Braided Brake Line Question?

[SactoJim]

Does anyone see anything wrong with running braided brake lines from the master cylinder to the front and rear brake distribution points (top of crossmember)?

[Longhorn Man]

sure, they swell when you hit the brakes.

[skchevota]

I did it on mine, works good so far. If there good enough to go to the wheels why not.

[nandress]

You mean besides cost? You are spending an awful lot of money to do that, whereas hard tube lines can be fit to make a much cleaner and compact installation.

If you do this, use only DOT approved, street-legal brake lines (that goes for all of them regardless of where). They are much better quality, will not fail as easily, and do not swell as bad as Longhorn Man says (sorry, I'm not trying to take a potshot, it's just hard to make this point without seeming to be blunt!).

[centsless]

A few of the older cars actually were set up that way. I think it would work fine.

[Longhorn Man]

to my knowledge, there are no DOT braided lines to do in that length... becouse they swell.
No, it's not like a huge swelling, but, they do, and that causes a crappier pedal feel and they'll wear out from constan swell/shrink cycles.
What's wrong with hardline?

[Billla]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

to my knowledge, there are no DOT braided lines to do in that length... becouse they swell.
No, it's not like a huge swelling, but, they do, and that causes a crappier pedal feel and they'll wear out from constan swell/shrink cycles.
What's wrong with hardline?

, I believe the rule of thumb is < 18".

[basketcase]

I just re-did mine in new hard lines. I believe that you will get a cleaner installation with properly fit steel or stainless tubing.

Tom

[nandress]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

What's wrong with hardline?

My point exactly!!

BTW, Russell makes a DOT legal line up to 27 inches. (IMO the Russell lines are the best braided brake lines. Period.) But what amazes me is that they make competition sizes up to 54 inches, which is weird because I would think racers would put pedal feel over any other attribute--except maybe weight.

[mrjs80]

I made my own lines. 4 A.N fittings dot line. http://www.purechoicemotorsports.com/Thay were real nice to deal with and had decent prices. I didn't know you couldn't go to long with them. The sales guy said they would be fine. Mine are about 30". The pedal feels fine. Catches right at the top. Plus I wanted stainless line with A.N fittings and trying to bend some type of circle in stainless hard line like the factory did for stress or whatever would have been a nightmare. The braided line looks nice and takes care of all the problems.

[TraderJon]

MRJS80.........not to hijack,,but how did you get your brake booster so close to the firewall?

[Longhorn Man]

side note, that air filter you have is a true fire hazzard. Pop it off of there and stick your nose oin it and take a good whiff. All it takes is the smallest of small backfires to make it... allong with yout truck, go up in smoke.

[mrjs80]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

side note, that air filter you have is a true fire hazzard. Pop it off of there and stick your nose oin it and take a good whiff. All it takes is the smallest of small backfires to make it... allong with yout truck, go up in smoke.

Ya I heard that after I installed it. It's an old pic. Right now it's all riped apart, going TPI. The booster is the factory booster.

[dwaite72lnghrn]

I never could understand the braided line craze. They are still rubber underneath so they still need replaced every 2-5 years. That gets expensive. I guess on a show truck that doesn't get used much or a GQ, But a DD I would stick with hard line brake lines (maybe SS for show) and rubber composite for heat. But to each there own. It's AMERICA do what makes you smile.

[PICKMUP]

Braided brake lines are lined with stiff teflon liners...not to be confused with the rubber lined braided hoses used for fuel, etc. Don't make the mistake of using the rubber style on brakes.

[basketcase]

My booster fits close to the firewall too. It's the stock '69 with a '72 MC and a CPP proportioning valve. The hard lines are the usual repro kit. I wish I'd started with a roll of tubing instead. I could have done a cleaner installation .

Tom

[Shane]

Braided lines actually swell LESS than their rubber counterparts, thus the reason they are used in competitive motorsports AND aeronautical applications.

They aren't recommended in lines longer than 20" for automotive app's that are under pressure.

[Elsie72]

For what it's worth, on my sportbikes, when I changed out the stock rubber lines with braided stainless steel lines, the 'feel' of the brakes was much improved. Then throw in a set of high performance pads, and look out! 1 finger stopping!!!