Changing the hard brake lines

[polloelastico]

I am doing a full-on brake refurb, new rotors, drums, calipers, cylinders, MC, SS flex lines, pads and shoes. I figure the only thing I am not doing is the hard steel lines.

Well, the 11mm nuts on the bubble flares are pretty buggered and they are not even all off yet. It seems easier to just cuts the old ones then wrestle and strip them. I am using a flare wrench and pb blaster as well.

My local NAPA has the straight lines in stock, I just need to bend them. Still, seems like a lot of work. Anyone ever bend their own or use the napa parts? I guess I could order the OEM lines, but I would still have to bend them, and would prefer to not wait a week or two for them to arrive.

I guess the other option is to use the old steel lines and let the vice-grips be my new best friend. That seems like a shame though, considering how shiny new everthing is.

[Guest Anonymous]

I have the NAPA lines on the front and rear. It was my first attempt at bending them and they can be tricky, so my don't look very good. Plus they aren't quite the right lengths. But they still work if you are just going for stopping power and not looks.

The only ones I didn't replace was the main line going to the rear, the y split and the lines going to the rubber lines in the rear.

Have fun.

Lars

[2002Targa]

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,50/page,viewtopic/p,302193/highlight,/#302193

[BLUNT]

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,50/page,viewtopic/p,302193/highlight,/#302193

the classictube set is nice but if you are in a rush id go another way. took 6 weeks to get my stainless set. not an issue for me because my cars in pieces but if you want to install and go you may want to bend your own

[esty]

get yourself a tube bender and some of hose spring like things that you slide over the pipe to avoid kinking it....those are good for tweaking after getting the big part with the tube bender...

i've bent and shaped so much brake and fuel line for my cars, it's 2nd nature to me....if you take your time and think about what you're doing, it's a fairly simple task....take the old ones off and use them as your patterns

the tube's so inexpensive, i could never see paying the price of preshaped when it's so easy to do

[Guest Anonymous]

OEM Genuine BMW brake lines are C H E A P, correct, available (though not pre-bent) and extremely easy to bend - versus the NAPA, autoparts store stuff. I use the handles of hammers, screwdrivers, box end wrenches - whatever I can find next to the car to bend them - and they look as perfect as the factory original ones installed in 1973....only not dangerously rotted! A tubing bender is nice - but not required on the nice S O F T BMW ones.

Average price for the short lines is about $5-8 each - the long ones are only $11-14 each.....why would you go anywhere else? I can't imagine even INSTALLING pre bent lines - it seems a virtually impossible task - especially in the engine bay and from front to rear. You'd have to massacre the existing bends just to fit them around the engine and into the inner fender holes - no?

Paul