Flaring Tool for Trans Lines

[boom_bap]

Anyone know of an affordable quality flaring tool for 3/8 steel tubing? I'm planning a project that requires cutting a line flaring both ends and rotating the line to align with a new cooler.

It will probably only be used on this one job and transmissions are expensive I'd like to get something that works well. The mastercool stuff is expensive and it seems to be the gold standard. Ideally it works on car. Somethign like this Lisle tool would be sweet, but can't find anything for the 3/8 lines.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082P2483D/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Komet]

The Mastercool does work on the car, my first use for it was adapting trans lines to -AN fittings. I'd recommend it or the SUR&R pistol grip tool because you need the hydraulic action to get a proper flare on the thick steel lines.

 

[boom_bap]

Man, if they were around $100 bucks less I could stomach it a bit more, but 300-400 is a lot for any tool. I hear you though it may be a buy once cry once and sell a few years down the road if it goes unused kind of situation.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

The local hydraulics shop can flare ends for you in minutes.

 

[joel_400]

One thing I will recommend for your transmission lines is the NiCop line. It's a little more expensive than the plain steel line, but is much easier to work with. Bends and flares much nicer than steel. Also won't rust like steel. It can be flared with even a cheapo Harbor Frieght flaring tool very easily too. So you could save a bit of money on the tool to offset the price of the line itself. Personally I have the Blue point set that Snap on sells. I've had it for years and it's a great tool. Probably quite expensive now, but it'll pay for itself in 20 years when you're still using it! Haha
Joel

 

[Shadowdog500]

The Eastwood Professional Brake Line Flaring Tool Kit does 3/8”. This is my favorite but It is bench use only. It’s a couple hundred dollars. I have a hydraulic press for under the car. For the hydraulic press I started out with master cool but didn’t like that it put ridges in the line when clamping down on it. I switched to the Eastwood hydraulic toolwhich leaves the lines smooth. It works good but it costs a few hundred dollars.

Here is a demonstration of the pro flair tool.

 

[RPH]

One thing about the mastercool set. I have one and found it to be very useful as you do come across flares on a regular basis. Bending new lines is common here and the mastercool set resolves 95% of the battles. Always one weird flare somewhere!

 

[Dakotadadv8]

I bought pre bend lines from the dealer, fast and easy. Getting the old stuff off is PIA.

 

[rust in the eye]

3/8" steel line is tough to flare with any hand tool. Spending several hundred dollars to make two flares is absurd.
Go to a hydraulic shop or visit your local pro mechanic, who would ostensibly own a hydraulic version, and buy him lunch to make two flares.

 

[jpaw]

I've made hundreds of lines including 3/8" with my basic Snapon kit. A little lube helps with the larger sizes but it's plenty doable.
I'd love a hydraulic kit but I just don't do enough anymore with OEM prebent lines widely available nowadays. Maybe one day when I need more than a double flare.

 

[Komet]

Spending several hundred dollars to make two flares is absurd.

It's $290, and no it isn't when it works the first time with no leaks.

 

[JeepYJ]

3/8" steel line is tough to flare with any hand tool. Spending several hundred dollars to make two flares is absurd.

Ahem, this is GJ. Several hundos to do a job yourself with the possibility you may use the tool again in the future easily makes it a good decision!

 

[Wrench97]

For one time use on low pressure line just single flare it with on of these> https://www.harborfreight.com/doubl...3RM2-AiW6RkkysyQmN-b78Ns9NoyJl-hoCSEAQAvD_BwE

 

[Firebrick43]

3/8" steel line is tough to flare with any hand tool.

What? Where do people get this stuff from?

That is all I have ever seen used to flare steel hydraulic lines in smaller diameters. The two that were common were both roll flare tools, the 377(37 degrees)/458J(45 degrees) ridgid(my preference) and the rol-air flairing tools from imperial.







We didn't use hydraulic flaring tools until it got to lines bigger than 3/4" I alone have run 1000's of feet of steel hydraulic line, and I bet the largest percentage of lines I did was 3/8"

The ridge cone is on an eccentric and bearings. As the screw is advanced it wobbles and doesn't turn with the screw. The imperial has needle rollers built into the cone.

