Brake Lines - Bent On Perfection - Super Chevy Magazine

Sucp 1208 01 Brake Lines Bent On Perfection

There are a few things on a car that serve a critical purpose, yet are almost forgotten. The brake lines are on that list of parts. Those little tubes running under the car transfer our foot pressure to the brake components at each wheel to stop our pride and joy from smashing into stuff. These become the forgotten soldier in the brake system because they do their job quietly while the other brake components like the pads, rotors, shoes, and drums usually get all the attention. Without the lines, these components would be nothing more than paperweights. You try stopping 3,000-plus pounds of Chevrolet like Fred Flintstone and let us know how that works out.

We were having trouble with the brake system on a '70 Camaro, and more to the point, getting the rear drums to work. The fronts were working okay, but the backs had no pressure. After changing the master and investigating just about everything, we finally popped each end of the main line and blew air though it. The main line was definitely clogged and was the root of our problem. Since the car has been sitting dormant for over 28 years, who knows what caused the clog or how long the rest of the system would hold up. Instead of changing just that line and hoping for the best, we decided to change all the lines along with the calipers and wheel cylinders.

Even though we could have sat down and bent up lines on our own, it just wasn't the best option since they are staying in the stock location and size. Instead, we decided to pick up preformed lines from Classic Tube (CT). The company was founded in 1989 and over the years has built a complete inventory of original replacement steel, aluminum, and stainless steel lines for all kinds of classics and muscle cars.

Not that the '70 Camaro is a rare vehicle, but we were surprised to see that a complete set of brake lines for the car was only 165 bucks in steel, and the stainless versions only $34 more, and both were in stock. Since stainless line doesn't rust, corrode, or tarnish like its steel counterpart, we decided stainless lines would be the best option for us. We asked Tim Slattery at Classic Tube how they can offer stainless so cheap and he said, "We buy so much stainless material here that we get it for a discounted rate that we pass directly on to our customers."

No matter if your order is steel or stainless, the lines are formed with computer-driven CNC tube benders and the patterns come directly from documented factory lines. CT has many factory lines in stock, but if you have an application it doesn't offer, it will duplicate your OE line or pattern or even create full custom lines to your specifications. CT not only has brake lines waiting to be shipped out, the company also has fuel, transmission, carburetor, vapor, choke, fuel injection, and vacuum lines, along with just about anything else you may need to plumb a vehicle.

Part's and Prices

Part	Number	Price
Complete Brake Line Kit	CA1021-SS	$199.00
Rubber Hose Kit	Custom	$89.85
Silicone Brake Fluid, DOT 5	1103	$18.00
Calipers 2ea	AAZ-18-4059	$39.90*
Wheel Cylinders 2ea	BEN-33469	$9.40*
	Total	$356.15

* Summit Racing Prices and Part Numbers

1 Here is the line kit we got from Classic Tube (CT). CT offers all its brake lines in either OE steel or stainless steel. We decided to go with the stainless options since it was only a $34 upgrade and we wouldn't be doing the bending or flaring. If you have never tried to flare stainless line by hand, then we are here to tell you it's not the easiest thing to do. Our '70 Camaro uses 10 different lines and three rubber hoses and CT had it all in stock, since the company makes everything in house, including the rubber lines.
1 Here is the line kit we got from Classic Tube (CT). CT offers all its brake lines in ei
2 Here is a closer look at one of the lines. You can see CT places gravel guard where the factory did for OE longevity and appearance. You can also clearly see the perfect double flare, which is really hard to get doing it by hand. Since CT uses a CNC bender and pneumatic flaring tool the lines come out perfect.
2 Here is a closer look at one of the lines. You can see CT places gravel guard where the
3 We started the procedure by soaking up all the old brake fluid out of the master. This will cut down on the leaks later when we start cracking lines. We had to remove the driver's side inner fender and subframe connectors to gain access to all the lines and mounting clips.
3 We started the procedure by soaking up all the old brake fluid out of the master. This

4 Tackling the master cylinder assembly first will be the way to go and with the amount of little lines it has the job will be easier off the car. With a proper line wrench, we loosened as many of the lines as we could, since it's easier to do when the component is still mounted solid to the car. There are only three lines that need to be removed from the master so it can be separated from the booster.
4 Tackling the master cylinder assembly first will be the way to go and with the amount o
5 Even the proper line wrenches sometimes won't loosen the fittings without rounding them off. While a set of locking pliers will mess up the fitting, at least it will get them off. We took note of the order in which we removed the lines for future reference.
5 Even the proper line wrenches sometimes won't loosen the fittings without rounding them
6 Once we had all the little lines removed, we flushed the distribution block with brake clean.
6 Once we had all the little lines removed, we flushed the distribution block with brake

