Are all replacement brake hard lines equal?

[WranglerTJForum]

Are all replacement hard lines equal? I see them offered from a number of places and I'm trying to figure out if this is one of those Chinese things where it's the same thing offered at a hundred different places under different names?

This is for a 1973 Chevy K10 short bed pickup with power front discs and rear drums.

I want stainless steel lines of course.

Here's an example of some that found:

https://www.inlinetube.com/products/sctb7342?year=1973&make=Chevrolet&model=K10+Pickup

 

[Grit dog]

AFAIK Inline Tube is very well known and they get it right.
Heresy though as I’ve not needed any brake lines for my old vehicles yet.

 

[WranglerTJForum]

Cool, I'll order from Inline Tube in that case!

 

[Broken85]

The steel lines on my truck lasted for 40 hard years and were still in pretty good shape. I just replaced everything because the powertrain was out and it was easy to reach all the lines. I did replace all of them with new steel, but obviously this trucks first 40 years were infinity harder years than its next 40. I wouldnt get too insistent on stainless steel.

Just know whatever ones you get wil be bent “close” but not “perfect” and they are going to bend a bit getting them in place. I bought a full set from EBay for about $150. No complaints.

 

[WranglerTJForum]

The steel lines on my truck lasted for 40 hard years and were still in pretty good shape. I just replaced everything because the powertrain was out and it was easy to reach all the lines. I did replace all of them with new steel, but obviously this trucks first 40 years were infinity harder years than its next 40. I wouldnt get too insistent on stainless steel.

Just know whatever ones you get wil be bent “close” but not “perfect” and they are going to bend a bit getting them in place. I bought a full set from EBay for about $150. No complaints.

Well in my case I was an idiot and drilled through the crossmember (when installing the Offroad Designs steering gearbox brace) and somehow managed to forget that there was a hard line on the other side of the crossmember. I nicked the driver front hard line and it began to leak.

The current lines have some surface rust on them but nothing major. I figured what better time to replace the lines with stainless steel though since I'm already in there. Not what I had planned, but whatever I suppose.

I'll probably just replace the one line I nicked and then save the other lines for a rainy day when I feel like a bigger project. That drivers front brake line is pretty easy to access from what I can see.

 

[edgephoto]

I bought brake and trans. lines from Inline Tube for the 1987 V3500 I am restoring. They fit ok, not perfect. Had to bend the transmission lines quite a bit at the radiator end. The lines were not even close. They look good now. The brake lines fit pretty good except at the master. They were 90 degrees off but I was able to correct that easily because of the two spirals.

 

[ali_c20]

Inline tube stainless steel brake lines for my K5, C20 and wife's Mustang. They all were close but had to adjust the bends a little. C20 lines where closest, needed only minimal bending.

 

[gilby959798]

I have classic tube for my stainless lines, like everyone said with the Inline, they were close but we made adjustments as necessary.

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The fuel line we really had to adjust because I added a filter on the outside of the frame and we were trying to keep plenty of space when things crossed.

 

[WranglerTJForum]

Inline Tube is quick! I ordered last night and they shipped them out today.

Great customer service too, very responsive!

 

[Sad Sack]

Inline Tube is quick! I ordered last night and they shipped them out today.

Great customer service too, very responsive!

Same experience when I re-lined a Camaro. Spot on business!

 

[WranglerTJForum]

Same experience when I re-lined a Camaro. Spot on business!

Hard to find that type of business these days! Whenever I do I make sure to go above and beyond and spread the word / leave positive reviews.

 

[Midnightmoon]

I used The Stop Shop out of Ohio on my Z28 build. Very happy with the quality of their stainless lines.

Copper Nickel Tubing, Classic Car Parts and Prebent Lines

We specialize in brake systems, coils / rolls of tubing and hard to find hardware for both classic and modern vehicles. Disc conversions and pre-bent lines.

www.thestopshop.com

 

[Camar068]

Well in my case I was an idiot and drilled through the crossmember (when installing the Offroad Designs steering gearbox brace) and somehow managed to forget that there was a hard line on the other side of the crossmember. I nicked the driver front hard line and it began to leak.

The current lines have some surface rust on them but nothing major. I figured what better time to replace the lines with stainless steel though since I'm already in there. Not what I had planned, but whatever I suppose.

I'll probably just replace the one line I nicked and then save the other lines for a rainy day when I feel like a bigger project. That drivers front brake line is pretty easy to access from what I can see.

Yeh when I installed my ORD brace, it's smack dab right against the proportioning valve. Any tighter, I'd be relocating it.

 

[WranglerTJForum]

Yeh when I installed my ORD brace, it's smack dab right against the proportioning valve. Any tighter, I'd be relocating it.

Yep, I had to slightly bend some of the hard lines to make room for the brace. I got it in place and it works now, but it's tight!

 

[chevdude]

Stainless lines are nice and will last forever.
Had one professional mechanic that said he's had a few instances where the flare would not seal. They did not leak but you could see wetness or seepage at the connection.
I thought about this and came up with this conclusion.
Stainless steel work hardens when machined, drilled, formed or bent. That being said, it would just make sense that when flared, the stainless would harden and have less tendency to seat when the flared connection is tightened.
The solution would be to anneal the flared end with a torch. Heat it until it just starts turning red. Not bright glowing red. Then let it cool slowly. Don't cool it with a blow gun or dip it water. let it cool on the bench.
To those who have installed stainless lines, you may have noticed that when you tighten the fitting there is no "mushy" feel to it like soft lines. This will change that.
Try it, you'll like it.