Topic: Recommendation for good brake line source
in Forum: C3 Handling Components
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Looking for people's experience with different brake line vendors. Working to get a 1980 back on the road (bought new, drove for 24 years, sitting for last 11). Figure best to be sure it will stop before I see if it will start 
. Have a stainless set I bought about 6 years ago from Dr. Rebuild. Not one piece is an exact fit. The master cylinder to proportioning valve lines must have been based on earlier models without cruise control since the path they are bent to would go straight through the cruise control transducer. The front crossover line goes two inches past the front cross member before dropping down to run along it. Etc. etc. Anyway, have been spending hours just to get close and am not happy with the results. At this point I'm ready to trash them and try again.
. Have a stainless set I bought about 6 years ago from Dr. Rebuild. Not one piece is an exact fit. The master cylinder to proportioning valve lines must have been based on earlier models without cruise control since the path they are bent to would go straight through the cruise control transducer. The front crossover line goes two inches past the front cross member before dropping down to run along it. Etc. etc. Anyway, have been spending hours just to get close and am not happy with the results. At this point I'm ready to trash them and try again. Spoke with Lonestar directly at their tent in Carlisle back in August. The couple pieces I brought with me matched must closer to theirs than the Dr. Rebuild parts. I should have just bought the set direct from them there but I hadn't reached the frustration level I am at now. Unfortunately Lonestar will only sell direct to the general population at shows like Carlisle and I don't want to wait till next August for that.
So I would be interested in knowing what vendors folks like and don't like. Recognizing of course that many of the vendors buy from Lonestar (which would be fine) and, according to the Lonestar guys, 90% of the lines being sold are made by just two companies.
As it once looked and hopefully will again
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Lifetime MemberTemple City, CA - USA
Joined: 10/3/2010
Posts: 365
Vette(s): 1969 Daytona Yellow. 350 / Automatic.
Just curious, have you asked Dr Rebuild about this? Its not unusual for me to have parts sitting for years before I try to install them.
No I did not contact them. I figured after so many years there was little which could be accomplished especially as I have added so many bends attempting to get the parts to fit it would be hard to prove what they looked like out of the box.
As it once looked and hopefully will again
Give these people a call. http://www.classictube.com
I've only seen their stuff personally on other GM vehicles. Not Corvettes. I've heard a lot of good things about their products. But I can't guarantee a perfect fit. I'm sure all kits do require a tiny bit of tweaking.
They are in the next town over from me. 
TKO500 5 spd.
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975
Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.
Lifetime Member #26
Thanks for the recommendation. You must live not too far from where I grew up - Stafford, NY - easiest thing to tell people is "between Batavia an LeRoy" since Stafford is too small for anyone more than 20 miles away to have heard of.
I actually dropped the CT folks a note. I asked to see photos of the line kit since I'd know immediately if it was correct - the Master Cylinder to prop valve lines are quite different than what comes in most the kits I've seen online where photos are shown. They recommended sending the old lines up to them. Not to be cheap but hate to add shipping costs to a the cost of a stainless set I'm about to toss into the trash. Wish I had known a couple weeks ago since I was up there for Christmas and could have just gone to see them.
On another topic, the side pipe set up on your 81 is exactly what I'd like to get to eventually. What is the make of pipes, covers, and exhaust manifolds or headers as the case may be.
Regards,
As it once looked and hopefully will again
vince vette said: Thanks for the recommendation. You must live not too far from where I grew up - Stafford, NY - easiest thing to tell people is "between Batavia an LeRoy" since Stafford is too small for anyone more than 20 miles away to have heard of.
I actually dropped the CT folks a note. I asked to see photos of the line kit since I'd know immediately if it was correct - the Master Cylinder to prop valve lines are quite different than what comes in most the kits I've seen online where photos are shown. They recommended sending the old lines up to them. Not to be cheap but hate to add shipping costs to a the cost of a stainless set I'm about to toss into the trash. Wish I had known a couple weeks ago since I was up there for Christmas and could have just gone to see them.
