Hello everyone Dave here.

A couple people have asked me about this so today I will be writing up how to make your own Steel Braided/Teflon AN lines. This article will walk you through from the blank AN hose on the lower right to a completed end on the left.

A Quick Note/Disclaimer:
I am not responsible for any damages you cause to yourself or others. Always wear Safety Glasses and Gloves when appropriate. Measure twice, cut once and better safe than sorry. Don’t Rush Yourself! Now that is out of the way on to the good stuff.

Materials Needed (shown above):
AN Line and End Fittings (in the same size obviously)

Tools I Used:
Tape (electrical)
Knife
Crescent Wrench or AN Wrench
Flathead Screw Driver (to pry stubborn stainless wires into the proper position)
Vise
Chop saw, dremel or similar cutting device

Step 1: Measure Twice, Cut Once!
Skip to Step 4 and put one end one your line if both of your ends are blank.

Once you have one end made bolt the line up. Run the other end where you want it to go and mark it with 2-3 wraps of electrical tape so that the end of the fitting you want to bolt onto lines up with the middle of the tape.

Once everything is lined up unbolt the line.

Step 2: Cut
Cutting is easy on a chop saw or with a Dremel. I happened to have a chop saw handy. I highly recommend a thin cutting disk if you are using a chop saw.

The trick with the chop saw is to cut quickly. Now don’t slam the saw down as fast as you can, but don’t lolly gag through the line either. You want a nice clean cut that is straight across the line at 90 degrees so clamp it tight up against the guard.

The one on the left is ideal, but the right one will work just fine after some extra effort. Leave the electrical tape on as it keeps the stainless braid under control until you are ready.

Notice how the stainless braid spread away from the Teflon sleeve on the left evenly all the way around. This is perfect and will make life easier, but don’t worry if yours came out like the one on the right. That is what the screw driver is for later. You will probably spend a good 2-5 minutes prying the braid away from the inner sleeve wishing your cut came out better… but don’t worry about it yet.

Step 3: Slip on the Socket
Below are 90 degree and Straight -10 AN fittings in 3 phases of assembly. The rightmost pieces of each fitting is the Socket. The middle little brass/copper colored guy is the Ferrel, and the leftmost on each fitting where the ferrel slips over is called the Pin .

The socket always goes on first! This is a painful mistake. Learn from me and don’t forget to it. Remove the electrical tape from the end of your cut line and slip the socket onto the line making sure the threaded end points towards the end you are putting the fitting on.

Step 4: Insert the Ferrel
So if your end came out looking like the one on the left up in Step 2 above you are good to go. If not, now is the time for the flat head screw driver.

When you are prying it be careful not to damage the inner sleeve. If you do it may not seal properly. You just need to get the braid separated enough to slip the Ferrel in between the Teflon sleeve and the uncooperative stainless braid.

The Ferrel has a couple ridges and a stop where the hose sleeve will bottom out against when it is all the way in.

It should slip on easily. Be sure that none of the braid gets inside the ferrel. It will cause it to leak!

Once it is on part way it will require a little force to get it all the way up to the stop. I like to tap the ferrel gently on the flat on the back of the vise until it goes all the way on. It is a little hard to see, but the teflon liner is all the way against the stop inside the ferrel in this picture. This is how it should be before proceeding.

Next run the knife around the inside edge of the ferrel and clean up any little bits of the Teflon liner that may be sticking up. Careful not to puncture the liner!

Step 5: Inserting the Pin
This is the easy one. Grab the last piece and slide it on in.

Keep pushing till they are up against each other like this.

Then screw on the socket.

Now here is the fun part if you got aluminum AN fittings you need to be gentle. Most people say snug + 1/4 turn. I tend to break things so I went with steel AN fittings… They are pretty much impossible to break even for me. Also, if you get the aluminum fittings you should invest in the Aluminum AN fitting wrench if you care about trying to not scratch your beautiful new anodized pieces. With steel you don’t have to worry about it.

Below here works great for Steel or those who don’t care about scratching the aluminum. If you got aluminum… this will work but I would recommend a rubber sheet or soft rag to prevent the vise from marring the fitting.

Clamp the socket in a vise.

Grab the other end with the Adjustable Crescent Wrench and tighten to your hearts content.

Congratulations you have completed this tutorial and get to take your AN line home with you as a souvenir.

Go back to your car and everything should line up perfectly.

Repeat process until you run out of lines to make.

Dave out.