Brake and Fuel lines, hoses, and clips...where to buy?

[DAVEN1256]

I am going to be buying all new brake and fuel lines in stainless steel. Also, new hoses, clips, and fasteners for the brake and fuel lines.

I have a '68 with power front disc brakes

I have compared prices between Right Stuff Detailing, In-Line Tube, and Rick's. They are all pretty close with Right Stuff being a hair more.

Just wondering what experience people have had and if one supplier is recommended over another?

Also, I am wanting the clips, fasteners, and hoses to be as close to original as possible. Any suggestions on those?

Thanks....Dave

[KurtS]

Why in stainless? It's hard and can be really difficult to get good sealing connections.
The original material lasts forever and doesn't rust on a driver.

[DAVEN1256]

I am replacing the original 48 year old original brake and fuel lines on this car and I have zero experience with buying these new and re-plumbing the entire car.

My choice of stainless is based on them not rusting and staying nice looking as time goes by. I have seen many stainless lines at car shows and think they look great.

So your question, "Why stainless?", brings up more questions and concerns from me.....

1) You say that the original material last forever and does not rust. My original lines are all covered with surface rust. I even had a hole rust through one of brake lines once and it started leaking. So I am not confident the lines made out of OEM steel are going to stay looking nice fro a long time.

2) Why do manufacturers go through the trouble of manufacturing stainless lines and charge considerably more money for them if they have to potential to leak?

3) Are the connectors (fittings) on stainless lines made of stainless also.....and with the hardness of the stainless, this is why it is hard to get a leak free connection?

4) I hear that the long front to rear brake line comes with a "shipping bend" that makes it easier to ship. How hard are these bends to straighten out? Especially with the harder stainless?

[JKZ27]

Dave, I believe Kurt was saying that regular steel will last a lifetime on a car that doesn't see harsh driving conditions, ie rain or salt like your car likely saw in it's early life. I put stainless lines on my car for the same reasons as you mention and I had good luck with it. I had no problems with the flares sealing. I'm pretty sure I got mine from Inline Tube and I'm not sure if the flare nuts are stainless too. I'll check. And, the front to back line does come with a shipping bend unless your car has the the rear proportioning valve. It's not too difficult to straighten. Hope this helps.

[ko-lek-tor]

In addition, regarding rusting lines, most do not know that the lines generally rust from the inside out on brakes. Brake fluid (DOT 3) is a desiccant, meaning it absorbs moisture. That is why most manuals, if not all, recommend changing the fluid. IIR, M-B's recommend fluid be changed every year, preferably in the Spring when humidity is low. The rust on the outside is from what is put down on the roads in the winter, calcium chloride. It is a major corrosive (probably paid for by the big 3 or whatever they are called today?) Avoiding winter driving, washing the underside if driven in the winter and spray with a Boeshield or something similar and they will be as new, at least for your lifetime anyway.

[68camaroz28]

Dave, u might need to restore some of your clips if possible. Clips purchased are close but i noted differences in my build thread including error in AIM compared to original 68's. We have stainless on our 69Z pro-touring car and they can be a Bear to seal and work with. Go with in-Line tube for lines but be prepared to tweak many times with any of the available kits.

[Dusk Blue Z]

Dave, Check out Classic Tube as well, they build them. They will put the colored steel fittings on the stainless lines if you want that look. No fitment or sealing issues on my car.
Mike

[Kelley W King]

I have used stainless several times. Leaks every time. Steel will look good if driven in fair weather. Your bolt threads will rust first in not treated.

[john302]

stainless no good .Used it once never again !leaks leaks leaks

[DAVEN1256]

Thanks for all the advice and comments so far.

I think I opened up a can of worms here. I was already to go with stainless but am now reconsidering.

In stainless steel's favor, I live in central Florida, the humidity capital of the US. Any untreated ferrous metal left outside rusts in no time.

In OEM's favor, I am replacing every hard brake line on this car so that means 20 hard line connections and 20 potential leaks if using stainless steel. That's a little scary! Also, in 29 years of living here, I've never had a brake line rust through from the inside out on a daily driven car. Not saying it can't happen, it's just never happened to me.

It seems some people on this site have had no trouble with stainless while other have. If you do an Internet search on "stainless steel brake lines leaking," you can find endless stories of leaking connections where stainless was used.

So now I am on the fence about this and haven't made up my mind on which way to go.

Dave

[JKZ27]

I'm curious why some of us have problems with stainless and some don't. When I installed mine I replaced all the hoses, hold off valve, and master cyl also. So, none of the fittings were previously marred and I had no problems.
John, Kelley, Kurt, any chance you were installing on previously used lines or fittings?

[janobyte]

Not too happy with the set from Rick's, as far as bends are concerned.Sending back.
Did my kid's Silverado last fall with a stainless set through Summit ( Classic Tube): all lines were marked, marked where they bent for shipping, no leaks. Seat the fitting, back off, re-seat. Don't over-tighten. Bends matched the factory bends almost spot on. Give them an A. Stainless is more expensive, I just like the look. My OE's appear in great shape, not to say what's going on inside the line.So I'm replacing. Like someone stated, non-harsh environment, syn-fluid. The more I think about it, really no reason to fork over the extra coin for stainless. Traditional lines should carry the car over to it's next caretaker,lol. Can't speak for locations next to saltwater. Ohio put's it's under lake salt on the roads.

[janobyte]

Back to " where to buy" I have never discredited a vendor. And have had many a box come from Rick's with satisfaction. A company out of Florida makes up the kits. They were beyond tweaking. Right from the start, in comparison to my originals, run from passenger front had the bend a few inches too far coming across the cross member, then ended on some far off tangent. Another line had a bend 180 degrees off from the original. Would be a nightmare for someone to have ordered thinking they would be at least close, with no reference. I did address these issues on the comment section of the return slip.May just be a bad set.

Word of advice: pre-soak all your fittings at least the night before tear down with Blaster, or better yet Krol(spelling ??) penetrating oil. Try to salvage as much line as possible.Old habit from when I'm bending my own lines. Someone on the site also recommends Evaporust as a pre- soak. I have never tried, but plan on my next rusty fastener encounter.

Check the flares in whatever kit you decide on.

During assembly, finger tight only the 2 ends first. Giving a very gentle wiggle as you are tightening, you should be able to feel the flare mate with the brass fitting. Line should be centered. Straight coming out of the fitting. ( the one your tightening) Probably not your first Prom, just adding my 2 cents if it can be of help.

[Dusk Blue Z]

Dave,

I mentioned where I purchased my lines from and I had no problems with any of them sealing. My guess is the flares would be the source of other peoples sealing problems. If the flare is not right it will be tough to get enough pressure to reform the stainless steel flare to seal with the just using the flare nut. That could be why some people say to preassemble the lines and crank them down a couple of times to make sure they don't leak.

I walked my original lines through their door and they compared my lines to their patterns, some small changes were made to how their lines would have fit to the contours of the floor boards. Any brake lines purchased from Classic Tube for a 1969 Z/28 in the last 5 years were patterned checked off of my car.

Mike

[Kelley W King]

In answer to #10 I did mate to existing fittings. Another note about syn-fluid, White Post Restorations told me when I returned my master cylinder for their lifetime warranty that if I had used syn-fluid they would not cover the warranty. I had not and they did not say what they had against syn-fluid.