entire brake system replacing... questions

[Guest skittyscott]

hey all, i finally found a nice, rust free z up here in ny but the problem is, it has been sitting for over 15 years and the brake lines are all rusted out. i was wondering about how much it would be to replace all of the lines on the car and how much of a pain it would be. i have experience with brake lines and i know, for most applications it is a MAJOR pain. i was also wondering the reletive cost in tackling such a project. i was thinkin about replacing all rubber lines with stainless and maybe doing a brake upgrade while im at it.

any help would be appreciated as the cost of this is the deciding factor on whether i buy or not.

thanx a lot

scott

[johnc]

i have experience with brake lines and i know, for most applications it is a MAJOR pain. i was also wondering the reletive cost in tackling such a project. i was thinkin about replacing all rubber lines with stainless and maybe doing a brake upgrade while im at it.

 

If you take the driveline (engine, trans, diff, halfshafts) out of the Z, replacing the brake lines is easy. For a car that's been sitting for 15 years, a driveline inspection/refresh is a given, so that stuff is coming out anyway. You'll have to make the brake lines yourself and the cost is totally dependent on whether you go with steel or stainless line, SAE 45 degree double flare or AN 37 degree single flare, the brake upgrades you're doing, etc. We can't make those decisions for you.

[VRJoe]

I replaced all the brake lines in my 280Z. I picked up pre-made lines from local auto parts stores that were closest to the length of the original line, then bent them. Some had to be cut and flared, but by using the pre-made line you only have to flare one end. I found a local shop that does hydraulic lines (check with a local heavy equipment shop) and they bent a line to match the one that runs from front to back. I had to put the ends on, but easy enough. I just handed them the original line and pick up the old and new a few days later.

 

- Joe