Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

[Steve L.]

I landed up with 2 sets of brake lines, one stainless, one bundy set.

I bought the SS at first a few yrs ago until I found out that these tend to leak because of the harder material. So then I bought bundy. The 2 sets have been sitting in my attached garage for a few yrs waiting for installation. The time has now come.

The SS look mighty pretty. The Bundy's have rust patches and this is just from sitting in a cardboard box for a few yrs in an attached garage that sees east coast type humidity and fairly warm. I'm really not impressed. I've spent a lot of time restoring and it would be heartbreaking to see rusted lines a yr from now.

The SS lines are stainless but the armour doesn't appear SS, which I think is rather odd. A magnet doesn't attract to the lines but the magnet attracts to the armour. If this is correct, what's the point of putting in SS!

Anyone use Bund with clearcoat?

[Jim D.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

SS lines are a waste of time,effort and aggregation. The originals worked fine for 40+ years. Are you going to be around in 40 more years?

[Steve L.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

The steel looks ugly when it rusts.

[Michael W.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

I restored my car in 1997 with TBW lines and live in the same climate as you Ottawa folks. No corrosion here. Very strange.

[Gene M.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

Stainless is the forever material. Do it once never do it again. I use all stainless, tubing, fittings, armor, never rust always looks new. I don't care about points any more.

Stainless requires more torque to seal but once it does you are good to go.

[Larry M.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

The steel looks ugly when it rusts.

I would recommend the TBW lines, since I believe they will be easier/better to install and will last a lifetime. As for the rusting, use 000 or 0000 steel wool to remove the rust spots, and then coat the lines with a satin clear spray paint or Eastwoods satin clearcoat for metals (probably the same stuff but a bit more $$).

Stainless will work if you take your time and use new fittings.....you will likely have leaks and have to redo those connections.....but it can be done as Gene states.

Larry

[Steve L.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

Larry,
What is your experience with using satin clear on the lines.
Can you get enough coverage through the armour wire.

[Larry M.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

Larry,
What is your experience with using satin clear on the lines.
Can you get enough coverage through the armour wire.

I have used the satin clear (from Eastwood) with good results on the short bare lines. I have not tried it through the spiral wrap on the long front to rear line. I think it would work, but I would spray lightly (sort of mist it on).

Once this main line is installed on the car, no one will ever see it, unless they use a mirror.

Larry

[Scott S.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

A recent episode of Two Guys Garage (Speed Channel) had a segment on a product called "Sharkhide". After watching the short video, it may not be good for brakes lines and hard to reach places, because they mention re-applying it every few years.

Might be good for other more accessible areas though, to keep shiny metal surfaces from getting dull: http://www.sharkhide.com/

[Christopher K.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

Steve,

Vendors typically sell the stainless lines without stainless fittings. If you ask you can get them for extra $. I used stainless on my car and it was a little more difficult to bend and line up. If you tighten and loosen the lines a few times they will seat without leaks

Good luck, Chris

[Steve L.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

Steve,

Vendors typically sell the stainless lines without stainless fittings. If you ask you can get them for extra $. I used stainless on my car and it was a little more difficult to bend and line up. If you tighten and loosen the lines a few times they will seat without leaks

Good luck, Chris

As well as non stainless fitting, I don't think that the armour wire is stainless either. The ones I have, the armour all attract a magnet, but the lines do not. So If the armour rusts, what's the point of so called SS lines....it's a joke.

[Howell J.]

Re: Stainless or Bundy brake line dilema

I've used In-Line Stainless on two cars, a 68 and 70. I order it with stainless steel fittings (costs $30 extra). I have no leaking problems. Buy all new brass distribution blocks. Screw in the fittings into the brass blocks at less than full torque, unscrew, screw back in, repeat, and then screw in and tighten. I bought a correct torque wrench to torque to the specified values.

The armour shield is supposed to be stainless also. Some alloys, labelled as stainless, will have a slight magnetic attraction. I believe this is usually the case with spring wound wire. As I recall the springs in my stainless steel e-brake kit had a slight magnetic attraction.

I used silicon brake fluid and have a very hard pedal. (Dick Guldstrands shop did the brake bleeding).

Also, stainless is hard to bend and hard to double flare unless you've the right equipment...$$$$$$. A solution - fabricate your brake lines out of copper tubing, use steel fittings, and do the double flaring yourself. Double flaring and bending copper is easy. Then send the copper brakes lines to In-Line. They will laser scan them, duplicate them in stainleess steel with your choice of fittings and of course they will have done the double flaring. They did a set of rear brake lines for me (slightly different than stock due to using SSBC's aluminum brake calipers.) Very reasonable price.