I have read seveal posts regarding people replacing their vent lines and not wanting to shell out $50 for the preformed 5/8 vent line with the 180 degree bend in it. I see people have used 15mm or 1/2" steel tubing, bent it, and then inserted it in the line to achieve the bend. I am curious, can aluminum or brass be used instead of steel? I know copper cannot be used due to the reaction it will have with the fuel. Just looking for a softer metal to work with as steel will fight you for every inch.

Aluminum will work just fine.

Aluminum will work just fine.

Yes, but use a tube bender.

or splice on a piece of a heater hose from some other car with a 180 bend, or use a goodyear external metal coil we've spoken of here (e-z coil?) meant to support a home made bend. Or since that line only carries fuel vapours, don't sweat the probability of a 1/2" copper fitting made 180deg bend failing anytime soon from sulphur embrittlment...

Goodyear E-Z Coil Link

I put a 10" piece of 1/4" copper tubing in the end of the 5/8" hose and bent the hose by hand. The copper is stiff enough to hold the hose in a 180 degree turn. It flattens the hose a bit but I can blow air easily through it. It isn't as neat looking as some other methods might yield though.

Thanks for the info guys. I looked in to the external hose spring, they say not to bend beyond 90 degrees. I have tubing bender so I think I will go with 1/2" aluminum or brass tubing. Now I just have to find it and buy it.

Somebody just a week ago said to fill the hose with sand and bend it while heating with a torch. The sand will keep the hose from crimping and it will retain the form once cool. I haven't tried this, so YMMV.

I soldered 1/2" copper elbows together to make the 180° bend and it has worked fine for three years. I've had it apart several times and it looks exactly like it did when I first installed it. The only downside is that the copper doesn't have any lips to keep the hose in place. After having the tank out and reinstalling it, I had the hose slip out of the fitting and spew fuel all over the place when I filled the tank with gas. I thought I had it fully seated and tight, but I must not have had it quite right. I had to drain 16 gallons of gas at the track and drop the tank to fix the problem. I missed the first practice session and was covered in gas, but once I got it on securely, it has been fine.

Hylomar will solve the hose slipping/sealing problem.

Thanks for the info guys. If I go with a steel piece of tubing I may take it down to the corner exhaust shop and ask if they can bend it. My tubing bender does it go up to 1/2" The idea of soldering 2 tubes together seems like a good idea too. I will keep everyone posted with what I decide to do.

When I dropped the tank a few years back and replaced those lines I ended up bending the hose into a nice 90 degree bend, and than wrapping it (with tape basically) to stay in place. Plan on dropping the tank again soon (maybe this weekend) so I mad this up before I left work.

It's 1/2" OD .035 wall aluminum tubing I had left over from a recent project.