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Lame Questn: brake hard lines?


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I'm going nowhere with my project. Ripped out the old fuel lines and the tank yesterday. I really should've just kept the old fuel lines - it was a huge pain removing them and now I have to buy and install new ones.

 

Anyspank, I'm buying 3/8 inch stainless supply line and 5/16 inch regular steel return line (Summit is out of 5/16 stainless). So, while I'm at it (God, this is just the source of all project doom "While I'm at it" %*@#$!!!), I've decided to replace the brake lines. Is that brake line going to the rear 1/4 or 3/16? I'm thinking it must be 3/16, but I need to be sure before I blow $25. I'm also ordering stainless for this as they are out of 3/16 regular steel also.

 

But, I have in the very back of my mind some nagging suspicion that you're not supposed to use stainless for brake fluid due to some chemical reaction?? Is my brain playing tricks, or is there something to this?

 

Oh, also, looking at the existing setup for the front brake lines, I'm thinking that rather than have the lines go around the frame, I'm gonna drill a hole thru the inner fender the size of the hose end. Then I'll use the C clip to secure it and thread the hard line on the engine bay side. This is the way most other cars I've worked on route the lines - cleaner IMO. Also gets the lines that much further from hot exhaust tubes.

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Stainless is fine for brake lines, no worries about any kind of chemical reaction. You might check with Classic Tube http://www.classictube.com/frames/4/index.html for the correct size of the front to rear brake line. They offer a complete set of pre bent lines for the Z Car as well. Those line are a pain, I droped the rear suspension to get mine out in one piece. bonk.gif

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Experience / opinion here on this one.

 

Yeah, that stainless looks cool BUT:

 

1) Stainless is harder to deform in the flared area than the ERM steel lines. It makes it a real chore to get them to seal up. I had to really tighten the heck out of all my connections to get them to stop weeping. I had Classic Tube make up my lines to the lengths I needed with the metric 10mm flare nuts on them. I then bent them myself.

 

(BTW, I also ran my driver side line along the inner fender/rail corner and out through the inner fender, instead of around the rail past the headers. Very clean.)

 

2) Watch out for the type of metric flare nuts. The ones that Classic Tube sells have an unthreaded portion next to the flared end. (They call this the "nose" of the fitting.) With that there, it leaves very few threads engaged when threaded into the Datsun fittings/ports. YOu need to have them cut off the "nose" (extra charge for the lathe work). Tell them it's for a Nissan with double inverted flare ends and they'll understand.

 

I also had trouble getting the cheaper $60 double flare tool to make reliable flares. That's why I had Classic Tube make all my lines to length.

 

Hope this helps,

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