I need to replace the rear steel brake lines in my '97 Riviera and my friend's '95 Riviera. I figured I would go with bulk line and make my own. Does anyone know what size the line I will need? Yes, I have the double flaring tool and have made lines before.:beers2:
Most every manufacturer today uses 3/16" line on light duty vehicles (normal cars and pickups). The MAIN thing you'll have to watch out for is the flare style on the end of the line. A lot of vehicles have bubble flare, and not your standard flare. If you try to swap the style you're using, you can run into leaks at the fittings. Master cylinder fittings are somewhat harder to find than regular fittings too. Can't tell you how many times I've run into that working and/or shopping at a parts store. My suggestion is to actually price out the fittings and line vs buying sections and unions. And under NO CIRCUMSTANCES, ever use compression fittings on brake lines. They're the weakest point, they leak, and they fail. Just my .02
I am making full lines from end to end. I usually use the fittings that I took off of the car to be sure that they are correct. I like my Riv too much to use compression fittings. Fix it once and enjoy!! Thanks for the info.:beers2:
Correct on the flare style (ISO/Bubble) and threads (Metric). Isn't the line diameter the same though?
John, measure the OD of your existing tubing. It may have a plastic coating over the top that will confuse you; the true OD of the steel tubing is what's important to know right now. On the OEM programs I worked on in those days we were still working with 3/16" and 1/4" OD tubing, even though some fittings had switched to Metric. Devon
