Making brake lines

Status
Not open for further replies.
supton

supton

Joined
Nov 9, 2008
Messages
23,872
Location
NH
Where does this rate on the complexity and cost scales? I've replaced calipers, rebult a cv joint. But I don't have a bender nor flaring tool.

I have long avoided cars with rusty brake lines (and rust in general), out of the fear of how hard it is to make new ones. I know a vehicle which has rusty lines is likely on its last legs--but I wonder if I am passing up on some cheap commuters based on unrealistic fears.
 
Making lines from NiCopp is easy as can be, you can bend it in almost any form without a bender. Make sure you know what kind of flares are being used on the ends though, that is important. And a good flaring tool is expensive.

I replaced the brake lines in my BMW and I ended up using the OEM lines. They were unbent, but whatever material they are it was similar to NiCopp, very bendable and forgiving. Plus the flares (actually little castings) were already in place and I didn't have to mess with that. Inexpensive too.

But if you want to buy in bulk and make your own I'd never use anything but NiCopp.
 
I've done a handful of cars. I find it's not that difficult a job, depending on how hard it is to remove the line.

I have a double flaring kit which is necessary. I also bought a tube bender, which isn't absolutely necessary. You can bend the brake line around a tube mounted on a vice to prevent kinking.

One downside is that replacement tubes are coated with epoxy, whereas the old lines used to be terne coated, which is superior. The epoxy coated lines don't last long.
 
Back in the day of early 90s dodges, they all ran SAE double flares and you could buy preflared lengths and unions and cobble something together.

Now with ABS they've chosen 4 different oddball MC line nuts and it's tougher.

You can buy adaptors at NAPA but they're about $9 ea and another failure point.

Best bet is to get a preflared line that has a flare for one end you need, then cut the other end off and stick the nut you already have on there and flare it.

Remembering the nut before you flare is an important step.
smile.gif


That nicopp stuff is apparantly the bomb, also. You sometimes want 15 feet of bulk line to get to the rear because otherwise you'd have about 3 unions in line.

Flaring an existing line with brake fluid slowly dripping on you when the car is on jack stands is about 8 out of 10 on the misery scale.

You also want to make sure all your brake bleeders aren't rusted closed, or that you have some sort of plan for that. Having a brake drum stuck on with rust so you can't get your wheel cylinder out to fix your bleeder is a multi-layered disaster.

I have never found line wrenches useful. If it doesn't go with an open end or vise grips I cut the old line and stuff a 6 point socket on the line nut. It would grab and twist the line with rust anyway, so no loss.

PS a lot of cars (early 00 W bodies) run steel fuel and EVAP lines next to the rusty brake lines so you get the joy of running five new things down the inside rocker. Those I splice nylon into. At least I can use compression fittings on those.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Where does this rate on the complexity and cost scales? I've replaced calipers, rebult a cv joint. But I don't have a bender nor flaring tool.

I have long avoided cars with rusty brake lines (and rust in general), out of the fear of how hard it is to make new ones. I know a vehicle which has rusty lines is likely on its last legs--but I wonder if I am passing up on some cheap commuters based on unrealistic fears.



You can borrow a tool from the parts store, or buy a cheap flaring tool from Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/double-tube-flaring-tool-kit.html

There are plenty of videos on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yC-b28mpCA

Make sure you flare the ends and don't try to use only a compression fitting.
 
Never done it, but am starting to to wonder if I want to be prepared in case I bust a line on a beater, and brick a car in the driveway.

I know there are "unions" which can splice lines, so if a line is hard to remove, it could be chopped and its replacement use a union.

Tempted to go out today and look at stupid cheap cars today. Tired of using up my "good" vehicle for mundane tasks.
 
When I bought my 2002 Ranger (new),
first thing I did was coat the brake lines with Never-Seize.
From the wheel cylinders up into engine compartment.

Between the Never-Seize and Fluid Film, they still look new today.
 
^ Did you just smear it over the line nuts and where the line goes into the nuts?
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Tempted to go out today and look at stupid cheap cars today. Tired of using up my "good" vehicle for mundane tasks.


Look at a 97-01 Camry with the 2.2L. I drove it really hard last weekend on a trip, 80+ and got a little over 30 mpg.