 

[boom_bap]

Do those do double flares?

 

[Firebrick43]

Do those do double flares?

No, but why in the world would you want to double flare it???? Double flares are for brake lines, not a 3/8 steel tubing for an oil cooler.

You slide on the nut and tube sleeve and then flare.



Then a JIC/AN union goes between the two lines/nuts.

 

[skeer]

Hell I swear I've got a chicago branded flare tool that looks exactly like that Ridgid above. Has worked fine all the times I've needed it.

 

[stockerwithalocker]

One thing to note, make sure you flare it to the correct angle. There are 37 degree (shown above) and 45 degree for industrial fittings. I’d think your trans is 37 but it’s a good idea to confirm.

 

[Firebrick43]

Hell I swear I've got a chicago branded flare tool that looks exactly like that Ridgid above. Has worked fine all the times I've needed it.

It may look similar but most of the cheaper flaring tools are blunt force cones. It just smashes with the screw the cone into the end of the tube and can cause misshapen and uneven flares. I think this is the reason many have not had good luck with the hand flaring tools. The ridgid 377/458j and the imperial rol air actually roll out the flare because of the way the cone is designed. Its rare to have an uneven or messed up flare and if you do its normally because you didn't deburr and a burr was rolled into the flare.

One thing to note, make sure you flare it to the correct angle. There are 37 degree (shown above) and 45 degree for industrial fittings. I’d think your trans is 37 but it’s a good idea to confirm.

AN and industrial (AKA JIC) are both 37 degrees and for the most part interchangeable. The AN fittings just have higher thread tolerances because of use in aircraft.

45 degrees is SAE flares for things like mini splits, propane lines, some low pressure oil lube lines. They are usually not steel.

 

[boom_bap]

I need an education in this stuff apparently, I thought that AN or sae would be acceptable. Any docs or guide on best practices or code for which to use for a specific application.

 

[boom_bap]

Also your AN solution is helpful reference. Seems way more affordable too

 

[boom_bap]

This is a 4l60e it uses gm flares ( jiffy tite?) with the e clips on the line ends. Im not going to mess with that if possible. The cooler is 5/8-18 inverted flare and napa sells fittings that accept that gm line to 5/8. One of the lines can simple move over , but the other line has a bend in it that requires cut/ rotate 180. It might be able to be moved, but I’m still researching my options. Some people cut the line and rotate it and use a compression fitting. I wanted to use a flare so I can go back to stock if I ever need to and just rotate the bend back.

Here is a picture of the stock cooler, you can imagine a bigger one and the line on the left / passenger side bent/ facing 180 the other direction , hence the cut and flare

 

[Firebrick43]

There is no code except that brakes cant use compression fittings, which are not being discussed here.

AN and its industrial counterpart JIC are used on high pressure hydraulic systems, fuel systems and such for aerospace(AN) and nearly all American industrial and construction equipment hydraulics if its not using metric standards.

Here is a good basics presented by the Navy.

https://engineeringlibrary.org/reference/hydraulic-fluid-lines-and-fittings-navy


Of course what ever tool you decide to use, down load their operating instructions.

 

[Komet]

Inverted flare is fine, I've got like 800 miles on my trans cooler -AN conversion lines and no leaks. Here's my latest inverted flare job, straight to -AN no hassles:



And of course, my bling bling Mastercool on my work table in the custom shop:

 

[rust in the eye]

When doing flares with my tool, the split clamp style, 3/8" always seems to get pushed through. Can't clamp it tight enough. Fortunately most of my work is brake lines so smaller.
Guess I need a better tool.

 

[joel_400]

When doing flares with my tool, the split clamp style, 3/8" always seems to get pushed through. Can't clamp it tight enough. Fortunately most of my work is brake lines so smaller.
Guess I need a better tool.

