Re: Steel-braided brake lines

[James Montebello <jamesm@domain.elided>]

There are a tremendous number of places to get Earl's parts.  Behrents
and Summit Racing are only two, off the top of my head.

As for using braided lines on a road car, there's one thing to be careful
of.  The commonly-available 'racing' hose is relatively unprotected.
The braid gets dirty, and that dirt works its way into the weave, which
wears the soft inner Teflon tube, which ultimately fails, usually where
the hose enters the fitting.  Braided lines should, therefore, be changed
regularly, and examined frequently.  Not much of a problem on a racing
car, a bother on a road car.

There are DOT-certified lines that protect the braid to keep out the dirt,
and these will probably last longer and be much safer in a situation where
they're not going to be checked often.  I'd still change them regularly,
since when braided lines fail, they do so suddenly.  Rubber lines fail
gradually, usually giving you lots of warning before they do so.

james montebello

On Wed, 9 Oct 2002, David Morales wrote:

> Has anybody used successfully the steel-braided brake lines that
> Centerline Alfa sells? I bought a set for my Milano a few months back
> and now that I've finally gotten around to installing them, I've found
> that the diameter of the flare of the couplings is too wide and shallow
> and won't match the flare of the pipes correctly! Any information on the
> flare angles that Alfa uses and that of these hoses? Any suggestions on
> where I can get the real McCoy, Earl's brake lines? All comments on
> brake matters welcome. Thanks.
>
> David M.
> 87 Milano Gold
> --
> to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
> or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided