ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[WoodsTruck]

I discovered that Mac's is no longer in Idaho. They are now in Illinois. I have to say that I'm a little disappointed about that.

https://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/contactus.aspx

Hmmm, surprise to me to. I used to live in that neighborhood so I support them when I can.

 

[Finallygotit]

Hmmmm.....I used to live very close to Huntley. At least the products are still made in the US!

 

[stockerwithalocker]

The double thread sizes on the tap caught my eye too. The thin section concern is valid, but given that it is likely made specifically for repairing spark-plug holes I doubt it's an issue.
Looked up that kit's p/n on Amazonian Car Hobbyist Supply and holy smokes those aren't inexpensive!

A page or three back we were talking about the trailer and I recalled that Mac's had a nifty E track option so I went looking it for it. NLA, it was a flush mounted E track that was carefully made to be the same dims as decking timber so that you could simply replace one section of decking with it. In the process of looking for that I discovered that Mac's is no longer in Idaho. They are now in Illinois. I have to say that I'm a little disappointed about that.

https://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/contactus.aspx

Looks like they were sold in 2021 which might explain the move.

MOTIS Brands Acquires Mac’s Custom Tie-Downs — Rotunda Capital Partners

GERMANTOWN, Wis. – MOTIS Brands (“MOTIS”), a Rotunda Capital Partners portfolio company, has acquired Mac’s Custom Tie-Downs (“Mac’s”), a leading manufacturer of high-quality tie-down systems for trailers and truck beds.

www.rotundacapital.com

Related to selling, Mike, i saw dynatrac sold a bit ago. The axles are now made by ecgs and not in huntington beach anymore.

 

[zmotorsports]

The double thread sizes on the tap caught my eye too. The thin section concern is valid, but given that it is likely made specifically for repairing spark-plug holes I doubt it's an issue.
Looked up that kit's p/n on Amazonian Car Hobbyist Supply and holy smokes those aren't inexpensive!

A page or three back we were talking about the trailer and I recalled that Mac's had a nifty E track option so I went looking it for it. NLA, it was a flush mounted E track that was carefully made to be the same dims as decking timber so that you could simply replace one section of decking with it. In the process of looking for that I discovered that Mac's is no longer in Idaho. They are now in Illinois. I have to say that I'm a little disappointed about that.

https://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/contactus.aspx

Holy ****!!! I didn't realize Mac's had moved. I haven't purchased anything from them in quite some time, but last time I did they were still in Idaho.

As for their E-track, I didn't realize that was no longer available either, I used it on my small 6x12 utility trailer that I fabricated in 2015 and it works great. I really haven't purchased anything to speak of from them since 2008~ish when I was setting up our new race trailer and then a few items in 2015 when I built my utility trailer. All of my tie down sets are still in pristine condition so no need to purchase any of those at this time. I will keep the motorcycle and smaller set in the utility trailer as I have done so and then once I get the tongue box on the new trailer, the 10k pound automotive set and axle straps will be stored in the tongue box. I am a big advocate for their products though.

 

[zmotorsports]

I loaded up my 250cf Argon tank yesterday and went to my local welding supply and swapped it for a refill, then got the TIG welder put back together.


At that point I decided to suit up and crawl under the coach and get started on removing my PPV (Pressure Protection Valves) from the rear air tank. The rear air tank is the hardest to access being positioned directly over the drive axle, so I would like to get it knocked out first and get it over with. I believe I have one beginning to leak internally and being 24 years old in a couple of months I figured rather than trying to decide which one is leaking, I may as well just replace all of them and have peace of mind.

Also, the older Air Force One auxiliary braking systems just tapped into an air brake chamber and although it works, it doesn't work as effectively as it should as well as isn't DOT compliant with as it doesn't meet FMVSS 121. By merely tapping into a brake chamber in essence it is splitting the air between that chamber as well as the toad, so while I have the PPV valves and air line work going on, I wanted to make sure I made my setup fully compliant. Spartan chassis used to package and sell a really nice supplemental braking kit for their chassis, but they no longer offer it. Although I am not running a Spartan chassis, most large diesel pusher coaches using air brakes all pretty much share similar design and layout so the Spartan kit will work interchangeably. I have been keeping my eye open for a NOS kit and stumbled across one last year for sale on eBay so I made an offer and purchased it. It's been sitting on my shelf ever since so I wanted to dig it out and install it.

The kit is pretty inclusive of an auxiliary air tank, PPV valve, brake relay and an assortment of various compression style fittings and DOT air line. I laid out the components in order of how I'll install them and figured while I was under the coach working on removing the PPV valves, I would try to determine a location for both the air tank and the brake relay.


Sorry for the poor pictures, there is not much room under the coach and I have to squeeze up between the tag axle and drive axle in order to reach the primary air tank. I marked the PPV valves, the PCC (Pressure Control Check) valve, which I may as well replace as well seeing as how I had to remove it to remove the last PPV valve, and the marked all of the associated air lines to go with each specific valve for identification. Colors on the air lines are hard to tell due to the manufacturer covering everything in paint and undercoating, so colored zip-ties will have to do.




I also realized that I think that Monaco/Roadmaster looks to have installed the PPV valves upside down. I think the spring chamber with the hole to atmosphere is supposed to be facing down according to an older Haldex installation guide I read years ago. I think I will go ahead and place them in the correct orientation upon installation.


The two PPV valve and the pressure control check valve removed. I was able to find a couple of part numbers with a little help from some light sanding, so I'll make a trip to my local Fleetpride to see about getting replacements.



Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

After crawling around under the coach for a couple of hours and the wife not home from work yet and now having a full tank of Argon, I figured I would complete the welding on the Wheel Horse fuel tank.










Thanks for looking.

 

[ntsqd]

Of all the little operations needed to keep a TIG machine running the one that I dislike the most is lifting the full argon bottle up onto the SyncroWave 250 welder's cart. I'm using the same size as yours, and it's all that I want to do to lift them into place. I keep thinking about building a wall-mounted short boom that I can use with a cable hoist-winch to lift those bottles up. Then all that I need to do is to figure out a good way to transport them so that they don't roll around in the trailer or truck bed.

 

[WoodsTruck]

I was wondering about the transport. My Argon/CO2 for my MIG fits in my cross box for easy/safe(?) transport.

 

[fouckhest]

That is interesting that Spartan made that kit for general sale, I know of them from my first real job out of college working for American LaFrance (fire apparatus company), which at the time we were owned by Freightliner, so all of our units were built on FCCC chassis, but Spartan was also a rather large apparatus mfg and a very big competitor of ours.

Sorry, but a fun trip down memory lane!

 

[Graham08]

Of all the little operations needed to keep a TIG machine running the one that I dislike the most is lifting the full argon bottle up onto the SyncroWave 250 welder's cart. I'm using the same size as yours, and it's all that I want to do to lift them into place. I keep thinking about building a wall-mounted short boom that I can use with a cable hoist-winch to lift those bottles up. Then all that I need to do is to figure out a good way to transport them so that they don't roll around in the trailer or truck bed.

I don't have a photo, but I made a couple saddles out of channel and square tube that sit in my truck bed to keep the bottles from rolling around. Looks something like this: \O/\O/ with two bottles in them...one at the front, one toward the back of the bed.

 

[zmotorsports]

Of all the little operations needed to keep a TIG machine running the one that I dislike the most is lifting the full argon bottle up onto the SyncroWave 250 welder's cart. I'm using the same size as yours, and it's all that I want to do to lift them into place. I keep thinking about building a wall-mounted short boom that I can use with a cable hoist-winch to lift those bottles up. Then all that I need to do is to figure out a good way to transport them so that they don't roll around in the trailer or truck bed.

Agreed Thom, my least favorite operation as well. I'm not a young buck any longer, nor have the strength I once did so I've noticed this task getting a bit more feared over the past several years. Fortunately, a good bear hug and I can still lift it the 6 inches or so up onto the cart. Lifting it up into the bed of my lifted truck is another thing though. I have to lean it against the tailgate and then grab it by the bottom and slide it up and into the bed.

I was wondering about the transport. My Argon/CO2 for my MIG fits in my cross box for easy/safe(?) transport.

As for transporting, I lay the tank lengthwise in the bed and then have a couple of boards that I wedge in forcing the tank against one of the wheelwells. Fortunately, I only have about 2 miles to go, and those two miles are on 35 and 45 MPH streets so it's not like I'm running down the interstate for any distance.

