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Pre-bent Brake Lines

Justin Fleming

Justin Fleming

1/2 ton status
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Aug 24, 2005
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Location
Oxford MI
Does anyone know if the factory steel front brake lines are still available or are there some after market pre-bent ones available. What seems to happen is if I purchase brake line from the local auto motive store, they last a few years and are all rusted out. We have harsh salted winters in Michigan and I feel like the auto motive store are just selling cheap junk line. I have the same problems with the trany lines also...
 
I agree the cheapest ready made brake lines with fittings already installed do rot away in 2 years or so in salty climates...its just galvanized recycled crap steel most of the time..

You can buy 25 foot bulk rolls of brake tubing though,which comes in a few different varieties--some is the same cheap galvanized stuff,the next step up is a tubing that has thicker walls and is coated with a greenish teflon type substance,that does resist corrosion better and will last longer--the next step up is a nickel/copper "terne" metal that is thick and wont rust,but is also a bit softer than steel,easier to flare,and is worth the extra cost if you plan on keeping a vehicle a long time and dont feel like replacing rusted lines every couple of years..

The only drawback I have found to this stuff besides the price,about double what the cheap stuff goes for,is the fact you cant usually get the tubing nuts to unscrew once they are tightened,it tends to become "permanent"--so if you need to replace a wheel cylinder ,etc,it may not want to unscrew,it'll twist up the tubing instead..you can just leave a little "slack" in the line so you can just cut off the nut fitting and install another,and re-flare it again..

If I were rich I'd buy stainless steel pre bent lines--but I have doubts about getting any installed without having to bend them --I have helped a few friends install them on vehicles like a 62 Nova and 72 Chevelle,and we had a very hard time installing them,it would be simple if the body were off the frame,we had to cap the ends of the tubing to keep dirt out while we threaded them thru the frame and body areas and some had to be "tweaked" into place..stainless is brittle and if you bend it a tad too much,it'll crack or break..on a truck it might not be as difficult,but on these cars,a frame off restoration is the easiest way to put the lines on in the factory location..
 
+1 inline tube... go stainless

i tried bending some first but went with pre-bent after realizing the results would be much better pre-bent
 
Inline has great product. I recommend buying a whole-truck kit from them if it at all works from you. Their sales people have no fricken clue what the individual components are, and if you want a specific piece their response is invariably "send us the old one and we'll bend to match." This only works if you have the *factory* original, and not so much if your current one is an aftermarket piece of crap as you describe.

-- A
 
If i may suggest two remedies:

1: before and after installation of new brake lines, why not paint them with several coats of paint, of the kind that is purported to "fight rust"?

2: Considering you live in a "high salt" area, would it be a good idea to have the lines powder coated?
 
livid4dirt said:
http:// http://www.inlinetube.com
Here ya go!
Click to expand...

Did not know it...But these guys are not far from my house, I will be there tomorrow when they open. Hopefully they can bend some custom tranny lines that I have made up. I am definetly going SS, this is a job that you only want to do once, and dont want to have to be messing with this in the winter time...
 
I can't speak for installing a set with the body on, but I had the bed off my Ford, and noticed that the back lines were rusted almost in two in several places.

Unlike you folk, I don't have the salting issue on the roads here in Fl., but I had hauled some corrosive stuff in the bed a few years ago.
When I washed it out, I did not get it out of the frame too well, and it had corroded the lines.
I ordered the complete set in stainless steel from inline. They were an absolute perfect match.
Every bend and all the stone guards were exact. There was only one bend I had to make, and it was designed in and clearly marked.
The long run from the front to the rear was too long for shipping. So they made a very wide radius bend to double the lines back so they would fit in the box.

There was a note in the box explaining it and the bend was marked, even though it was obvious.
All I had to do was straighten it out, and everything lined right up.

Since the bed was off, it was a very easy install. I did not replace many of the front lines, since they were not needed. However, it would have been more difficult than the rear.

Unless I had a more custom truck, that they did not make lines for, I would never even consider doing my own lines anymore.
And I have done a lot of brake lines in the past.

Single line replacements or repair, might be different.
 
I doubt powder coating would help brake lines last longer here,just about everything I have had like brush guards that were powder coated bubbled up and peeled and had rust grow under it and it fell off in a couple years..some stores sell brake lines ready made with that poly-armor stuff on it and I find its not very effective against salt and rust..

Paint doesn't stay on galvanized or teflon coated lines either..maybe POR-15 would work ,I never tried it except for spraying it over existing lines when I did the frame on one truck..the lines were original and eventually failed anyway,it may have prolonged their life a bit though..

One thing I have tried the last time I replaced my brake lines (with the cheap ready made ones that are galvanized) on my pickup,was coating them with Permatex Indian Head Gasket Shellac,and I also smeared grease on areas like where the tubing nuts meet the tubing...seems to have held corrosion at bay pretty good for 2+ years now...I only used the cheap lines because the truck may not be worth fixing by the time those give out..
 
A quick little tip for getting off slightly crusty or brittle lines - I usually break the seal(loosen the line) then wiggle the wrench between tight and loose. This alternating motion combined with the spring action of the line usually is enough to break the nut free of the line. If the lines are really shot you shouldn't be reusing them but if they look okay or you just need to get it on the road, it usually works.
 
livid4dirt said:
http:// http://www.inlinetube.com
Here ya go!
Click to expand...

Stopped by the facility the other day and picked up the front ss brake lines and also dropped off some custom length tranny line I made up to route to an extrenal tranny cooler.

They make some nice stuff, great quality, good service, I certainly will return for additional lines.

It was nice to find these guys as I have many other things that I can utilize these guys for....

thanks again CK5
 
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