With the exception of the rear suspension, I feel like I've spent more time thinking about and working with plumbing for the Gremlin than I have anything else.
When I went to O'Partsy's for the line I'd be using for the transmission return, the counter guy directed me to the back while joking that I knew more about what they have than they do. After about 10 seconds, I had what I needed and returned to the front, explaining that the only reason I'm that familiar is because I don't have sense enough to do things right the first time.
After a trip to the hardware store for a female flare nut and a flare to NPT adapter, I got to the shop and managed to get the flare crushed on my first attempt. I wish the same could be said for my power steering hose. While cutting, cussing, and torching, I thought about what garbage flaring tools are (at least the sub-$100 ones I've used, but the expensive ones are probably crap, too). I figure you probably get around 10 good flares out of a tool before something breaks, wallers, strips, or vanishes. Luckily, only 1 or 2 of the flares I've made have been worth a damn, so I reckon mine has still got some life left.
I pulled some old 3/16" brake line out of the scrap metal pile and rolled it out straight before heading over to the transmission. It's great material for making a mock-up, since wire coat hangers have become a rarity. The only real problem with using it is the chance of work-hardening any sections that you need to make bends in (though that's easy enough to take care of if you want to spend a couple minutes annealing it).
In the end, the power steering hose was all taken care of, the cooler line was bent into shape, and the exhaust mock-up was started before I needed to cut out early and keep my cat company through the fireworks. Now it's time to get back at it.
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