Brake line choices for camaro clipped 55-59 trucks

[NW Task Force]

I am wondering what kind of brake line setups folks are using for those that are running camaro front clips. Stock camaro steel lines & hoses or custom braided stuff? I am getting into running new brake lines on my 77' camaro clip...... wondering if I should go stock camaro hardware or go aftermarket all the way. I would love to see pictures of setups that work.

[Red Foreman]

I'm running a firewall mounted booster/master on mine and have just gone with the basic F/body brake lines across the front and a hard line down the drivers side rail to the rear 'T' on the diff. Let me know if you need a pic?

[NW Task Force]

Originally Posted by Red Foreman

I'm running a firewall mounted booster/master on mine and have just gone with the basic F/body brake lines across the front and a hard line down the drivers side rail to the rear 'T' on the diff. Let me know if you need a pic?

Yes, I would love to see a pic of this setup. Thanks!

[Red Foreman]

Here ya go, I first hooked up the original front brake lines that came with the clip but then decided to fab new ones. I made them with more curles than Shirley Temple.

[Speedbumpauto]

Now that the above pic is there, mine might make sense. Used all the factory brackets and lines from clip but put a brake T in place of the combination valve(factory) and kept the M/C under the floor. Put my RP valves and proportioning valve in line under the body also. The only thing I won't have is a brake warning light.

[NW Task Force]

Originally Posted by Speedbumpauto

Now that the above pic is there, mine might make sense. Used all the factory brackets and lines from clip but put a brake T in place of the combination valve(factory) and kept the M/C under the floor. Put my RP valves and proportioning valve in line under the body also. The only thing I won't have is a brake warning light.

Great pic! I am also running an aftermarket brake master cylinder under the cab. I would be really interested in knowing or seeing a diagram that shows the routing of the brakes lines, where the RP & proportioning install in the system. Running brake lines and such is a new experience for me. I need a shopping list of items I need to buy and the quantity. If you have any pics of the M/C and lines, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

[_Ogre]

keep the custom braided stuff to a minimum.
for the best brake system use steel or ss steel lines, 3/16 for disk and 1/4 for drums.
even a good braided flex line will give a little, the more you use the more give you will get.
using lots of braided or rubber flex lines will give you a spongy pedal.

your best off by buying a streetrod kit from a vendor.
it will come with 5 foot straight pieces with flares on each end.
you could also buy straight pieces and all the fittings separately from napa or your local parts house.
get a decent bender and a good flare tool, use double flares only.
a cheap one side fits all bender will work but won't make sharp bends like a line specific bender.

i bought a ss streetrod kit from inline tube mainly because they are local to me
it came with most of the fittings, flex lines and residual valves.

[Speedbumpauto]

Here's what I have and you can't see it all. Keep the RP vavles as close to the MC as practical. You can see my front one but not the rear. You can also see the proportioning valve and a little of how I ran the rear line back to the crossmember then used a flexible T line for a late 60's early 70's Ford with a 9" rear. cheapest at an auto parts store and many more than what I used can work. Most of the good parts stores have a thing called a buyers guide that shows pictures. That's kinda what I used, knowing I had a 9" rear. Like Ogre says, get a decent flaring tool and a bender. I used lengths of straight tubing, all 3/16, and fittings from the parts store. The valves and front braided lines came from a hot rod shop that a former student owns. Also the corvette style MC and DD booster. Lots of ports makes the job easier. The more bends you have, the more of a pain it is.

[NW Task Force]

Wow!!!! Nice looking chassis. The pictures really help! I was wondering if both the front and rear brake lines need to be equal distance? I see several people putting curls/spirals with the thier brake lines off the M/C. Is this for "shock" or keeping the lines equal in distance? Might be a noob question. Just wanted an insight into the basics.

[Speedbumpauto]

Lines don't care how long they are. It's partly for vibration damping and slack for any movement between cabs/frames, etc. that can move a little during driving. A few bends make R and R easier but on stuff that's bolted solid to the same member, I don't do very much extra. I use the KISS system. Making tubing look good is hard enough as it is.

[NW Task Force]

Originally Posted by Speedbumpauto

Lines don't care how long they are. It's partly for vibration damping and slack for any movement between cabs/frames, etc. that can move a little during driving. A few bends make R and R easier but on stuff that's bolted solid to the same member, I don't do very much extra. I use the KISS system. Making tubing look good is hard enough as it is.

Cool! Thanks for clearing that up for me. I think taking on the task of running brake lines shouldn't be a hassle, now that I know what it should look like and how the routing goes. Does anyone online/vendor provide a complete kit for brake lines/pv/rv in a kit that fits our trucks application w/IFS front end? I am running discs and also a GM 10 bolt with discs in the rear. I think it would be much easier to get all the components/parts in one shot, rather than piecing all the stuff together.