Chris, you da man! I just tried what you suggested, and the flare end snugs up nicely inside the female fitting -- it left a nice ring where the flare end fitted against the "shoulder" of the female fitting.
The new brake line nuts (NAPA number 641-5021 @ $2.09 each) have that non-threaded end like the OE nuts, so the nut doesn't bottom out in the female fitting. FedHill also sells the nuts (something like $40 shipped for two dozen), but I wanted to get working on this brake line project sooner rather than later... and to support the only local FLAPS with staff that have any knowledge of car parts (the local Kragen is a joke!).
Thanks for the advice.
Geoff
QUOTE(Racer Chris @ Nov 7 2010, 04:20 AM)
Did you try seating one of your flares into a female fitting?
It shouldn't be too hard to tell if it is going to work based on the feeling you get as you snug up the connection and the compression pattern on the end of the flare.
There should be a range where it feels tight but you could continue tightening more and there should be a full circumference ring visible where the flare contacted the other surface.