1969 Z/28 questions

[tmodel66]

That's all I could think of DavidS. But the way he expressed it as saying he would never use it what has me baffled. My car is matching numbers car and probably a show winner in some circles but I chose stainless for longevity because sitting brake fluid creates or attracts moisture. My car sits more than it's driven so........ you do the math. 

[janobyte]

Not to mention very rarely are the " toys " on my lift . Usually it's repairs and not restoration.  I go stainless for longevity. Ohio winters are brutal on lines and chassis. Little harder to make the flare or bends is all I can think . Never had a problem with leaks. Matter of fact there is a shop around here that will match your factory lines ( back to the toys) in stainless for a very reasonable price. However I'm always up to learn something new or hear possible problems. Maybe we are getting off track on this thread.

[KurtS]

Stainless is hard to work with - many people with nightmare stories about getting things to seal.
But more important, OEM lines don't rust. I have the original lines on both my cars and none are rusty. So why spend more money on SS and get problems, but not fix any problem.

[ban617]

Good point Kurt ,may I ask how or what you used to  cleaned them up ?

[KurtS]

Mine are still as-is.
Depends on condition - if they are just dirty - Simply Green or such.
Evaporust or such if they have surface rust. IIRC, there's a coating on them that you don't want to remove.

[lynnbilodeau]

OEM can rust from the inside out.  Granted, if the brake fluid is changed (flushed) every few years, it will never happen.

I have seen two brake lines that looked perfect from the outside, rusted through  from the inside resulting in brake failure.  One was a first gen Camaro.

Again, not likely, but possible.   I had to replace my original fuel line because someone had cut off both ends.  Went with stainless.  Figured it would be a good time to do brake lines as well.  I capped and saved all my original lines.  I had no sealing issues.  Yes, it is harder to bend.

[Mark]

The hard brakelines on my 69 are original, and don't appear to be very rusty on the exterior.  Never had a leak issue with any of them.  Now the Brake lines on my 2000 Cadillac STS look like they were buried in the sand at the surf line of the atlantic ocean and I will not even touch them for fear they will break in half.  I've alread patched in several new lengths of line here and there, as the lines develop leaks in them, an inevitably the little short replacement you plan on turns into a 2 or 3 foot replacement because you have to go that far back to find good steel.  Don't know what happened to the quallity of OEM steel in the last 20 years or so, but its gone way down hill.

[Dusk_Blue_Z]

Hi Rob, FWIW, I put poly bushings in my car during the resto and now wish I would have used rubber. I use my car for cruising and it's really stiff (and squeaky).

I also installed stainless lines and it was a cinch, no leaks (yet).

Hope this helps.

[jdv69z]

I installed ss brake lines on my Z years ago, and it was a pain to get them to seal. Kurt is correct. Eventually got it sorted out.......but, would go reg steel if I was to do over. Especially since the car sees only good weather.

[ban617]

  Hi ,once again Kurt do you recall the Yellow VanNuys Z/28 that Van in California had ? He told me that you were familiar with it .. That's the car that I have ....What are the odds of finding nos body bushings ? Thanks Rob

[firstgenaddict]

The stainless lines need to have the double flares seated better you can usually do it by snugging the hex fitting on the flare then spinning the flare around and around essentially lapping it. It was the only way I could get stainless Holley carb lines to seal... I figure this why so many of them have teflon tape on them... if your fuel lines seem to need teflon then you need to reseat the flares.

[motorman]

copper flare gaskets all sizes. http://www.gsistore.com/copper-flare-gasket.html

[KurtS]

NOS bushing appear on ebay.
I'm not sure there's much a difference between the repro and originals. Others would know if it's worth chasing down NOS.