Brake lines are a great job that's really cheap for the DIY and real expensive to have a shop do. I've bought a couple $300 cars where that's all they needed.
Your mazda will have wild & crazy fittings, probably no two alike, and probably ISO bubble flares.
You can probably reuse the old fittings. Spray the threads with a touch of PB blaster then cut the lines right at the fittings (ensuring PB doesn't drip into the system) and I bet you can get a 6 point socket on there. Use a vise grips on the metal part of the hose to back up when you unthread your line nuts.
If the old fittings aren't threaded all the way to the flare they're metric. If they are, they're SAE. A 3/8" SAE nut will thread into 10mm but blow out under pressure.
You may find yourself splicing together under the van. For example running one line from the MC down under the firewall with all its twists and curves then another one that follows under the rocker panel. This is cheaply done using double flare unions. It gets crazy having a line with an ISO flare on one end and a double on the other, which kicks you out of using store bought 60 inch long pieces.
The copper nickel line is the bee's knees. If you're a first time flarer you'll do well. If you ever touched steel you'll love the stuff. If you never did you'll still think it's hard. Make sure your line nuts are on before you start flaring... easy mistake to make!
At some point you may find yourself flaring a line that's dripping with brake fluid. It sucks!
Your mazda will have wild & crazy fittings, probably no two alike, and probably ISO bubble flares.
You can probably reuse the old fittings. Spray the threads with a touch of PB blaster then cut the lines right at the fittings (ensuring PB doesn't drip into the system) and I bet you can get a 6 point socket on there. Use a vise grips on the metal part of the hose to back up when you unthread your line nuts.
If the old fittings aren't threaded all the way to the flare they're metric. If they are, they're SAE. A 3/8" SAE nut will thread into 10mm but blow out under pressure.
You may find yourself splicing together under the van. For example running one line from the MC down under the firewall with all its twists and curves then another one that follows under the rocker panel. This is cheaply done using double flare unions. It gets crazy having a line with an ISO flare on one end and a double on the other, which kicks you out of using store bought 60 inch long pieces.
The copper nickel line is the bee's knees. If you're a first time flarer you'll do well. If you ever touched steel you'll love the stuff. If you never did you'll still think it's hard. Make sure your line nuts are on before you start flaring... easy mistake to make!
At some point you may find yourself flaring a line that's dripping with brake fluid. It sucks!