I don't have a photo, but I made a couple saddles out of channel and square tube that sit in my truck bed to keep the bottles from rolling around. Looks something like this: \O/\O/ with two bottles in them...one at the front, one toward the back of the bed.

That sounds like a good idea Graham and if I had further to go I would have to come up with something a little more stable like that.

 

[zmotorsports]

That is interesting that Spartan made that kit for general sale, I know of them from my first real job out of college working for American LaFrance (fire apparatus company), which at the time we were owned by Freightliner, so all of our units were built on FCCC chassis, but Spartan was also a rather large apparatus mfg and a very big competitor of ours.

Sorry, but a fun trip down memory lane!

Mike, Spartan is still very active in the RV industry providing chassis for several coach manufacturers. However, they no longer sell this kit and as far as I know, they only sold it for a few years. I installed one in a friends Entegra coach about 6 or so years ago which is on a Spartan K3 chassis and he purchased the kit from his dealer. I was so impressed I thought about getting one for my coach. However, I waited too long and then when I wanted to buy one, they were no longer available. Fortunately, I stumbled across this NOS one last year and the seller accepted my offer so I actually picked it up cheaper than they sold for originally, so a win/win.

Demco now owns the Air Force One line of supplemental braking systems, and the version they now offer is FMVSS 121 compliant, but the Spartan kit is much nicer and uses better components in my opinion.

 

[zmotorsports]

New tool day. I needed this like I needed another hole in my head, but I've been wanting a dual purpose tool for a while now.


I have an older Actron manual vacuum pump that I have used for a couple of decades now, works great for working on things like EGR valves or purge valves and especially distributors when I was recurving them and heavy into tuning, ie. things that are vacuum actuated, however, over the course of the past couple of years I have also needed a small pressure pump and have been able to make do with one of my small engine fuel system pumps. However, I recently went on the hunt for a small dual purpose hand pump/vacuum tool that would perform both functions and I have been somewhat disappointed in the options. I guess there's not a lot of call for these any longer, but I still find myself using them both for diagnosing various components.

I don't buy many MAC Tools these days, but I wasn't impressed with the one available from my Snap-on dealer, so a couple of weeks ago I ordered one from my local MAC dealer and it arrived today.

This should work well and do what I need. MAC PBT80020.

 

[SilverJimmy]

For lifting those heavy gas bottles couldn’t you weld a lifting eye or ring to an extra safety cap and then use your engine hoist or even an arm on your two post lift to pick it up easily? I seem to remember seeing something like what I’m describing somewhere….

 

[SilverJimmy]

Just did a little bit of research on line and lifting with the is NOT a good idea! Then I found this on Trick Tools site…

GCL820, Strong Hand Gas Cylinder Grabber 2.0

The GCL820 Gas Grabber from Strong Hand Tools is a safe and easy way for one or two people to lift and move 5-inch to 9.5-inch diameter gas cylinders.

www.trick-tools.com

This looks like a good way to lift the big boys!

 

[Atlascycle]

My day job has a similar setup to what SilverJimmy listed above, it works really well

 

[ntsqd]

I only need to go up about 8" and had thought to weld a lifting hoop onto a spare cap, but after doing the same research I'm thinking I won't be doing that! Too bad too, that would have been a simple solution.
Am thinking that maybe I'll clone something like this: https://www.northerntool.com/produc...-9in-load-capacity-200-lb-model-cyl-m-9-58196 and run a piece of Amsteel line from one side to the other for the hoist-winch hook.

 

[PugetDude]

What's the issue with lifting a cylinder via a properly secured safety cap? I would think that the threads would be an order of magnitude stronger than a 100# cylinder.

 

[ntsqd]

From what I found the piece that has the threads on it is a separate piece and they are only peened on because no welding on a high pressure tank.

 

[Graham08]

I don't have a photo, but I made a couple saddles out of channel and square tube that sit in my truck bed to keep the bottles from rolling around. Looks something like this: \O/\O/ with two bottles in them...one at the front, one toward the back of the bed.

I snapped a pic of one of my welding bottle saddles last night:



The T (330 CF) size bottles weigh over 200 lb. A nylon sling in choker configuration works pretty well to lift them as well. For now I bear hug them and lift onto the welder, but I know the day is coming I won’t be able to do that anymore…

 

[zmotorsports]

For now I bear hug them and lift onto the welder, but I know the day is coming I won’t be able to do that anymore…

Thanks Graham. That is what I had imagined when you described it.

