The 'E' Type Forum

I need to make up a number of brake and clutch pipes. I can buy from the usuals but am thinking of making my own as This will be cheaper and hopefully the correct length.
To do this I need a flaring tool, plenty of cheap ones on ebay , toolzone etc.
Does anyone have experience of these or am I better playing safe and purchasing ready made?


Tim

I gota Draper tool. Using this tool I have renewed every pipe on the car.
Once you get your eye in, it is very satisfying.
NB get a good pipe bender

It's a doddle, and the advantage is that you get to make them the wrong length yourself, rather than paying someone else to do it for you.

Even the cheap sets (example do a decent job. The tubing cutters are usually crap, but the cheap tools are fine unless you're going to be making brake lines all day every day.

Just don't tell anyone that you've got a roll of CuNiFer tubing and a flaring tool. The stuff evaporates faster than Ether.

If CuNiFer is evaporating in Switzerland it must be a lot hotter there than in the UK today where it is cold, damp and miserable

Could we have a picture of your single and double flares from the tool suggested ? .

I would recommend ,

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HAND-HELD-BR ... Swz7Naeg8w

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SYKES-PICKAV ... SwMNxXbPwg

I wouldn't recommend the Draper style tool above as there's nothing to hold onto with that style of tool so you have to use a vice and clamping the pipe takes lots of screwing. I have used that style of tool and it works fine but I spent a little more to buy this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Sealey-Brake-P ... 0005.m1851

when I had a whole car's worth of pipes to do and it worked fine. Closing the red handles grips the tubing and off you go.

Also you can use it if you need to form a flare on a car sometime.

Hi Tim,

This is the one I bought. It did all the different pipe sizes and is really easy to use.
I'd also recommend you buy a pipe straightener if you are going to make your own as well as a pipe bender.

https://www.frost.co.uk/popular-brake-p ... lares.html

I found making the pipe shape out of a piece of stiff electrical wire first, as a sort of template saved making too many mistakes.

And remember to put the union on BEFORE you flare it! It's easily forgotten trust me.

Copper and cunifer work harden so the more you bend it and straighten it the harder it is to get neat bends.

It's a shame you're so far away Tim otherwise you could have borrowed it.


Simon

What a coincidence... This afternoon I was trying to fit the front pipes (master to pic frame connector to servo) from the Automec kit and they weren't even close to the length of the originals. I will send them a photo but it's all such a waste of time. The servo side is about 7" too long and the master side is 4" too short so even if I relocate the connector there's 3" of excess pipe I can't deal with.
So I think I'm going to stop messing around and get the tubing and the tools and start again and do it properly. Which I should have done in the first place.
Many thanks to all for this helpful thread on which tools to get.

Well I sent photos of the problem to Automec this morning and Vicky called me straight back. She identified the error and is going to send me the correct pipes FOC. Delightful and extremely efficient person. One test of a company is how they deal with mistakes and other this basis Automec scores 10/10.

Just a couple of tips when making your pipe ends......when cutting the end off square with a pipe cutter take it very slow in winding in the cutter.......if you take too big a cut at any one time it will round off the outer edge of the pipe.....also once you have cut through there is a small burr left on the inner of the pipe...clean this off....i just use a small drill bit almost the same diameter as the pipe hole.....and as you make your flare use a tiny amount of lubricant....this all may sound a bit fussy but it makes the difference on the end result.... Steve

Would defiantly recommend buying tool and making own . Every one will fit dandy and as been said treat yourself to a bender . Also if your going to fit stainless steel flexi hoses these are worth making yourself too , not complicated to make and save a few pounds too
These guys can do all the parts from the tools to the parts and their stuff is quality ... I'm not commercially connected. Just use them and impressed by their service and parts, car builder solutions in Kent 01580 893309

Make your own it’s easy, very rewarding and will look absolutely gorgeous and original if you use copper nickel piping. I have made all brake pipes on my OTS using original as templates. You just need a good pipe bending tool and some practice testing some pieces that will cost you close to nothing.
Good luck

Thanks all, mind is made up , will do my own.
Good call about Car Builder Solutions - hadn’t thought of them.

Tim

Worth getting their catalogue , as there's loads of stuff in there you didn't know you needed

They are useful but, man, do they know how to charge?

Regards

A few years ago I started off with the Draper, and quickly wore out the 3/16 anvil.

I think it is a toy, and wouldn't buy another.

I keep it because just occasionally the bigger sizes (whose anvils are more robust) are useful with an odd petrol-pipe fitting.



After a lot of research I found this (mentioned on this Forum, maybe, or The Mini Forum ?)



- can't remember where I bought it from, but see that is is listed here :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Franklin-Tools ... 1420296415

and the distributor is here :

http://www.franklin-tools.co.uk/all-too ... eld.af2003

It's a professional tool, not a Chinese toy, and is vastly better made and better-designed that the Draper, makes perfect flares of both types, and doesn't leave horrible striated marks around the clamping area like the toy.

And all the spare parts are available, listed on the Franklin Tools site.

PS - The Slocum bit is not included, I use that followed by compressed air to remove the inevitable internal cut-off burr before swaging.