bradshaw106

hey guys,
Im getting ready to bend up all new brake lines for my truck... I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the coated steel lines?? Im planning on buying a 25' roll of tubing and going for it.
I'm guessing i would use 3/16" line?? what about fittings anything special about them I need to know?
thanks

dzl_damon

I know my mercedes had coated steel lines and it lasted over 25 years. Only spot I had to replace was where it went through a rubber holder and the rubber wore the coating off and it rusted through. I was impressed.

I put some of that newer coated stuff on a friends truck... "stainless" or something? Maybe it was "nickle" coated. Anyway, not the thick, green coating the MB stuff had, but it's been on the truck for only 2 years. So no telling. I want to say it was less than twice the price than the normal stuff?

I used normal fittings, and I'm sure they are rusty by now. When I do them, I always give them a little paint over the connection to delay the inevitable.

I'd use it, to make a long story short.

archer2

I went with stainless the last time as I didn't ever want to do it again.

TRENDZ

I used stainless from summit racing. One roll of 3/16 covered the whole truck. I also bought the stainless fitting kit. It included all of the fittings I needed. I personally wouldn't use anything else. The tubing was nice to work with and will outlast the truck. I had the engine out of the truck when I did it, so it was much easier to get it right. The right front line is particularly difficult.

bradshaw106

do you need any special tooling to work with the stainless tubing??
ie. cutters..

TRENDZ

No. I used standard flaring and cutting tools. One word of advice that worked well for me... Deburr the inside of the tubing with a drill bit. It makes the flare work nicer.

brainfade

The plastic coated tubing is more difficult to flair as the coating tends to allow the tubing to slide through the flair tool unless you really crank on it. Also, you have to be careful to clear the plastic off the flaired end of the line as it can interfere with the seal. It does last longer in a corrosive enviroment, so if you have road salt where you are it's likely worth the additional hassle up front.

RonA

Don't forget braided lines for the front. I couldn't find anything that fit so i bought a new set of Raybestos lines and had the hoses removed and braided/coated lines put on. It was a bit pricey, but should give a better feel to the pedal.