A specific problem of restoring a less-then-common car is that not each worn-out half may be ordered from a catalog. Generally it is advisable to maintain onto your previous elements for reference so you may re-make them your self later. That’s the case with the unique metal gas strains and brake strains on Venture Sunny, our 1993 Vary Rover. A few of the strains measure 9 toes lengthy and nonetheless include traces of brake fluid or gasoline. Storing them safely for later is on the naked minimal an inconvenience if not a security concern.
The unique strains had been all too corroded to reuse; nonetheless, they’re nonetheless invaluable as sample items. We plan to remake them utilizing new brake line tubing materials and our bending and flaring instruments. As we’ve been storing all the opposite take-off elements in plastic tote bins, we figured it could be handy if we might the identical with these onerous strains. However how do you retailer a nine-foot, pre-bent line in a two-foot bin with out deforming its form?
The reply, after all, is to chop them. Fastidiously. To protect their actual bends and jogs for recreation later, it was vital that we might exactly reassemble them. And that meant planning forward. Right here’s how we received almost 50 toes of gas and brake pipes right into a storage bin the dimensions on an Igloo cooler.
Measure Up
Earlier than you begin, take into account the place you’ll make your cuts, retaining in thoughts the utmost inner dimensions of your storage container. Our 27-gallon tote had a max diagonal size of about 24 inches, so we aimed for cuts just under that. To make issues easy, we tried to forestall making sections with too many excessive bends.
Maintain it Straight
Your aim is to have the ability to reassemble your previous strains later to make use of as patterns. To make sure that, it’s greatest for those who reduce on straight sections of pipe. When you’ve recognized your first reduce, clear up the world with a scuff pad or sandpaper, if needed, and wipe with a solvent, akin to Pre Prep.
On Your Mark…
Utilizing a Sharpie marker, make a straight line a pair inches lengthy on the part the place you’ll reduce. A black Sharpie works properly on naked metallic. Nevertheless, we used a silver one for higher distinction on sections the place the unique darkish inexperienced coating was nonetheless intact. On every finish of the road, make a hash mark indicating which reduce you’re making. We marked a “I” for the primary reduce, a “II” for the second reduce, and so forth. That is crucial to getting the sequence right when reassembling it later.
Lower the Line
Utilizing a metallic tubing cutter, reduce the pipe at in regards to the middle level of the road. These cheap tubing cutters slice cleanly and don’t take away any materials, sustaining dimensional accuracy. In addition they don’t create sparks like a chopping wheel, which may very well be vital when chopping gas strains.
Label It
Utilizing painter’s tape, we marked the part of tubing for every bit. On this car, six brake strains run out of the grasp cylinder – two for every entrance caliper and one for every rear. 4 of those had been lengthy sufficient they required chopping, so that they had been labeled accordingly: “LR Brake Pipe,” “RR Brake Pipe, and many others. The gas system had simply two strains operating from the tank within the rear to the engine compartment, one provide and one return. They had been likewise recognized. To keep away from mixing up items, reduce and label just one half at a time earlier than transferring on to the following one.
Wrap it Up
As soon as every line was utterly reduce and every part labeled, we used zip-ties to bundle the items collectively for storage. Whereas the bundles is usually a little extra cumbersome to nest neatly within the bin, they’re all collectively for later.
Professional Ideas
Use compressed air to blow out any remaining gas or brake fluid from every part as you chop. Brake fluid particularly can linger within the strains and pool as soon as you set it within the bin.
It’s doable the tubing cutter could take away among the Sharpie strains. We discovered this very true of the silver marker. As quickly as you chop, comment anyplace the ink could also be lacking whereas it’s nonetheless apparent to you the place it was.
