Fuel line woes

I just bought 25' aluminum feul line and tubing bender from Jegs- I'm trying to put bends in the tubing but it collapses and kinks with this tubing bender (Cheap chinese kind from Jegs too)

Anybody else use this tubing or just braided line only?

If you used this, did you hand form or use other tubing bender? Larger radius bends maybe?

thanks for the help/input

Shawn

I used 5/8 aluminum hard line in my build and did any bending needed by hand. The line is mostly run straight down the frame rail with braided line from the tank to the pump and from the end of the hardline to the regulator.

What diameter is your fuel line? I ask because the larger the line diameter, the larger the bend radius will have to be to prevent kinking. Also, a large bend radius is less restrictive to flow. And yeah, if you're using the wrong bender, you may as well bend the stuff over your thigh. The aluminum stuff usually lends itself well to hand forming.

Yeah-

Agree on the hand forming, it's 1/2" Jegs fuel line.

I just borrowed a bender that looks like it'll do the job better, has about a 2" radius on the die, and a grooved follower. I just bought one of those one piece deals for $10 and got peeved with it, because you wind up pulling the tubing around the groove nothing is pushing at the point of the bend taking place, and then it kinks.

I have a MIC bender at work you can borrow, you'll need a fork lift and 240/480

Large radius is the key...

Shawn the key to bending tubing is get a good tubing bender, one that supports the back of the tubing while it is being bend.....


Randy

I dont know how the aluminum tubing would react, but i've always just put a larger socket in a vise and bent steel tubing around it by hand. it always worked pretty well for a low dollar unit

When I did my fuel system with aluminum line I used various sized pulleys to make most of my bends just bend slowly!

thanks everyone for the input, I used the one I borrowed, and it work perfect.

no more cheap tools for me!

Shawn Sexton wrote:thanks everyone for the input, I used the one I borrowed, and it work perfect.

no more cheap tools for me!

You got it right on the cheap tools. You get what you pay for, generally speaking.

I find the cheap stuff from Summit is thinner than the moroso stuff I bought years ago. If you want to stay on the cheap they make springs that go over the tubing and you hand bend it. This keeps the tubing from collapsing and they work quite well. You can get them at harbour freight or home depot, they also go up to 5/8 which is nice. I have an entire collection of benders I have collected because one tool is not always the best tool.



click here, clikc here, click here, click here, yeah over here

Here's a bend radius chart you may find useful. Of coarse this is for a high dollar mandrel bending, but it gives you and idea for hand bending. It also has some torque values for tube nuts.

lghting94 wrote:When I did my fuel system with aluminum line I used various sized pulleys to make most of my bends just bend slowly!

X2!! I have been using pullies for years on steel and aluminum. I got a stepped one from an old drill press with the different diameters. Works great!!

Bill

billandlori wrote:

lghting94 wrote:When I did my fuel system with aluminum line I used various sized pulleys to make most of my bends just bend slowly!

X2!! I have been using pullies for years on steel and aluminum. I got a stepped one from an old drill press with the different diameters. Works great!!

Bill

You know this didn't work for me at all. I built a jig and used two pulleys and when I would bend the tubing it would still go oval. I had the pulleys touching and the tubing fit good in there (not too loose or to small). I went and bought a good tubing bender from an airplane supplier.


Where are you located at Shawn?