persuader

I did not want to jack another persons thread currently discussing fuel line routing, so I am asking here. It was mentioned on that thread that steel lines are preferred over stainless and I am curious to read why. I would think that stainless is preferable for the simple reason that is does not corrode and looks better longer than steel ones. What do you guys think?

Easy Mike

I think you will not get a consensus on your question. Purchase what you want.

Alan 71

Hi,
I find the TBW lines are quite a bit less stiff than the stainless steel lines which makes them easier to get into position and tweak as needed to fit well.
Plus, they seem to make getting a leak-free seal easier because they're not as hard.
I had put ss lines on and took them back off and replaced them with TBW lines.
Regards,
Alan

LeMans Pete

I am in the same boat with Alan. I found that the TBW lines were much easier to get a good, leak-free seal. The original lines are TBW and have lasted a long time, I think you'll find that there is not a great benefit to stainless. Others like to polish up the stainless to a nice, shiny look.

Mike Ward

Given that 99% of these cars are now fair weather drivers only and that the stock TBW lines last usually 40-50 years in the worst of conditions, replacement TBW lines will have an infinite life.

I see no advantage to stainless.

80Baby

I went stainless because of the condition of the brake/fuel lines that I pulled off of my frame. When shipped the pre-bent lines were folded over once, but they straightened out easily and they fit like a glove. No issues. However, I must agree that if your car will be a sunny day cruiser, there's no need for the extra expense. I live in a very moist part of the country and stainless is my choice.

bj1k

I have only used stainless steel lines a couple times and had trouble making them leak free because as Alan said , the stainless is too hard and the ends with the seats on them will not seal properly without tightening them so tight that you fear breaking or stripping them. I just went through this with my 72 . Since the new stainless lines came with the car when I bought it I decided to use them but regretted it when I had trouble stopping a leak at one of the fittings. Finally got the leak stopped but now hoping that it doesn't start drawing air. Never again. Stock lines would last at least 40 years if the car doesn't see bad weather.

Mike Ward

In the interim, the rest of your plain steel and iron car is rotting away. Theoretically one day all that will remain are the SS brake and fuel lines.

persuader

Thanks guys for all your responses so far.

Scottd

I wish there was a happy medium, as I see fuel and brake lines rust out in as little as 6 years here in Saltacuse NY.

Paul L

Some truth in that but I do use Krown rustproofing on my daily driver (Chevrolet Cruze). That stops the corrosion process very effectively.

You won't get a consensus but years ago I tried to do some 37* and 45* flares for tubing on various lines for my former 1967 coupe. I tried SS but the flares never worked out and always leaked. I went back to steel and all worked out well. I would never use SS.

7t2vette

I used commercially available pre-bent SS for all the fuel and brake lines when I did my body-off resto, and home made hand-bent and 37 degree flared SS lines for the fuel system when I converted from a carb to EFI years later. I had no problems at all with leaks. The trick is knowing how to seat them properly; a good seat or seal is accomplished by loosening the line slightly and retightening it several times. I also lubricate the threads with whatever liquid will be in the lines while doing this. Absolutely no regrets using SS.

Paul L

As I said there will be no consensus .

Torqued Off

Another problem with stainless is that if they are not bent close to correct to start, it is even more difficult to get them tweaked straight. I tried several suppliers, and the bends were really way off. I then tried Inline Tube, and they were right on. Maybe had I started with Inline Tube, I would have been satisfied with stainless. I went with Stainless fuel lines as they are connected on both ends by rubber hoses. I used TBW brake lines, and they fit very well, and if any tweaking was required, it was easy to do.

kanvasman

I would agree with the plain steel for reasons mentioned above. As I am replacing a lot of stuff on the underside of my car, I am coating a lot of it with clear matte finish rattle can spray. Between the fair weather driving and that, this should look pretty good for a long time.

Mike Ward

I think there might be consensus on that point.

Paul L

In other words people agree to disagree. HEH, not so cold tonight. The furnace is taking a brief rest. OK it was....

dprinter1

I also went with SS, as the thought of ever having to mess with them again....well.

I haven't had any leaking, and a small rubber mallet helped tweak them into place, no big deal.

68/70Vette

My 68 has all stainless steel brake and gas lines and also all stainless steel fittings. I'm driving it now. My project 70 car also has all stainless steel brake and gas lines and also all stainless steel fittings.

I've never had a problem getting a good seal. For stainless steel brake lines, you must get all new brass connecting/distribution blocks. I looked very closely at my stainless steel brake line ends...I gave them a 1000 sand paper rubbing to make sure they were smooth. For each juncture of the new stainless steel brake ends and fittings, You torque the stainless steel fitting into the brass block at less than recommended torque levels...then you unloosen...and then retorque at slightly higher foot-lb levels...and loosen and then retorque to the PROPER FT-LB torques. You need a proper torque wrench and a crow's foot socket. Torque them down to the proper torque. Next...there is most likely one place where you can't use your torque wrench and crow's foot. This is the driver's side where the brake line mates to a brass block that's in a little pocket near where the drivers side trailing is attached to the frame. On my 70, a small tubing hand held tubing spanner would fit in there. I tightened it up on my learning with torque levels for the other fittings. On my 68, I had to heat this tubing spanner with a torch and bend it a little to get it to work.

BTW...I use silicon brake fluid in my 68. I have a rock hard pedal with silicon. I have Stainless Steel Brake Corporation aluminum calipers on both my 68 and 70. Their calipers look pretty much like the Delco's, but aluminum.....about the rock hard silicon brake pedal. Bleeding the brakes myself, my pedal was a little soft, which is a common complaint with silicon. I cheated. I took the car to Guildstrand Motorsports for an alignment and had them bleed the brake lines..voila..stone hard brake pedal.

68/70Vette

For custom brake lines, Inline Tube is your friend. I have Stainless Steel Brake Corporation (SSBC) brake calipers on my 68 and 70. Although their aluminum calipers look pretty close to the appearance of the Delco cast iron calipers, the brake inlets are different.

I have SSBC calipers on my 68 and 70. The stock brake lines won't match up to the SSBC calipers! The problem is the brake line section that runs from the trailing arm to the caliper. If you order all stainless steel brake lines for a 70, the factory stainless steel line will not fit these aftermarket calipers........What to do? Simple. Get 3/8 inch copper tubing, steel fittings, and a double flare tool...Custom make your needed brake line segments with copper tubing...it's soooo easy to work with and to make double flares with an inexpensive tool. NOW..now that you've made easy to make copper brake lines, send them to InLine Tube and they will laser scan your custom made copper brake lines and then recreate these brake lines in stainless steel! I've had them do this process for both my 68 and 70 Corvettes. I forget the exact charges for this but it's very little. ~$40 or ~$50 (??) and in both cases, their stainless steel brakes lines (created from my scanned copper lines) fit absolutely perfectly.

PS: One of the advantages of working with copper tubing is that the tubing is so easy to hand bend. With your new custom made tubing, screw one end at the trailing arm fitting and the other end into the brake caliper input. Now take your hand and push the copper line into a conformal fitting with the trailing arm and mold it around the caliper. A really snug tubing fitment. (I couldn't find 3/8 inch copper tubing at local hardware stores, even here in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. I had to order it from the internet.) When you send this hand formed tubing shape to InLine Tubing, they will return this piece in stainless! I always ask them to make my lines with SS fittings also. If you don't specify SS fittings, they will use steel fittings. The SS fittings are not that much more expensive.