Education on Braided hoses.... Please

[Slider]

Good evening all, I built a MKIV about 6 years ago with one of the first Coyotes. I love the car and just a couple of weeks ago changed the intake to the Boss 302. I love working on this car almost as much as driving it. With the original Coyote cover removed, I've decided that over the winter I will replace the existing fuel lines, heater hoses and hyrdaulic lines with black stainless braided lines. However, I don't really know much about assembling these, so am turning to the forum to look for a bit of an education. Intuitively I'd like to be able to purchase the lines in bulk so that I can cut them to proper lengths so i can run them as I like, meaning that I don't want to purchase pre-assembled hoses. So, in addition to determining the type of hoses and the most reputable vendors, I'll also need to understand the proper types of fittings to use. I think I'd like to find some sort of compression fittings, but again, looking for advice. How have others done this? My initial research on Amazon and Jegs, etc, has demonstrated that there are likely many different qualities of these cables.

This family of Factory Five owners have always provided a great amount of input and advice, and I'm looking forward to the same on this topic. Thanks!

[NAZ]

Buy all the correct tools to cut the hose and assemble AN hose ends -- you'll save yourself lot's of pain and suffering. There are different styles of hose requiring different hose ends so be aware of that. If you want to use the rubber style that is resistant to oil and gasoline you'll find many that meet the AN standard and it won't matter which brand hose ends you use as they are all made to a well established Army/Navy standard. But be advised that some hose is made with a PTFE liner (used for alcohols) that is physically smaller in outside diameter for a given AN size and requires special hose ends. There are lots of large and small retailers that carry the hose, hose ends, and fittings. My one-stop for most things AN is Summit Racing and if you want to save a bit, purchase the Summit brand. I've never had an issue with their branded AN products and I use lots of AN hose and fittings. Remember, they are made to a military standard.

Like many things, there are tricks to working with AN hose and hose ends that makes the job easier. Using assembly lube and working with the right tools makes the job go easier. The smaller sizes can be a real bear to work with. Since everything you ever wanted to know is on YouTube I'm sure you'll find "how-to" videos showing the tricks.

[KDubU]

Best advice is to watch videos of how to put them together. There are a lot of them if you do a Google search and many have tips and tricks. There are several ways to cut the hoses and it is important to get clean cuts. I used Aeroquip brand on my build and they worked great.

[CraigS]

They may cost a bit more but the swivel seal style makes things a lot easier
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ear-at809106erl
The non-swivel style has the 90 deg end fixed in relation to the hose. The only way to rotate it is to either loosen or tighten the installation. Not a deal breaker but the swivel style makes it a lot easier to install the hose and not have it under a twisting tension. The -10 size isn't to bad to assemble but the smaller ones can be a real pain. When something slips and you ram a piece of the SS braid into your thumb it hurts a lot more than you would expect. These tools make it a lot easier
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...xoCXCIQAvD_BwE
Do your research on ethanol in fuel and how it affects AN hose so you get the right stuff for fuel lines.

[FF33rod]

Thanks for asking this question Slider, helpful as i plan my build. Here's a link to some basics that i found helpful.
http://www.russellperformance.com/misc/support/

I'm also wondering if there are any applications where braided line should not be used..

[Straversi]

Breeze sells the compression to AN male fittings that you can use for your -6 fuel lines. He also sells some fittings for the power steering racks. I don’t think there is a compression to AN fitting for the -10 hoses for your heater hoses. I had to drill and tap my water pump to thread in the AN males.

You said black braided stainless. Most of the suppliers are making black braided Nylon covered hoses. They are still designed for AN hose ends but they are more flexible than braided stainless. The hoses are easier to make as well.

I used Earl’s fittings and hose. The brands others above mentioned are all good too. There are cheap knock offs out there and they are really poor quality.

The military developed these fittings specifically to be non-compatible with automotive hose. They didn’t want someone repairing a high pressure fuel system with low pressure automotive hose and clamps from the motor pool.
-Steve

[AZREALTOR]

My number one recommendation is to buy the Koul Tools kit shown above. I've fought assembling braided hoses for 30 years and last year my brother bought the complete Koul Tools kit. We plumbed his entire hose system on his 55 Chevy in about the time it takes to do a couple hoses by hand.

[Jazzman]

Strong recommendation to get Breeze's equipment. I bought a braided line from Summit, and proceeded to get punctured fingers from trying to get the fittings together. I order lines from Breeze, and they went together like . . . (wait for it!) A Breeze! The fitting system is so simple yet absolutely solid. I am working on a Mustang now, but I will be ordering my braided lines from Breeze!

[OnlyAndy]

I am truly an novice but have had good success making my own lines for various projects using the hose and fittings available off internet. Have to say they all looked good and work fine to this day. EXCEPT...... I made a High Pressure line for power steer on an old 52' Chevy PU and it BLEW within a few minutes. Big mistake. Way to much pressure for average fittings. Had a hose made at a custom shop and it never failed.

[phileas_fogg]

Another plug for Breeze hose components. As previously stated match the type of line/fitting to the application & assembly technique to the fitting.

Check out posts #259 & 260 in my build log (http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-fact...r-build-6.html) for details on power steering lines & post #211 for fuel lines.

Also, get a fitting test kit like this one (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1) & pressure test each hose. I used a bicycle pump to test at ~100 psi in a bucket of water. Be sure to wiggle the fittings aggressively to make sure you don’t have any air escaping.

Lastly, you can do this. I’d never even held a braided steel hose before, let alone assembled one. I made 4 fuel lines & 3 power steering lines in about 6 hours spread over a couple of days. No leaks so far (but I’ve only done a handful of miles in go kart)!