the bulkhead, the hose would have to exit the steel cover to connect to the bulkhead fitting... That might be kind of tricky, and would likely make using a steel-braided inside the car worthwhile...

I think if you use the cutoff wheel to cut things, then push and twist and cuss and push some more, you should be able to get them assembled with minimal trouble. Make sure to wrap with a strong tape (I use racers tape) and wrap it tightly BEFORE you cut to hold some pressure on the braiding...


And, as Greg mentioned... NO, they are NOT meant (or even available) for use as brake-lines or anything else requiring a teflon inner hose...

GOOD LUCK!


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Darin E. Jordan
SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
Auburn, WA
ITS '97 240SX

[JohnRW]

Post an email...I'll send you my secret tips.

It's really easy.

[Quickshoe]

E-mail is

[email protected]


Thanks for the suggestions about the socketless stuff. I'd thought about going that route for a few reasons. SS braids fraying over time and sticking you being foremost. Weight was also a consideration. I had wrapped it really tight and cut with both a dremel cut-off and a hacksaw. The cut hasn't bben the issue, it's been inserting it into the socket prior to it unravelling...can't leave it taped.

[Tobey]

JohnRW:
Send a copy to me also, if you don't mind:
[email protected]

[snook]

JohnRW I would like a copy also.
[email protected]
Thanks.

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[machschnell]

FWIW, I found masking tape worked better than duck tape - alot stiffer. took a few practice cuts with a *sharp* hacksaw blade, but I got it.

PJ

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83 Rabbit GTI - future ITB

[MarkL]

I was told by an Air Force-reserve mechanic and former engineering technician for the Army Ammunition plant that he always uses masking tape, a fine hacksaw blade, and lubes the hose with hand cleaner before doing the assembly. He has done a LOT of hydraulic hose assemblies, and he swears by his method. Who am I to argue?

[944guru]

Hey, you guys missed the important part! He's using Earl's fittings with AeroQuip hose. Although you can make it work, AeroQuip and Earl's hose are slightly different outside diameters!!!! Best to stick with the same manufacturer for both!

[Quickshoe]

Despite the secret tips and all the advice, I gave up. I had success with one end after the third cut, figured I'd only get one, perhaps two chances with the second end. I took the hose and ends to G&J Aircraft. Their secret is what it is cut with, they wouldn't tell me how they did it, but they did it out of sight and 15-20 feet from me at the most. No power tools, cussing, anything. Took him 15 minutes to do 10 ends all for $20!!! At that rate it is something I'll never do myself.

[joeg]

Although you can make it work, AeroQuip and Earl's hose are slightly different outside diameters!!!! Best to stick with the same manufacturer for both![/B][/QUOTE]

Not true. For the regular stainless steel hose, you can mix and match brands all the time.

[joeg]

I suspect their secret cutter is a Beverly shear.

[Banzai240]

<font face=\"Verdana, Arial\" size=\"2\">At that rate it is something I'll never do myself. </font>[/b]

Can we quote you on that the next time you have an off-track that rips off one of our oil lines and you need to quickly repair/rebuld it before the next session???

Never say never...



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Darin E. Jordan
SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
Auburn, WA
ITS '97 240SX