I think the 60" one was only about $10.00!

But back to installation - Has anyone tried to prebend the passenger front and then feed it through? Or how did you do it?

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

If I remember rightly it was one of those lines that had me doing hand stands trying to remove it...

...if I was going to fit a new one I'd most certainly bend it in place. Whilst it is tempting to try and be clever and bend from the original I find that that often gets ya right in the goolies (meaning there's always some little subtle bit you've missed out - not that goolies means that of course but that's what I'm trying to say).

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

I know what goolies are, but I suspect most here would also be able to guess

If I can't resurrect the partly rounded flare nut, I may try this job. Just wish the clips were easier to get at. One is under the vac booster and the other one will probably require removal of the battery tray.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

Yes you can use the appropriate flare unions to join lengths if it makes it easier. Compression fittings are illegal though. In a really difficult location doing so makes sense.

Sometimes I take heavy grease and a brush and coat brake lines. Otherwise in your harsh environment rust will get them.

Also when replacing one leaky and you get the hang of it. Inspect the others on the car and replace the ones that look really bad as well. hopefully none will.

Presumably the flare connections at master cylinder and at flex hoses compression fittings are not considered compression fittings? Is it the non-flared compression fittings with ferrules that are illegal? Autozone sells these ones for brake use.

My 300D has always been under-sprayed by Krown or Rustcheck . But when doing a rust restoration last year (documented in bodywork forum), I had underside of car steam cleaned and I painted everything I could get at including fuel and brake lines with DOM16 (similar to POR15 and sold by NAPA Canada). Weak spot is always under the clips and I did have fuel lines corrode under clips a few years ago.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

CUNFNER LNE COMBINATION OF NICKLE AND COPPER WILL NOT RUST BEST BRAKE LINE OUT THE EASY TO WORK WITH AND BUBBLE DOUBLE EASY WHOLE ROLL OF CUNFNER THIRTY DOLLARS DOES THE WHOLE CAR. SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS TO LAZY TO CHANGE IT, look it up has been used in europe for years, very high pressure tested i restore cars and this is what i use,federal hill cunfner line

A few years back there was one heck of a lot of chat on the forum about the legality of different brake pipe joints - I came to the conclusion it is best to check locally. It seems to be different all over North America and the rest of the world.

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

cunifer lines are what I used for the rear lines all the way from the master cylinder, a breeze to work with.

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1982 240D 4-speed
2013 Jeep Wrangler Sport - 4.10 e-locker

Yes if it is flaired it will not be possible to use a compression fitting. Compression fittings only work on cut lines that are unmodified.

I have not seen a roll of this stuff in Canada. Will seek it out though. Easy to work with is a big help.

Some of my bubble flairs do not turn out perfect but they still seemed to seal well. It surprises me. Some of the flaring tools seem better than others as well.

I dont want to spend $$$ on a flaring tool just to do two ends. Can you buy ready made cunifer lines? I would need about 50". And hopefully available from napa canada or another local store.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

Buy the tool. I've been using a $15 generic tool for years just fine. The trick is to lubricate everything. Cunifer flares much easier than steel as well.

or

Rent the tool from autozoo

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

I am in Ottawa and I got a 25' roll of cunifer from NoLimits auto parts, and I've also seen them at Benson auto parts. You definitely won't find it at CT or Partsource.

The tool wasn't very expensive, $30 from the Matco truck - and you don't need to be a "veteran mechanic" to use it. If you tried buying those $15 "clamp" type tools, you could end up buying a few of them before you find one that actually makes a decent bubble flare, better to get the right tool in the first place especially when it's not that much more.

If I only had to do the two lines from the T-connector, I would have just gone with the pre-flared steel lines from Canadian Tire. For me, it was more cost-effective to make my own. Plus, this whole project was for the purpose of learning.

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1982 240D 4-speed
2013 Jeep Wrangler Sport - 4.10 e-locker

heh, a customer came into a NAPA while I was shopping, and had his brake line from a corvette or similar... he wanted to replace it, the shop had the line, but no bending tools... the distraught customer was freaking about how to get the line to fit, and I told him, steel brake line is simple to just bend into shape... he looked at me crosseyed, and asked how and then gave up, and handed his original and new lines to me, and I promptly duplicated all the bends in the line by eye... he set them side by side, looked over everything, and was thrilled, and gave me $10 for the work...

it's NOT hard, and yes, a proper tubing bender likely makes it easier to get perfect bends, but steel lines are a breeze to bend by hand.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I have done this sort of thing before, so don't see a problem with bending. But the line that goes from mc to pass side front has complex bends both sides. It look like I could make up one side, but then may have to feed line along firewall behind engine, and then do the other bends in place. Does this sound like way to do it?

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5