Brake Line Issues

[SCOTI]

I had some issues w/the 'new' brake lines initially installed during the build-up of the chassis for my 64 project 'Recycle'.

The atmospheric conditions where the chassis is/was being built are better than a driveway but not as good as a shop. One of the issues I had was some moderate flash rusting and/or corrosion on the steel brake lines. To correct the issue, I scrubbed the lines w/Scotch-brite & wiped them down w/some degreaser. They looked fine..... for a little bit. But, the flash rusting came back, & w/a vengeance. The lines were from multiple sources & didn't 100% match (even when stripped to bare steel). I had also recently added a line that was made using the green/coated corrosion resistant stuff.

This situation forced my hand to figure out a solution. My 'creative' solution was to detail/paint the brake lines. I know paint & brake fluid don't co-exist nicely but I figured I could do some spot touch-up where necessary if needed. While talking w/a buddy of mine who works in the plating industry, he suggested plating them & told me they plate hydraulic lines all the time. The catch is, the plating process can possibly remove all internal corrosion resistance from the lines. To counter this, they typically spray the inside of the lines w/some sort of dry-film lubricant to prevent flash rusting.

This might be ok for many hydraulic lines, but mixing any sort of petroleum based product where brake fluid goes can cause the seals to swell, deteriorate, & possibly fail. We've discussed possible ways to defeat this (plugging the lines, immediately flushing w/brake fluid & sealing/taping the ends until installation, etc...).

I'm torn.... The plating looks more uniform, but less detailed vs individually painting the lines (they would be painted out of place & then installed). The plating has the concern of corrosion after the fact (will flushing w/brake fluid & sealing work good enough??). Obviously, the paint can easily be affected by a slight leak (which can be a distinct possibilty on a newly built system).

So my brothers (and sisters), what do you think? Here are a couple of shots to get an idea of what I'm working with. I'm not interested in buying more line & re-making them as it was a PITA just to get these all finshed as is. The larger all black line was done as my plating 'test' to see if I liked the appearance. The smaller line w/the bright plated fittings was painted.

Let me hear your different perspectives....

[gringoloco]

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-brake-gra...sol-13-oz.html or, since you're building the system from the 'ground-up', use DOT5, which supposedly doesn't eat paint.

[BACKYARD88]

I painted the lines on my El Camino with regular paint but I didn't have any leaks to worry about. I think I'll get some of ^that paint for the 71.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by gringoloco

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-brake-gra...sol-13-oz.html or, since you're building the system from the 'ground-up', use DOT5, which supposedly doesn't eat paint.

This would be solution too. I have painted brake lines several times, and they hold up very well. The only time it's an issue is if you have some seepage at a fitting that sits over an extended period. If you use the Eastwood paint you should be fine.