PVC Covered Braided Hose.

**stilltrying** · 01-11-17, 10:47 AM

Has anyone made up brake pipes using PVC coated PTFE -3 Braided hose and AN3 ptfe fittings?

Started to sort the brake lines out, got some of the above hose as I thought it would be easier to keep clean but the AN fittings won't go over the PVC coating, so I will have to either remove part or all the coating to get the fittings to fit, can't find any info on the net so wondered if anyone else had the same issues or am I doing something wrong?

Hose is definitely PTFE lined Stainless steel braided -3 and the fittings are definitely AN-3 PTFE stainless steel fittings.

**fabphil** · 01-11-17, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by stilltrying

Has anyone made up brake pipes using PVC coated PTFE -3 Braided hose and AN3 ptfe fittings?

Started to sort the brake lines out, got some of the above hose as I thought it would be easier to keep clean but the AN fittings won't go over the PVC coating, so I will have to either remove part or all the coating to get the fittings to fit, can't find any info on the net so wondered if anyone else had the same issues or am I doing something wrong?

Hose is definitely PTFE lined Stainless steel braided -3 and the fittings are definitely AN-3 PTFE stainless steel fittings.

Been there done that....
The PVC coating has to be cut back to allow access to the the AN3 fitting. Once the back of the fitting is screwed on there will be about 8mm of braid showing.
I used some heat shrink tubing at each end of the hose to make a "feature" of it.
I pushed the tubing down inside the AN fitting as it was shrinking so it looks like it was meant to be like that.

**stilltrying** · 01-11-17, 06:08 PM

Cheers for that, thought I was doing something wrong. Your solution looks rather good on your application but I'm not sure it will look right on mine as I'm using clear coated hose, yes I know you can get clear heat shrink but I think it would look pants or bodged, having said that I could use black like you have as there is a fair amount of black near to the brakes, I'll give it a try with and without to see what looks better on this thing.

**fabphil** · 02-11-17, 10:56 AM

Found my HEL hose by the meter on The Bay

**fad15** · 02-11-17, 05:48 PM

Can you soften the PVC with a heat gun and turn it back on itself, put on the fitting and then push the plastic back and trim it? Just a thought.

**stilltrying** · 02-11-17, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by fabphil

Found my HEL hose by the meter on The Bay

Got this stuff off there, one lot from god know's where but looks ok and the last lot from the UK. The last one had on mention of the coating in the ad but turned up with it on, I asked why and they had ran out of the original gear and thought this was better but was selling it to people at the cheaper price to tied them over

I had already told them I wasn't particularly bothered about the cost and couldn't be arsed to return it as I could probably use it somewhere else, but for them to just let me know when they had the uncoated version back in stock. They then said if I needed it now then just use a blade to cut the coating off and peel it away

OK so how do you get blood out of the braided stainless, that thumbs up needs a cut and blood everywhere now. I do bleed very well, the bench looks like a slaughter house bench and I only sliced the end of one thumb.

Originally Posted by fad15

Can you soften the PVC with a heat gun and turn it back on itself, put on the fitting and then push the plastic back and trim it? Just a thought.

I thought "ooooh the man has come up with a great idea" so off I went.........However the coating is actually fairly thick and it was not having any of it with my heat gun, everything just got bloody hot

In the end as stated I sliced it with a blade (plus thumb) and then managed to peel a slither of the coating back but I had to clamp the slither of coating in a vice and pull like hell for it to eventually come off, the coating impregnates the strands of the woven stainless braiding a little bit and I believe that is why it would not peel back with the heat gun.

On the up side I now have braided flexi's going from a T piece on the chassis crossmember to each of the rear calipers so now only the hard line from there to the master cylinder and that will be the rear brakes completed.