Make your own hoses?
 

Just curious if anyone has experience with hose fittings like this.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...rt=SUM-220090B

I'm think'n about buying some stainless hose and making my own (it's actually a few bucks cheaper than the hydraulics shop wants to charge me) cause the black AL fittings are pimp.

Good/Bad experiences?

whats the worse that could happen?(other than a catastrophic fire or things of that nature) i mean there isn't any standard by which their strength and durability is measured is there? the black does look pimp :slap: so that should ease the decision

How do you even press it onto the hose?

I think you just unthread the back, put that over the hose, then slip the hose on the male end and then tighten the collar back down over the hose. Could be wrong though.

kind of like manual boost gauges that use the small plastic tubing

cjernigan is correct...

I have done quite a bit of AN fittings & lines.

It's not as easy as it looks.You need the aluminum wrenches & vice jaws and a real sharp cut-off wheel,and most importantly,patience.

I've made my own lines, it ain't rocket science. Electrical tape, hacksaw and a couple of cresent wrenches. Easy easy.

Do you wrap tape around the hose when you cut it? Think i remember seeing that somewhere. They also recommended bending the hose end to end to cut the hose on a curve, no idea why though.

Tape over the area you are going to cut. That way it doesn't fray.I left the tape on when I put the fittings on. I actually used a piece of heat shrink tubing.

CJ, you have been right so far. I made AN hoses for my car.. its very easy. Just use some WD40 when you slip it on. Check out fastturbo.net, thats where I got my stuff!

I was just going to use some motor oil for assembly lube... I figure the hose is made for it and that's what I'll be pumping through it so it shouldn't hurt anything.

I've assembled similar hoses before, but it's good to hear that this should be a doable thing.

Tech videos on assembly on anplumbing.com here. Looks pretty simple.

http://www.anplumbing.com/SWIVEL_SEAL_HOSE_ENDS.html

They have videos for many of the different brand ends as well.

Honestly, those fittings are dead easy. The only tricky part is cutting the hose so as not to fray the braid. As has been said- wrap it in tape first. A chop saw, table saw, bench grinder, angle grinder, etc with an abrasive metal cutting disc works best, a bandsaw with a fine metal blade is a close second.

To assemble is a no-brainer. You unscrew the outer collar of the fitting and slide it down over the hose. Lubricate the inside end of the hose with some light oil, and push it by hand over the nipple on the fitting. There's a spec for how much of a gap to leave between the end of the hose and the base of the fitting, which varies by size and type- check the mfg. documentation. Slide the collar back up, and screw it back into the fitting. To complete, just clamp the collar portion into a bench vise and use a regular imperial wrench to tighten. Again, there's a spec for how much gap to leave. Protect the part that goes into the vise with a little duct tape, and be gentle with the wrench, and you won't scratch or damage anything. No need for the special tools they sell.

The only exception to this would be with -3 or -4 teflon hose. If I have to do those again, I *will* buy the little flaring tool they sell to spread the braid. The teflon hoses require the braid to be separated from the tube, which is tedious if all you have is a small screwdriver.

i will NEVER assemble my own braided stainless hoses again. for the small amount of money saved, i seriously spent way more time and frustration than that money is worth.

if you're looking to squeeze every dollar you can, sure, make them yourself. but that was one of the most frustrating parts of my build...

I use my own made AN lines on everything except the pressure line to the turbo, that's pre-done. I love being able to just unscrew the drain lines/fuel lines, etc whenever I need to take something off. Do it. Looks like you care about your setup instead of hacking it together.

Another vote for the AN fittings from me. I have them on turbo connections (angled connections pointing away from the turbine) and the dual-feed fuel rail (end fittings, T-fitting, and external fuel pressure regulator). I spent the extra money on swivel fittings versus fixed fittings.

Pros: Easy seal connections, easier to assemble and disassemble on the engine, greater reliability. Fewer hose clamps. There's a reason they use these style fittings on aircraft and helicopters.
Cons: It can take some time to properly produce the lines. Cost (some of the angled swivel fittings are not cheap!). Measure twice, cut once. Easy to scratch the pretty anodized coating if you aren't careful with your wrenches.

One area for you to plan for...what if only one end of your stainless steel hose has an AN fitting? You can either weld a fitting onto the tubing or treat the end of the stainless steel jacketed hose as a standard hose, press it onto the tubing and use a hose clamp. Important to consider since the hose is in 1/16" increments but the tubing may be metric. If you go this route you need to keep the braid from unraveling (sharp little suckers that hurt like hell when they puncture your outer integument while working under the hood!).

Don't mix AN 37-degree fittings with SAE 45-degree fittings! JIC (Joint Industry Council) 37-degree fittings are similar to the AN fittings but with greater manufacturing tolerance allowed for the threads. You should be good to go on your car to mix the AN and JIC but it's verboeten for aviation.

FWIW I still insulate the lines if anywhere near the exhaust housing.

Barry

btw, just to note, i'm only voting against MAKING you own AN hoses. almost zero reason to go through that effort, if you ask me.

AN braided hoses and fittings FTW. making them yourself FTL.

I cant bleaive you had trouble with it, it took me about 3 min to make my drain hose and it was my first time.

the -10AN drain hose was fine. the -4 feed hose... that one was a douche...