7 Now referring to our notes, we installed the new stainless lines one by one. Two tips we can pass on: Loosely install all the brake lines and don't tighten them all the way till you have them all routed. And secondly, anything that can be unbolted should at least be loosened to give you wiggle room.
7 Now referring to our notes, we installed the new stainless lines one by one. Two tips w
8 With all our lines loosely installed, we now reinstalled the master on the booster, again, leaving all the fittings a bit loose to let the lines move freely. Even though the distribution block is crooked the loose lines will allow us to straighten it up once we have everything hooked up.
8 With all our lines loosely installed, we now reinstalled the master on the booster, aga
9 With the master out of the way we moved on to the big lines in the car starting with the front to rear line. Again, breaking the fittings free first and then coming back and popping any clips. These needle nose style locking pliers work perfectly on the clips.
9 With the master out of the way we moved on to the big lines in the car starting with th

10 Scattered along the main line are these mounting clips. Ours were in pretty good shape so we'll reuse them, but if yours are dead CT has new ones in the catalog.
10 Scattered along the main line are these mounting clips. Ours were in pretty good shape
11 We had to unhook the e-brake cable and the driver's side rear exhaust hanger to give us enough room to get the line out from under the car. Once out we used it as a guide to take out the shipping bend in the new piece. The shipping bend is clearly marked with a sticker so you will know exactly which bend to remove. Having a few clamps will help hold it while you complete the task.
11 We had to unhook the e-brake cable and the driver's side rear exhaust hanger to give u
12 Now is also the time to transfer the clips to the new line.

13 Even though this is a big line with all kinds of bends it still pretty much slipped into place. There was a little fight where it goes around the leaf spring mount, but other than that it went right in.
13 Even though this is a big line with all kinds of bends it still pretty much slipped in
14 Now we needed to deal with the two front lines. Since we had to unhook these lines from the master earlier, we found it easier on the driver's side to unbolt the bracket from the frame and take it to the vice for further attention.
14 Now we needed to deal with the two front lines. Since we had to unhook these lines fro
15 We ordered new rubber lines from CT as well and they came with new spring clips. Since the clips are new they are pretty tight so a little hammer persuasion was necessary. Once we had the rubber hose snapped into the bracket we threaded in the appropriate line and put the assembly back on the frame.
15 We ordered new rubber lines from CT as well and they came with new spring clips. Since

16 We had an extra set of calipers at the shop so we are going to install them for now while we rebuild our factory calipers. Look for that story in an upcoming issue. The new rubber hoses have the correct banjo fitting at the caliper end and even come with the correct crush washers. Make sure you put a crush washer on each side of the banjo fitting as shown here. We had to reuse our banjo bolt but after a little work on the wire wheel it was good to go.
16 We had an extra set of calipers at the shop so we are going to install them for now wh
17 The line that runs under the engine proved to be the most difficult to install thanks in part to our headers. After fighting for a little while with no results we finally unbolted the passenger side header, which gave us the necessary clearance to get the old line out and the new line in.
17 The line that runs under the engine proved to be the most difficult to install thanks
18 Here is a good look at where the line was the tightest. It was even closer to the header but we adjusted the line a bit with our hands to gain the clearance we wanted.
18 Here is a good look at where the line was the tightest. It was even closer to the head

19 Now we needed to contend with the rear axel stuff. Since we were changing just about everything that held brake fluid we decided to grab new wheel cylinders as well. We tossed those in and started assembling the rear lines. We encountered a small issue with the rubber line.
19 Now we needed to contend with the rear axel stuff. Since we were changing just about e
20 The new rubber line has an end on it that has six flat sides while the original line has two flat sides and two curved sides. We could have returned the line to CT to get the correct one but we were pressed for time so we made what we had work. A little attention with a file easily transformed our bracket to a six-sided hex.
20 The new rubber line has an end on it that has six flat sides while the original line h
21 After we had it fitting properly we installed the axle lines to the wheel cylinders and then to the rubber line. Then we snapped the rubber line into the bracket and then attached the main feed line that comes from the front. Once we had everything hooked up we pushed the bracket in place and installed the bolts that hold it to the body.
21 After we had it fitting properly we installed the axle lines to the wheel cylinders an

22 This shot will give you an idea of how well the CT lines fit the rear end. With all the lines hooked up, we went to each fitting and tightened them all the way. Now we were ready to introduce some brake fluid.
22 This shot will give you an idea of how well the CT lines fit the rear end. With all th
23 We decided to use a DOT-5 silicone brake fluid since it's safe for painted surfaces and has a dry boiling point of 600 degrees. We will be doing multiple upgrades to this car later and we like the ide of the brake fluid not eating paint. To bleed the system, we first let gravity do most of the work for us. We filled the master and then cracked all the bleeder screws. Once one of the bleeders started to dribble fluid we closed it and waited till this happened at each one. It took a few hours for fluid to finally start dripping from all the bleeders. One thing to note is DOT-5 is not compatible with any other brake fluid so, unless you have cleaned out or changed everything like we did, use what is already in your system, most likely DOT-3 or 4.
23 We decided to use a DOT-5 silicone brake fluid since it's safe for painted surfaces an
24 After the gravity bleeding, we followed up with the tradition bleeding process with a helper in the car pumping and then holding the brake while we cracked the bleeder. We started with the furthest component first, which was the passenger rear and ended with the closest or driver's front. Once we saw no air bubbles when we cracked the bleeder and had a nice firm pedal we knew or system was ready.
24 After the gravity bleeding, we followed up with the tradition bleeding process with a