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TR2/3/3A Help getting back on track.....TR3

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Tr3aguy

Tr3aguy

Jedi Knight
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So I have had a lot on my plate and need to get back on the rebuild horse......So my question is recommendations on Brake lines and gas lines.....do the hard lines need to be replaced????Or is there a way to clean them.....mine have been disconnected a very long time with no fluid in them. I have the new flexible brake lines already in hand and the new rear brakes cylinders.


Do you need to bend them or can you get them pre-bent? I just want to get it right! Thanks for the help from all the veterans!

Garage is getting warmer every day:cheers:
 
For fuel line, sure. Just blow some air or carb cleaner through until you don't get any more junk. The sediment bowl will handle anything that's left over.

But for brakes, I would go for new ones. I've had too many bad experiences with original brake lines. Most recently, I was digging through a box of original brake parts and happened to pull on a line, not too hard, and it just snapped in my hands! Looked fine, no signs of corrosion, but I know I didn't pull that hard (and it should have bent instead of breaking even if I did). Sure wouldn't want that to happen right after someone pulled out in front of me! (when the lines get hit with as much as 1000 psi)

Moss sells a nice set in Cunifer (a copper/nickel/iron alloy developed especially for corrosion resistant brake lines). It comes coiled, but the Cunifer bends much easier than the original terne-plated steel. I used a mandrel for the sharp bends just outside the rear wheel cylinders, but all the other bends were done by hand.

Just be sure it can't rub against anything. I discovered the hard way that it doesn't squeak like steel does, either. Fortunately I was only doing 10-15 mph when it let go.
 
Welcome back JP!

On the TR3A I reused almost everything, as they were in decent shape. I blasted them on the outside and ran cleaner through the inside. Finally coated with clear laquer. After reading Randalls post...maybe a mistake? We'll see with time, I guess. I just ran into so many Repo part issues that I doubted a lot of the repo quality.

On the TR2 I will replace all but the hard fuel line. The brake lines were so badly corroded that the line turned with the b-nuts when removing and they all broke off. I did keep them as a pattern, and will likely buy a big roll of copper caoted steel from NAPA and go to town.
 
I would replace all the brake lines. I foolishly did not and am redoing them now. Those cunifer lines are very nice. You can also buy direct from Automec in the UK https://automec-uk.mamutweb.com/ Even with shipping they may be less expensive. They also sell coils of the material should you want to consider for the fuel line too. No financial interest, just happy with their service and product. Cheers, Mike
 
In the UK we all tend to go for Cunifer. My everyday driver ran 20 years on this.

I like to use the coil and make my own flares.

You need a double-ended tool to do this. One for the male thread fittings which have a turned over end and another for the female fittings which are just flared outwards. Making flares needs a bit of practice.

Although this stuff is easy to bend by hand this gets hard if you want a bend near to one end. Working off the coil you bend it then cut it.

Al.
 
For the 10$ the hard fuel line costs OTC your nuts NOT to go new!! 2 5foot sticks of 5/16 brake/fuel pipe and a union to fit them together
Bends easily by hand.Get new clips so it hangs onto the frame as it should.I suggest the flex lines be fuel injection grade.Details like this make all the difference latter.....
MD(mad dog)
 
Wow...thanks for all the information....I have a gift certificate that needs to be used. Guess I need to start looking at some kind of kit for flaring the lines. The rubber on the fuel line would need to be replaced as well. I am looking at snow here today so my thinking is I will not be in the garage for a long time today. Good news is the warming trend is not far behind.
 
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