On another topic, the side pipe set up on your 81 is exactly what I'd like to get to eventually. What is the make of pipes, covers, and exhaust manifolds or headers as the case may be.
Regards,
Yeah, I'm not exceptionally far away from Stafford. I'm in a town on the South border of Buffalo.
If you send them up your original they should be able to duplicate it. If you go that route, I could stop by there to verify the tube is bend correctly before you accept it.
My side pipes are made by Sweet Thunder http://sweetthundermi.com/Catalog-Online-Version.pdf I have the 2.25" inner diameter baffle version. The covers are reproduction OEM '69 N11 chrome plated metal ones. Scored them on ebay cheap. Supposedly they were laying around a guys shop since '77. The old small block engine I used a set of aftermarket repro ram horn manifolds w/ 2.5" dumps. The new LS engine I have Hooker shorty headers. I had to make my own head pipe to connect the header to the mufflers.
TKO500 5 spd.
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975
Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.
Lifetime Member #26
I sent them photos of the master to prop valve lines, attached here, originals from my car in the center and vendor supplied replacements on either side. Those are the ones I've seen several postings about - not because they don't fit well but because they don't fit at all. Per previous notes its seems there was a change to these to reroute them when cruise was added as an option but 40 years later some vendors have not gotten the word.
|UPDATED|1/10/2016 12:33:44 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
I don't expect them to bend them based on photos (although I could run a 3D CT scan for them at work and and send them engineering files to work with 
- maybe there's a potential business opportunity there. But given how much different the lines are vs what many vendors send it is easy to distinguish them visually. So as they seem to have a good reputation I think if they have these visually correct then I'd buy a full set from them. I know there may be a little bending required even when things are properly made. But it shouldn't take hours of tweeking. I'll keep you posted as things progress.
- maybe there's a potential business opportunity there. But given how much different the lines are vs what many vendors send it is easy to distinguish them visually. So as they seem to have a good reputation I think if they have these visually correct then I'd buy a full set from them. I know there may be a little bending required even when things are properly made. But it shouldn't take hours of tweeking. I'll keep you posted as things progress. And thanks for the information on the side pipes and headers. I spoke to Sweet Thunder at Carlisle. It all looked like good stuff. The engine and tranny upgrade surely made a difference 
|UPDATED|1/10/2016 12:33:44 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
As it once looked and hopefully will again
Just for grins, check with Bair's, one of our sponsors. When we were there last summer I saw several lines made up ready to go. I don't know if this is a regular retail they have or not. Worth checking.
Sent a note to them with pictures I've posted here asking if there stock matched the pieces shown and which are original 1980 vette lines. Reply was that they also often have to do additional bends to lines they buy. They didn't actually answer the question. So my survey of brake line vendors' ability to provide the proper lines for the master cylinder to proportioning valve in a 1980 vette has thus far been as follows in order of investigation:
Dr. Rebuild (bought 6 years ago): wrong style, so far off would have to go through the cruise transducer
Lonestar: correct, but won't sell retail and I was too dumb to buy them at Carlisle
Inline Tube: did not reply to information request
Classic Tube: did not provide photos of their standard stock or comment on whether what they have looks like the photos I sent. But did offer to bend matching parts to anything I would send them.
Bairs: Stated they have to bend stuff they buy also and did not comment on whether what they in stock matches the parts in the photos I sent.
This is turning into the proverbial "buying a pig in a poke". Buy, try, if no good send back - you're only out shipping both ways.
As it once looked and hopefully will again
Like I mentioned before I could stop in at Classic Tube to check it out. They are 20 minutes from my house. Or if you'd like, send the line to me and I be willing to go there myself and have it done and then send them back to you once the new one is bent properly. I don't mind helping out a fellow Corvette owner. Offer is there. I won't be offended if you go another route.
TKO500 5 spd.
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975
Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.
Lifetime Member #26
in Forum: C3 Handling Components
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