I too just bear hug them for now and hope I can continue that technique for many years yet, but I know one day I will struggle so I will probably just sling it or raise it up with my hand truck a few inches on the lip until I can slide it onto the welding cart. Either way it's not worth spending too much time thinking about as there are more important things to occupy my brain cells.

 

[WoodsTruck]

Mike,
Side grapple on your lift table? Lift and roll in the same operation?
Not sure how high it could actually lift it but could it match up to your tailgate to slide it into the bed of the pickup for transport?

 

[zmotorsports]

WOW! You guys are putting way more thought into this tank thing than I am. I haven't given it a second thought since I unloaded it and got back to welding.

 

[aka Larry]

WOW! You guys are putting way more thought into this tank thing than I am. I haven't given it a second thought since I unloaded it and got back to welding.

We just like to see you build stuff Mike.

Try and keep up!

 

[zmotorsports]

We just like to see you build stuff Mike.

Try and keep up!

Sorry Vincent, my bad. There's only so many hours in a day and only so many things to concentrate efforts or brain activity on.

 

[pancholasvegas]

Mike,

If you ever feel like sharing, I'd love to see what kind of body hammers, dollies, etc. you've got - Homemade tools too.

We focus on a lot of auto-body and rust repair at our shop and I always like to see what the experts are equipped with - I've got a good selection of Martin, PLVMB, Indestro, etc. hammers and dollies that I've picked up over the years, but always like to see what other guys are working with.

I know you aren't too keen on doing bodywork, but I'd love to see what you have at your disposal when the situation calls for it.

Getting really into the Auto-Body zone right now.. Speaking of trailers and a trailer build, that's what I'm about to start on. See below - We are going to be fixing up this ECONOLINE pickup bed into a trailer that we will pull behind the Econoline that we built about 8 years ago.

Didn’t get a chance to get any work done on the pedal car - got distracted by helping with getting this on the trailer.



Dad found it at a junk yard and had them cut it off at the cab. wants to make a trailer to pull behind the ‘65 we built years back.

Sorry to hog up your thread, but just wanted to share and see if you're willing to give us a peak in the autobody drawer!

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike,

If you ever feel like sharing, I'd love to see what kind of body hammers, dollies, etc. you've got - Homemade tools too.

We focus on a lot of auto-body and rust repair at our shop and I always like to see what the experts are equipped with - I've got a good selection of Martin, PLVMB, Indestro, etc. hammers and dollies that I've picked up over the years, but always like to see what other guys are working with.

I know you aren't too keen on doing bodywork, but I'd love to see what you have at your disposal when the situation calls for it.

Getting really into the Auto-Body zone right now.. Speaking of trailers and a trailer build, that's what I'm about to start on. See below - We are going to be fixing up this ECONOLINE pickup bed into a trailer that we will pull behind the Econoline that we built about 8 years ago.

Sorry to hog up your thread, but just wanted to share and see if you're willing to give us a peak in the autobody drawer!

I would be happy to snap a few pictures of my body tools. That looks like a cool project you are embarking on.

As for shop tools for body work, you have your basics as far as welders and such, but I recently purchased a pan brake a few years ago which is something I've wanted for a very long time. I also have a Unispot gun/kit for pulling dents and then a Mitler Bros. bead roller and shrinker/stretcher that all get used for body panels. That is about all I have as far as larger shop equipment, but I'll snap a few pictures of the basic hand tools tonight.


Thank you for stopping by my projects thread and engaging in the conversation.

 

[zmotorsports]

I stopped by my local Fleetpride branch yesterday and picked up a new PCC (Pressure Control Check) valve as well as a new PPV valve and matched up some fittings so I can replace them while I'm under the coach. They had the control check valve and only one PPV in stock, so the other 3 PPV valves will be here tomorrow.





After the wife arrived home from work we had a couple of errands to run and she suggested we stop by Burger Bar and grabbed a burger for dinner. This was our guilty pleasure when we were first married and didn't have a pot to piss in nor a window to throw said piss out of. We would splurge a couple times a month on a Saturday afternoon and hit Burger Bar for dinner, sometimes even before dollar night at the local drive-in theatre as money was tight, but we enjoyed a few "niceties" in our early years of marriage. It's been probably about 4 or so years since we've been to Burger Bar but I did notice they had a new sign and new signage/menus up around the joint. We started going there in 1987 when we were dating and my wife's grandmother had actually worked there in her younger years, so it was nice to enjoy an old home town favorite for dinner last night.






