Bending Stainless Steel Tubing - Car Craft Magazine

Steve Benoit is also a European brake-line tool model.

'We see it all the time at car shows, at the track, and on seldom-patrolled side streets after midnight. Too many guys spend all kinds of time and money making big power but totally drop the ball when it comes to the steel tubing that carries the gas, brake fluid, and tranny fluid around the car. Kinks, twists, and rust present big reliability and safety hassles. But with help from Steve Benoit, a savvy 21-year-old hot rodder from Arcadia, California, here's a look at proper flaring and bending procedures.

Inexpensive double-flaring kits like this one can be purchased for less than 40 bucks and can handle 31/416-, 11/44-, 51/416-, 31/48-, and 11/42-inch tubing diameters. We've used this KD Tools setup hundreds of times over the past decade.
Inexpensive double-flaring kits like this one can be purchased for less than 40 bucks and
Though cheap tubing cutters are available, they don't have proper handles and require extra twisting effort to make cuts. This used one cost us $10 at a swap meet. Its long handle and knob adjuster make cutting a breeze. Watch out for inferior metallurgy on cheap imports. Even thin-wall steel tubing can chip and dull their cutting wheels. They don't last long.
Though cheap tubing cutters are available, they don't have proper handles and require extr
Our tubing cutter has a flip-out reamer to scrape out the ridges. In a pinch, you can also use a square file or just about any paring knife as long as it fits and is harder than the tubing material. Just remember to stick it back in the kitchen before anybody notices it's missing.
Our tubing cutter has a flip-out reamer to scrape out the ridges. In a pinch, you can also

Before the tube is clamped by the jaws of the flaring bar, the 11/48-inch-thick heel of the flaring adapter (shown) is used to establish the 11/48 inch of tube that protrudes beyond the bar. This is a critical step. Too much tube will cause the flare to collapse or become cocked off center. Insufficient protrusion yields an incomplete flare (junk). Use the heel of the appropriate-size adapter as your guide and you won't go wrong.
Before the tube is clamped by the jaws of the flaring bar, the 11/48-inch-thick heel of th
The pressure from the yoke's pointed swivel and flaring adapter against the flaring bar forms the tube end into a bell shape. You're halfway done at this point.
The pressure from the yoke's pointed swivel and flaring adapter against the flaring bar fo
Once the flaring bar is clamped tightly around the tube, the stem of the proper size flaring adapter is inserted into the tube as shown. Notice the tapered openings of the flaring bar that support the tubing and help form the needed taper. The other side of the bar has hard, 90-degree openings with no taper. That's the wrong side, don't use it.
Once the flaring bar is clamped tightly around the tube, the stem of the proper size flari