Ran my first brake line today. First for me and first on the car. I'm using the FFR supplied 3/16 pre-flared lines but didn't want the coils for using up excess length, so I had to do some cutting and flaring. Started at the master cylinder for the front brakes and using brazing rod I bent a mock-up of the routing from the master cylinder to the front of the footbox. The brazing rod is easy to hand-bend and holds it shape for use as a template. Using the template and a 1 1/8 socket in my vice I did the bends in the FFR tubing. Had to do maybe three rounds of putting it place, removing it, making small adjustments, and rechecking it in place. Once that was done, from the footbox to the tee at the front DS was pretty straightforward. Coming out of the footbox I rolled the line up and over the 3/4 tube, and then along the 3/4 tube to the tee. Slid the fitting at the end of the line near the tee, up the line and out of the way, and marked the line for cutting. Removed the line for the final time, cut it to length, deburred, and flared it. Reinstalled. I oriented the tee different from what FFR showed in the manual. I figured this particular line would be the most complex to bend and didn't feel the need to address an additional 90 and 180 at the tee. I went straight into the tee. For the line to the PS I'll 90 out to the X bar and work my way across.

This line took 4 hours. I enjoyed every minute of it and learned a few things.
1) I want a tubing bender. In the Build School we used benders and the socket method. Some of the bends in this complex piece would have come out visually "cleaner" with a bender. But even with a bender I would have used the socket in a couple of spots where the bender would have been challenging to use.
2) In one spot I used a 3/4" socket for a tighter radius. The Build School instructors indicated 3/4 was about as small as you should go on 3/16 tube, to avoid kinking.
3) I'm thinking hard on springing for the Eastwood turret style tool. We played with it in the Build School. So slick and almost foolproof. If my flare on this piece ends up leaking I have to bend an entire new piece. I'd like to have more confidence in m flares. Plus it's an excuse to put an awesome new tool in my arsenal.

Front brake - master cylinder to front of footbox. No loops for excess length.
DS Front Brake line 1 LR.jpg

Footbox to tee at DS F-panel
DS Front Brake line 2 LR.jpg