Thanks for looking.

 

[fouckhest]

That place must be tasty Mike, between being there for 40+ yrs and the crowd for a Tuesday night, seems like a solid spot!

 

[ntsqd]

I've been using those "poke-n-hope" fittings (a friend's nick-name for them from his days in Instrumentation at a power plant) on OBA systems for a while. About a year ago another friend of mine put me onto the D.O.T. air brake version of them. These have a captured ferrule in them that slips inside the tubing. Since switching to those I've noticed that the OBA compressor cycles far less frequently and it takes a lot longer for the system to bleed down when the vehicle sits.

 

[zmotorsports]

That place must be tasty Mike, between being there for 40+ yrs and the crowd for a Tuesday night, seems like a solid spot!

Mike, these guys are busy no matter the day or time. Drive by between about 11am and 1pm and you won't find a parking spot unless on the street. When we pulled in we were fortunate to find a car backing out right up front and we whipped right in. That's when we noticed the new menus and lettering. The old ones were getting pretty worn and weathered, but we both commented that they kept the "vintage" script on the menus and the sign. The food quality seemed to be about on par with what I remember and their old fashioned home fries were just as tasty. The wife and I split a shake, which they are also known for, and it was just as good as I remember.

I've been using those "poke-n-hope" fittings (a friend's nick-name for them from his days in Instrumentation at a power plant) on OBA systems for a while. About a year ago another friend of mine put me onto the D.O.T. air brake version of them. These have a captured ferrule in them that slips inside the tubing. Since switching to those I've noticed that the OBA compressor cycles far less frequently and it takes a lot longer for the system to bleed down when the vehicle sits.

Thom, these are DOT rated brass PTC fittings, I don't care for the plastic ones. The originals are 24 years old now and were not leaking, but it seems once they are disturbed they have a higher tendency to leak so I thought I'd replace them. I do periodic testing for air leaks on my coach and when I find one if access permits I generally replace with compression style DOT fittings. For the supplemental braking system that I am installing I have all compression style fittings.

 

[fouckhest]

If my wife and I every make it to the Wasatch valley, I'll have to put it on our list, looks right up our alley!

 

[CGarage]

Mike, when you were doing the rear differential on the Mustang and working on the gears, I saw you had a special hammer that looked welded up and custom. Would love to see that, too.
You seemed to use it to get things positioned and would use the heavier Snap-On hammer to strike it.


ETA: See below post. My mistake. It was a RCV axle rebuild where the homemade hammer made an appearance.

 

[ntsqd]

The plastic fittings are good for not much. I used them in industrial automation tool builds for economy but almost nowhere else.
What I found was that the fittings without the ferrules would slowly collapse the tubing at the sealing o-ring (cold flow?) and then they'd leak until they had a heat cycle while under pressure. Could be that I was using the wrong tubing (I've changed tot he DOT tubing as well), but I recall that there are ferrules made for use in polymer tubing inserted into compression fittings to do pretty much the same job.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, when you were doing the rear differential on the Mustang and working on the gears, I saw you had a special hammer that looked welded up and custom. Would love to see that, too.
You seemed to use it to get things positioned and would use the heavier Snap-On hammer to strike it.

I'll have to go back and look, I can't remember what hammer I used that was custom.


Was it the attachment that I made that goes into an air hammer? I don't remember using a custom hammer on that last rear end job.

 

[CGarage]

I'll have to go back and look, I can't remember what hammer I used that was custom.


Was it the attachment that I made that goes into an air hammer? I don't remember using a custom hammer on that last rear end job.

Mike, my mistake. It was the RCV axle shaft rebuild video on YouTube which I enjoyed watching where the tool made the appearance.

 

[CGarage]

Mike, I watch your videos to learn how these jobs should be done so when I take my vehicles in I can explain to the techs how I want the job performed and will often buy the equipment that they do not have on hand to make sure the project is finished to a professional standard.

I do not know of other good YouTube Channels (separate from yours) with content focused on demonstrated knowledge and professionalism in all areas.

