How To Install An Fittings On Steel Braided Lines

[cynosurecivic]

Installing AN fittings on steel braided line can be a long, painful experience if you dont know how to do it correctly. Following these tips will make the job much easier, and hopefully pain-free.

What not to do:

trying to cut steel braided line without proper preperation will most likely lead to a situation like the one pictured below. Strands of the metal tend to peel off, which are not only sharp, but prevent proper fitment with the female AN ends.


If your hose looks like this, give up right now on trying to fit it into an AN end, and prepare to have your fingers perforated time and time again by small, sharp metal.

Tape the line:
The secret to making (and keeping) smooth cuts with steel braided line is to first run some tape around the area you plan to cut, like so:


I used duct tape, although other types of tape do work. Feel free to experiment with different types of tape if you are really that bored.

Cutting:
I found that it was easiest to cut the line using a rotary tool like a Dremel. You can also use a hack saw (with a sharp blade!), chop saw, whatever you have around. The idea is to make as smooth a cut as possible. Even a single metal strand sticking out can cause serious problems when trying to assemble the AN fitting.


A finished cut should have some tape remaining on the end, as shown. Be careful not to leave too much tape on the end-- if you leave too much, it will stick out the end of the AN fitting, and look horrible.


Putting it together:
This step is a little bit like "movie magic" where the next pic shows the parts all assembled and ready to go, but truthfully this is where most of the work is for assembling these parts. Basically work the nice cut you just made into the female (non threaded!) side of the AN fitting. Often it helps to rub a thin layer of engine oil on the inside of the fitting or on the tape near the cut to help lubricate things, but it will still probably require quite a bit of work.


Force the line up into the fitting as far as it will go, and dont stop till you get there. It is a pain, but its worth it and necessary for a good seal on your connection. Once you are done, you can teflon tape and install the male ends for your AN connectors.

You are the man!
Step back and admire the job you did.


This article was written by Foster(Fiznat).

[simplegreen]

cyno, hit "edit" copy the code, start a new thread in DIY > MISC and paste it in a new topic.. thanks bro

[simplegreen]

Has this been moved?

[cynosurecivic]

yeah i posted it in the correct area the day you told me to.

[simplegreen]

werd your the man

[cynosurecivic]

i know, lol