fuel lines/ brake lines

[Frankensteinz2]

Hey guys,

First of all i just wanted to thank everybody for the help i have received on this site, without it i don't think i would have gotten any where on my car.

I went to move my fuel lines yesterday for some welding and realized that they are very rusted and old, so are my brake lines. I am looking to remove all the hard lines and replace them with new. My first question is are my brake lines and fuel lines the same type of material can i get tubes that will work for both? Also for those of you that have done this can i get some pointers on what to look out for as it looks to be a pretty indepth job? Finally where can i get these lines, I saw the brake lines on ebay for 200, however i can't find anything on parts to redo the fuel lines?

Let me know

Frankie

[hls30.com]

A couple of companies sell prebent and DIY replacements for both

classictube for one-theirs are stainless, and so are the fittings.

http://www.classictube.com/products_clubflyer.asp

Will

[dkd021]

I bought my brake lines from classictube.com for about $225. They weren't perfect, but once I think back, they were acceptable for what they were. If your lines are in the condition that I perceive from your remarks, you'd probably be better off replacing them. I've done it & for me, it was not as hard as it was frustrating even though I had the motor, transmission, & driveshaft out.

So, here's my advice based only on "my" experience. I'd get some penetrating spray on the bolts that hold the brackets to the body & let it sit. I don't remember if they're 7 or 8mm heads, but I'd lube them up well because they're small in girth & will twist on you if you're not careful.

Once those are removed, be VERY careful removing the rubber insulators. Take your time & do your best not to tear them because they're probably going to be dry & brittle. Once I got mine out, I soaked them in some engine stop leak for a couple of days & they came out pliable for reuse.

Tag everything. Take pictures of everything. It gets confusing when you're not sure. Once I had my parts car in the driveway as a reference, THAT'S when everything "fell into place" for me. So document everything. Heck, use a video camera too.

Since my motor, transmission, driveshaft were out, I loosened the rear swaybar bolts from the rear diff. This gave me a little more play to get the sharply bent lines back to the tank. We tried starting from the front, but eventually found it best (in my case) to start from the back. We used popsicle sticks to twist the lines & get them to fit into their bracket insulator slot. They'll tend to get bound, so be patient, & install the top line first then working your way down.

If you're going to try it with the everything still in the car, you're a braver man than I am. I'm not sure I could've done it that way.

[240znz]

Get yourself a couple of benders, flare end tool and go for it. The key is to carefully remove the old lines so that you have a pattern to work to. The rubber insulators clean up OK as do the 4mm clamp fasteners. Simply clean & wire wheel the clamps and fasteners prior to dropping to the platers. Peanuts to get replated.

Just make sure you practice bends and flares prior. The hardest part is the tight curve of the fuel and return line as it exits the tunnel and onto the frame rail. Just bend that bit first.

[Frankensteinz2]

Thanks guys. I think im gonna take the plunge while i have the tranny and engine out. Ill check out the parts between the 2 distributors and see whats good.

Wish me luck

Frankie

[Zak's Z]

Frankie,

Im in the same boat as you and I called ClassicTube in NY and they also have the 2 fuel lines. I think he said he'd give me them for $100 each if i bought everything. Im going to try and bend them myself first. I bought a 'kit' on ebay that has all the lines with flares and nuts. You just have to bend them and connect 2 to make the big line to the rear. It was only about $30.00 so If I screw that up I'll buy the classictubes lines and make a trip to Buffalo.

Z

[katcarl1]

i bought brake lines 6ft pcs at napa auto 5/6,1/4 ,3/16 connected them and bent them they came out great.aslo bought rubber hoses to fit each size ti the gas tank. thank carl h

[Walter Moore]

Be very careful bending the 5/16" line, it will kink on you almost instantly. For that size at least I recommend getting a two hand professional style bender if possible.

We, my son and I, used a generic open style bending tool on all of the lines, but to bend the big stuff we had to lay the tube on a table to back it up and keep it from kinking.

[hls30.com]

Fill any tube with fine sand, close the ends tightly, and securely, and bend away-the uncompressable contents will not allow the volume of the tube to change, and thereby keep it from crimping-though bending it does take more effort.

Will

[Frankensteinz2]

Zak, i bought my tubing from fedhill brake lines. I saw another post about them and thought i would try them out. I bought 50 feet of the 5/16, i figure i could use it for everything but the fuel hose. Then i bought 5/8 in 12 feet for the fuel line itself. I was planning on using the old nuts, because i heard they are difficult to find. If not once i get them off i will match them at the hardware and then just order them. I still need to get a bender though thanks for the advice, something to chew on once i go shopping for one. I like the filling with sand idea. I will post an update once i get them installed. Lets hope they don't look like @#!% when im done. I am in the middle of getting the floors done, so figured its the best time to do the lines. However this is so much at once i think im going a little stir crazy.

But i aint givin up....

Frankie

[ktm]

Good luck with those damn double-flares on the brake lines.

[GILDIA]

Frankie I am just about to do the same thing, I have watch some videos on youtube explaining about the doubleflare and bending. do you know if the diameter for the brake lines is 5/16?.

these video are very clear and it doesn't look very complicated, the hard thing to do is try to fit the whole thing back together.

Regards