The one thing I think you won't really like, is the automatic transmissions. Not that they're unreliable, but they're not really smooth so if you test drive one don't be shocked when it isn't silky smooth. I've driven 4 Camry's with the 4 cylinder auto & 2 Lexus's with the 6 cylinder auto, all of them are firm shifters, nothing to worry about. They're stupid reliable and good on gas. Tons of engine compartment room to work on.
 
^ Yeah I just got an 02 camry from my mom. Nice having a 2.4 4 cyl midsize (fullsize?) sedan with a stick shift. And real easy to work on. Mine's the first year of VVTi and it's like an electric motor under the hood for torque.

The 97-01s are getting real cheap though, makes me wonder why their owners are tiring of them. They're supposedly extremely solid. Or maybe the economy is so good everyone wants SUVs. Highlanders?
 
Half of the goal is... to be pre-1996. I like clean air and all, but I swear, every year I had an emissions issue on my TDi. I don't want to be disabling systems, but I don't want to be buying $$$$ parts either. I think I can pass if the light is on, leaving the inspection tombe just safety--which I don't mind.

Camry would be nicer but more up front.

I have a chance to go down south this winter, but figured it would not hurt to look locally first. Sometimes one finds something decent.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
^ Yeah I just got an 02 camry from my mom. Nice having a 2.4 4 cyl midsize (fullsize?) sedan with a stick shift. And real easy to work on. Mine's the first year of VVTi and it's like an electric motor under the hood for torque.

The 97-01s are getting real cheap though, makes me wonder why their owners are tiring of them. They're supposedly extremely solid. Or maybe the economy is so good everyone wants SUVs. Highlanders?


Is that 2.4 from the head bolt problem years?

Gas is cheap right now, and there are plenty of people who put off purchasing for a while. IMO the used car market is due for a price fix, bringing car prices back down.
 
Brake line work is easy, but start with pre-flared brake lines. When you are ready to make flares, try and get a hydraulic flare tool over the cheap $15 harbor freight clamp type tool.
 
Last edited:
If you have access to a lift, brake lines are tedious but not difficult. If you're laying on your back under a car supported by jack stands it is a miserable job. Some cars were clearly designed to have the brake lines installed part way through assembly and make it very hard to replace them end to end in your driveway. The Chrysler LH cars were like this. My old Concorde was completely rust free underneath, but the brake lines failed without warning. The job was a nightmare. I did all the hard lines on my old Ranger years ago and they were pretty easy.

Try to do a little research on the specific car you are looking at ahead if time. My guess would be that the newer the car, the more likely the job will be a PITA.
 
Brake line repair is easy- as was already stated, though time consuming to replace an entire run from front to rear and hit all the mounting points. You wont need a bender, except for the occasional tight radius bends near wheel cylinders. I've found that bending the line against my thumbs reproduces the factory radius perfectly most every time.

If using a cheap flaring tool like the Lisle 31310, it's very important to make sure your cuts are square, the inside and outside de-burring is even and the tool is squared off against the tube, otherwise you'll end up with a crooked flare.

The nicer tools that mount in a vice and use a movable turret head with multiple dies are great but more expensive. The Mastercool hydraulic flare tool is more expensive yet, but very nice. The quality of the flares they make are better and more consistent. Another thing that I like about them over the Lisle and similar tools is that the Lisle clamping dies reall bite the tube and mar it.
 
Well, elejefino pointed out that Saturn. I'm a toyota fan but I will have to look at that one. A quick look indicates the lines can go, but nothing about it being too hard.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

L
I spent about 1.5 hours JUST TO inserting brake pads into a brand new caliper. Do I need to redo it again? A few queries.
2 3
Replies
52
Views
3K
D60
O
Toyota Dealer Coated Brake Calipers During Service - for Anti-Corrosion?
Replies
16
Views
2K
Oldswagon
JHZR2
Caliper piston chrome corrosion
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
atikovi
1 SX
PSA: Make sure to clean under the brake/fuel line guards.
Replies
5
Views
635
JTK
3
Rear axle failed 2005 Silverado
2
Replies
37
Views
3K
350Rocket
Back
Top