Bugger doing the whole lot by hand
I need to get a length straight, so I can then do simple bends (for a fuel line).
The line is 3/8" O.D. , and is a bit stiffer to do than the old 1/4" line.

3/8"? Thats a big fuel line!

Not the easiest stuff to fully straighten, best method I have used is to stand on the free end, and unroll the line along the ground.

It's a little difficult because of the length. I grab one end and then the other and bend the whole length against the curve until it's straight....it's all gangly and you will poke youself in the eye, but you will get there....

Even if i have to do it in sections, and then massage the rest. A PITA when it's 5/16 hydro lines

The hydraulic shops must do it with rollers I reckon...

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Big lines for big HP

Yeah I have tried hand bending some 5/16" line that I have here, and gave up when I realised I needed 3/8" (has 5/16" I.D.!) Lucky I was wearing my safety glasses at the time... my normal glasses

I might see if the brake place can straighten it for me when I pick it up tomorrow. Hopefully!!

The big stuff comes in fairly generous loops, I think mine was about a meter diameter.

Getting it to lay flat while i tried to bend it was as difficult as herding cats.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Thast easy...use a hose on full pressure

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Stop Licking the Dog...I Don't Care Who Started It

herding cats..... funny

Haha, I'll bend the lines up AWAY from the newly painted car I think!

dont try bending them by hand, or you will kink the line.

I borrowed a bending tool from my brake and clutch specialist in the gabba. It pinches the pipe at one end, and then you bend it over a curved part of the tool.

If you are going to try and bend this stuff by hand, fill the pipe with sand or water first so that there is some pressure in the empty space, this will help you from kinking the pipe.

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Aussie Leyland, Aussie Factory, Aussie Mini S.

I bought a bender (single arm) from Repco. Useless as tits on a bull. As the pipe comes around the curved piece, it starts to flare out then it jumps out of the curved piece and kinks!! USELESS! God damn repco sometimes sells some absolute junk.

I'm gonna try get a proper bender sent out to me during work from a PROPER tool shop.

hehehe, supercheap is the same, i bought a torque wrench from supercheap once, and when adjusting it for the first time, the spring popped and the whole thing almost fell apart.

Bought a impact driver from AutoBahn same thing, hit it with a hammer first time and it fell apart.

The pipe bender i borrowed from the brake and clutch specialist was like a pair of pliers with a grooved curved but on it. It only bent a quarter circle at a time, but it worked great, i replaced all the brake lines around the master cylinders and they are all neat and curved nicely.

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Aussie Leyland, Aussie Factory, Aussie Mini S.

I used the same as drexxle, a multi sized tool for about 15 bucks from memory.As mentioned above, filling with sand and capping the ends is a sure fire way of bending them by hand without folding the tube.

I use eggzackery this one. You won't have any problems if you use the correct groove for the pipe size you are bending.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/3-IN-1-TUBE-BEND ... 240%3A1318

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

I'm gonna go shopping on Monday

If using sand make sure it is fine dry sand.

the easiest way to bend brake/fuel tube, is to bend it around a piece of large pipe/tube. just pick the pipe with the right size radius.
i use a piece of left over roll cage tube.
i have used a pen-spring in brake lines before as well, the spring stops the tube from deforming. it just real hard to get the spring off