Brake line removal/repair/replacement (something?) help

[gatesj at mailblocks.com (John Gates)]

You can absolutely flare a line while it's on the car as long as you 
have some room, it's just a bigger PITA.

The bubble flare is the VW/euro factory flare, and the double flare is 
an american car factory flare.  As confusing as the names sound they're 
two completely separate flares

A bubble flare obviously just sort of buckles the circumference of the 
tube outwards near the tip of the line, leaving the very tip of the 
line the same diameter but flaring it out just back from the tip, 
something like this:

/  \
\  /
 ||

And obviously it seats thus (omitting the nut):

 |   |
//  \\
 \  /
  ||


A double flare (also called an inverted flare) is basically two steps, 
something that looks very similar to the bubble flare formed with the 
same sort of method, then a shallow cone is forced into the end of the 
flare tip first, pushing the tip inside sort of "outside-in".  The 
result is more like a normal single flare used in plumbing, but with 
some properties that are much stronger in a high vibration, high 
pressure usage:

\\//
 | |

The double flare seats thus, again omitting the line nut:

 |     |
/\\\///\
   |  |

Both work fairly well in their intended usage, I think the bubble flare 
might be a little better dealing with vibration but I am not sure.

Here are some pictures of double flares being made:

http://www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/staff/wunz/NoABSTCS/DoubleFlare.html

On that page there is one picture of both a bubble flare on the left 
and a double flare on the right:

http://www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/staff/wunz/NoABSTCS/MakeFlare/bubbleandinvertedflare.jpg

This is the tool I was raving about:

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/otc4504.html

The one I have works perfectly and it's the cheapest one out there.

As far as a union, I think this is what you want, probably available at 
a NAPA or other decent non-autozone type parts store (a store that 
supplies professional mechanics):

http://www.fmsiinc.com/search/default2.asp?keyword=3044

This way you can just buy a bubble flaring tool and keep all flares on 
the car the same.  I just mentioned the Ford thing because it's proof 
that a factory would use something like this instead of those 
compression unions.

HTH, I found all this out after spending a crapload of time 
researching...

John Gates
--
'97 Jetta GLX
'85 Scirocco

-----Original Message-----
From: Ryan H <rhock99@epix.net>
To: scirocco-l@scirocco.org
Cc: gatesj@mailblocks.com
Sent: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 23:39:58 -0400
Subject: Re: Brake line removal/repair/replacement (something?) help

Found these! : http://www.fmsiinc.com/0314.htm
Anyone know what size the stock male connectors are?  They have 10mm 
listed.
Couple of questions for ya John: can you flare a line while it's still 
on the
car with a little bit of room?  Is this a "double" bubble flare tool 
like the
factory flares?
Thanks!!!

> Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2005 12:33:47 -0700
> From: John Gates <gatesj@mailblocks.com>
> Subject: Re: Brake line removal/repair/replacement (something?) help
> To: ydrogs@gmail.com, jdbubb@verizon.net, Scirocco-l@scirocco.org
> Message-ID: <gatesj-0myjCA/sKn6secZd2DBddH0dZ32t9xK@mailblocks.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
> Bubble flares are actually surprisingly easy if you have a decent 
tool,
> and amazingly enough I got one that works beautifully, perfect flares
> everytime, for $30 from NAPA.  It is an OTC/Stinger flaring tool and 
I
> highly recommend it.  I was making perfect flares right from the 
first
> time.  Now if I could just find a decent double flare tool for my
> American iron, I have tried both K-D and another OK brand that I 
don't
> recall with crappy results on both.  I have heard that Rigid makes
> great flaring tools but it's $$$.
>
> John Gates
> --
> '97 Jetta GLX
> '85 Scirocco
>