I was wondering if anyone could tell me the best way to get the "gentle bend" out that was put in my new fuel line for shipping purposes. Should I heat it up first or should I just bend it back. It's the 3/8 stainless steel one from Rick's. Thanks

I just bent mine back, no heat.

I have heard once you gently unfold it you can slap it against a flat concrete floor for the final straightening...

Place one side of the bend on the garage floor, stand on it to keep it in one place, and gradually un-bend the free end, against the floor so the outside of the bend is supported by the floor as you un-bend it. Otherwise you may kink it. :thumbsup:

I found it much easier to install while it was stll bent in a vee. Just kind of gradually straightened it out as I worked it into place. It woulda been smart of me to install it before welding on the SFC's!

Have you tried one of these?

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c39/willardthegreat/tube_bender.jpg

I haven't done this with fuel line, although I've had good luck straightening brake line by getting it marginally straight, then placing it between two small pieces of plywood and rubbing it back and forth. After about a minute that section ends up arrow straight.

I know this won't help you straighten your line, but it's on-topic. Back in the '60's us kids used to 'drip and mold' our bodies around these cars (Hey! We still do!). What we used to say about the fuel lines and the brake lines is that the springs wrapped around them was 'Special High Performance for Cooling'. (That way we sounded like we knew what we were talking about) Kids. Those springs are for one purpose. Assembly. And fast. The bends are made after the springs are in place. Then the final fit can be made by workers without fear of a kink.
Ah, adolescence. Just one more factor that went into making these cars a legend.
Here's the brake side;

http://epitomesrebuild.com/images/221.JPG

Those springs are for one purpose. Assembly. And fast. The bends are made after the springs are in place. Then the final fit can be made by workers without fear of a kink.

Actually, the coiled armor is there to protect the lines from damage from stone impingement; the production-supplied lines were VERY consistent in terms of how they fit and matched the clip locations. Unfortunately, not a lot of attention was paid to corrosion protection by design in those days, and the coils also tended to create their own little "corrosion factories" by trapping mud, moisture, and salt between the lines and the body, which led to premature failure of the lines.

:beers:

bingo