One way to eliminate the push through on 3/8 lines is to use the NiCop line. I have use it with even the cheapest flaring tools with good success double flaring. It seems to be alot softer than the steel line therefore flares and bends much easier.
Joel

 

[boom_bap]

I lot of people tend to want to get rid of the factory lines and use AN fittings on braided lines. I didn't understand it was not mutually exclusive.

Thanks for the reference I'll be sure to read though that stuff after work.

 

[Firebrick43]

When doing flares with my tool, the split clamp style, 3/8" always seems to get pushed through. Can't clamp it tight enough. Fortunately most of my work is brake lines so smaller.
Guess I need a better tool.

I have never had an issue with my ridgid’s holding the tubing. It probably is a combination of less force applied due to rolling the flare out instead of brute forcing a cone and the fact that the ridges clamps the split rail at the tool itself instead of the wing nuts at the end of the rails. It also positively locates at each size with the side clamp. The clutch needs rebuilt after several thousand flares , spares are available.

Inverted flare is fine, I've got like 800 miles on my trans cooler -AN conversion lines and no leaks. Here's my latest inverted flare job, straight to -AN no hassles:



And of course, my bling bling Mastercool on my work table in the custom shop:

No doubt oil lines and fuel lines for non common rail fuel systems an SAE inverted flare works. But especially if your going to AN anyways the question is why?

 

[Komet]

No doubt fuel lines for non common rail fuel systems a saw inverted flare works. But especially if your going to AN anyways the question is why?

Basically, cost and availability. The Mastercool kit I have doesn't come with 37 degree flare dies, and I already had the packs of tube nuts. I figure whether it's a union or an adapter the potential failure points are the same so I might as well use what I have if it works.

The adapters do probably cost a little more than unions but I'd have to be doing more than one car per year to justify the 37 degree flare die investment.

 

[jsteih]

Tru-Cool

Don't reinvent the wheel...There is no need to ever go back to stock.

This was the best upgrade to my 02' I did. Towing 6k in 90 deg heat, never went above 160 after the upgrade. Father-in-law plowed with it when I sold it, and he said it never wavered either.

 

[Raineman]

Boom-bap (OP), do you have an Auto Zone in your area. Go rent one for free.

 

[boom_bap]

Ya I've got them all, Napa, ORielly, and Autozone, Adavance pick your poison.

I forgot about renting, they've got decent flaring tools ?

When I did wheel bearings in a different car recently it made sense to just buy the astro kit for the price the shops around here wanted. My first thought now is buying/DIY is always cheaper for me..

 

[jptbay]

Temco hydraulic crimper $176

TEMCo TH1911 Universal Hydraulic Flaring Tool Set (Includes 3/8" and 1/2" Transmission Cooling Line Die and Adapter Sets)​

 

[Wrench97]

Temco hydraulic crimper $176

TEMCo TH1911 Universal Hydraulic Flaring Tool Set (Includes 3/8" and 1/2" Transmission Cooling Line Die and Adapter Sets)​

That kit makes the Jiffy-tite quick connect ends on tubing, flare ends are not all that complicated to make.

Jiffy-tite tube end

 

[jpaw]

Temco hydraulic crimper $176

TEMCo TH1911 Universal Hydraulic Flaring Tool Set (Includes 3/8" and 1/2" Transmission Cooling Line Die and Adapter Sets)​

That price is much more reasonable.

 

[JSGAuto]

For the costs of this, there are off-the shelf solutions.

Red’s Auto Rehab, Solutions For Common Automotive Problems

Red’s Auto Rehab : - Zipties Honda Parts GM TRUCK PARTS Toyota Parts allison, hoses, transmission, cooler, leak, distrubutor, seal, oring

redsautorehab.com

He may not have your application listed, but he did do a semi-custom one for me a bunch of years ago. Worth an email.

 

[jonesg]

One way to eliminate the push through on 3/8 lines is to use the NiCop line. I have use it with even the cheapest flaring tools with good success double flaring. It seems to be alot softer than the steel line therefore flares and bends much easier.
Joel

nickle copper line is very easy to work with, make bends by hand, flares easy.