Far too many YouTube channels seem preoccupied with manufactured drama and theatrics as if they want to end up “As seen on TV” with the likes of Gas Monkey Garage.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, my mistake. It was the RCV axle shaft rebuild video on YouTube which I enjoyed watching where the tool made the appearance.

OK, that makes more sense. I actually took a picture of that one last night as it was the only shop made hammer I could think of and couldn't remember if I had it sitting out during the rear end job or not, but I do use it specifically for rebuilding the RCV axle shafts.

It is made from a tapered drift that I cut down and then mated to a couple pieces of round stock and tubing to form the handle.




Hope that helps and answers your question.

Thank you for continuing to engage in my thread.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, I watch your videos to learn how these jobs should be done so when I take my vehicles in I can explain to the techs how I want the job performed and will often buy the equipment that they do not have on hand to make sure the project is finished to a professional standard.

I do not know of other good YouTube Channels (separate from yours) with content focused on demonstrated knowledge and professionalism in all areas.

Far too many YouTube channels seem preoccupied with manufactured drama and theatrics as if they want to end up “As seen on TV” with the likes of Gas Monkey Garage.

Thank you VERY much for the kind words. I appreciate them more than you know. I despise drama, in real life or screened, so you won't find any of that on my channel.

I've been struggling lately to find the drive to make videos because it seems like I just get hammered from the keyboard warriors on nearly everything I do. They will tell me there are quicker or easier ways to do a task, but still want to argue when I explain why I do things the way I do. I try to answer any questions that I can when people post to my YouTube channel, but I won't get drawn into their drama so if someone posts a negative comment or wants to argue with one of my processes, I simply don't respond.

Seems like lately, people just want quick answers. They don't like my explaining on the reasoning behind certain processes or the way I do things, they just want the quick answer to whatever their problem is and if they would watch the video(s) with an open mind and pay attention rather than just skimming through them, they would learn to actually think for themselves and actually answer some, if not all, of their own questions. Lately I have gotten a LOT of comments from people on either my Duramax turbo rebuild video or the GM High Feature timing job I did. They have a lot of questions and say they did the job "exactly like I did and now they have problems". I don't know what to tell them other than they missed something or didn't do it exactly the way I did.

I don't have a lot of subscribers to my YouTube channel, but that's ok. I don't necessarily have my channel for the clicks or views; I genuinely want to help people do better work and continuously improve upon their skillset as well as I want to get better and sometimes by explaining a process or procedure, I actually learn more hearing it explained out loud. I think some of the negativity lately stems from the fact that I am just not giving the viewers what they want, quick down and dirty answers.

That being said, I've had a hard time getting motivated to make videos lately because it seems they aren't appreciated and therefore the juice ain't worth the squeeze. I've been quite busy in the shop and there have been quite a few times I think to myself that I should record this and post it, but then just crank up the radio and ignore my thoughts of recording. I have not been active on Instagram nor FB for several months now either and have had people reach out to my wife asking if everything is ok. I generally will post up pictures of our road trips and adventures for our RV friends to see where we are going and what we are doing but that group is shrinking fast as friends are either hanging up the keys to their RV and Jeeps or they are passing. In the past I would also post pictures to Instagram of various projects, but haven't even posted anything there for several months now. Garage Journal is really the only place I am active these days as even a couple of the RV forums that have been very active on in the past, I have refrained due to the caliber of people joining and asking questions that don't want to think for themselves. There are some good folks on a Monaco forum that I belong to, but the others are just the same type of people that buy an RV they know nothing about and then after the purchase they need answers that should have been addressed or asked before spending the money.

Sorry for the rant @CGarage , but I really do appreciate you following along on my YouTube channel as well as my antics here. Thank you.

 

[zmotorsports]

The plastic fittings are good for not much. I used them in industrial automation tool builds for economy but almost nowhere else.
What I found was that the fittings without the ferrules would slowly collapse the tubing at the sealing o-ring (cold flow?) and then they'd leak until they had a heat cycle while under pressure. Could be that I was using the wrong tubing (I've changed tot he DOT tubing as well), but I recall that there are ferrules made for use in polymer tubing inserted into compression fittings to do pretty much the same job.

Thom, just FYI, I am using the correct DOT fittings and these have the internal sleeve.