280sl oil pressure gauge line fabrication

[ctaylor738]

As I was attaching the oil pressure line to the engine fitting on a 280sl, the line snapped at the engine end.  Replacement lines are NLA, so I will need to make a new line using the existing fittings.  The line material is polyamide M6xM3.2 and is readily available.  It is heated and pushed on the the barb fittings. 

I have not had much success working with this material.  If you get it too hot, it will buckle as you push it on to the fitting.  Not hot enough, and it not go all the way on to the fitting.  Belmetric has a video showing a tool that would be a great help, but they no longer sell it and could not identify a source.  I have not been able to locate it.  There is a tool set from Koul Tools, but it is almost $400.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSR-PsOoeqI

Can anyone point me at a less pricey tool, or inform on techniques working with this tube?

Thanks and cheers,

CT

[Leester]

Any chance the tool used to hold brake lines while flaring the ends would work?

[ctaylor738]

Excellent thought.  I have that tool.  I bought an extra meter of polyamide tube to practice with.

Thanks,

CT

[mdsalemi]

Can anyone point me at a less pricey tool, or inform on techniques working with this tube?

Chuck, I’d call/contact the tech support department at Parker. They are one of the leaders and leading suppliers of tubing and fittings used for instrumentation. Perhaps they’ll have a solution for you.

https://help.parker.com/us/en/support

There are others nationally and internationally:

https://sealexcel.com/instrument-tubing-fittings-safe-connection-guide/

https://www.shfinc.com/instrumentation/

https://www.tylok.com/

Maybe the answer is change the fitting?