I'm shopping for a tubing bender - which one?

[pbrown]

I see that I need a new tubing bender after working on Gary's car last weekend. I'm looking at a few online. Does anyone have any thoughts on these?

Eastwood:
http://www.eastwood.com/triple-head-180deg-tubing-bender-3-16-3-8in.html

Matco: MST470FH
http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/toolcatalog.jsp?cattype=T&cat=2443&page=3&#56631

Snapon:
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=10773&group_ID=1340&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

[MacDee]

I used a Snap-on bender to fabricate that faulty fuel line that was on the engine. It does a really nice job of bending, but it is difficult to figure out how to place the tube in it to get the bend you want. The Eastwood and Matco benders look almost identical and look like their operation would be far more self-evident. What a deal on that Eastwood bender though!

[BadBird]

I have used the Sanp-On and the Eastwood benders. The Sanp-on looks just like the one I bought from Harbor Freight. The Eastwood worked easier than the others I have used and it bends without kinking better than the others. Not sure about the Matco. It looks cool though.

[BadBird]

I'll let you know about the Eastwood bender. I liked the looks so well I just oredered one.

[pbrown]

I think the Matco and the Eastwood bender is actually the same tool. I'll probably order the Eastwood bender this evening.

[Luva65wagon]

I have the SnapOn bender and it's just OK. I works well, but it's not possible to do 180 curves without a lot of grief. I agree with you that the Matco and Eastwood tools are probably the same tools rebranded. Go with cheaper of the same tools.

If you like the Eastwood one, let us know. Who knows, I might offer to rebend Gary's tranny coolant lines...

...OK, maybe not. :doh:

[MacDee]

Roger,
I'm sure you'd like to re-bend those cooling lines, but I'd seriously doubt your sanity if you offered to install them!! ;)

[BadBird]

Speaking of installing transmission lines. I didn't realize what a pain that was. I had to lower the transmission to get at the forward tube location to start the tube and tighten it. At least I didn't have the drive shaft in so it wasn't a total disaster. Should get the front ends of the tubes attached to the radiator today. Funnnnn stuff.

[pbrown]

Roger spent an hour or more fighting with just one of the fittings on the C4. He pulled it for inspection only to see that someone had jammed a NPT fitting into a flair fitting and damaged it. It took some doing but he was able to clean it up enough to get the proper fitting to start.

The project came down to this:


Pull engine
Install engine
Connect tranny lines
Guess which step took the longest.

[Luva65wagon]

What you guys didn't hear me saying (amidst the cursing) was a steady "There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home." And yet when I opened my eyes I was still under that car! Had I not pulled that fitting to inspect it, I'd still be under that car making similar movements as this :ROTFLMAO:

Needless to say, by hour 10, I was beginning to loose it. And honestly, most of "it" was lost before I even started. :NERVOUS:

[Luva65wagon]

Roger,
I'm sure you'd like to re-bend those cooling lines, but I'd seriously doubt your sanity if you offered to install them!! ;)

Yeah, I was happier with the first set I bent, which were matched and routed perfect. I was trying to "tweak" the one, trying to get it to go in that "hardest to get to" fitting, when I kinked it and had to make another, which by then I didn't have the patience I had 5 hours earlier. If you guys tie-wrapped up everything, they're probably OK.

[MacDee]

A new item on my "project list" is an access cover on the transmission hump. I don't want anyone to ever again subject themselves to what you went through to hook up those lines!

[BadBird]

Don't know, but wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to install permanent short sections of the tubing that are attached to the transmission at the clips before tranny installation. Then after installation of the transmission the longer sections could be finalized from those short section attachments??? Because, the next time I have this transmission down that is what I'm going to do. My neck can't take laying under this thing for hours working on two tubes.
Got the tubing finished last night. Hope everything works and doesn't leak. Yeah right.

[pbrown]

If I were redoing my tubing this is what I would do.

http://www.raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod/trans.html

CKelly is a regular poster on FordMuscle and has created these great -6 fittings. From there you can use a variaty of flexible tubing.

Gary - there is no need to cut an access hatch. You only need access to those fittings when changing transmisions. You won't be doing that again soon I hope.

[Luva65wagon]

And now he shares this! :p

Gary, yeah, I'm with Pat -- don't cut up your floor. Remember, most of the issue was with a buggered up fitting. Once that was repaired, it all went in in just a few minutes (still needed to tweak the angles to clear the floor, which I was being very careful about - not wanting to ruin another line by kinking it). So, it's all good.

[BadBird]

Pat, I agree about installing the -6 fittings. Hope I don't have to pull this transmission anytime soon. But that is a good way to go.