der Mond

I got the left front caliper off OK, but when attempting removal of the hard steel lines from the rubber brake line to replace the rubber one, the nut will come loose from the rubber line fitting and will rotate free from its own steel line about 15-20 degrees rotation, then binds on the steel line, both at the strut end and up in the wheel well. I twisted the short lower line end somewhat, but it seems OK. I used a lot of PB Blaster and jimmied the nuts back and forth many times, but they don’t seem to loosen further. I have searched many posts on brake line removal and have heard of using everything from a Dremel tool (wouldn’t that destroy the hard line?) to Tabasco sauce. If I could just bend the short lower line until straight enough, I could unscrew it as is. If I did that and then bent it back after reinstallation, would that destroy it? If the hard line nuts didn’t have to come off first before removing the spring clips, I suppose I could just free the lines from the strut attachment point in order to give the lower line enough room away from the hub to rotate the whole line, cut the rubber lines and screw the new one in. But that doesn’t seem possible. Why does the line come loose from the caliper just fine but the other nuts don’t? How do professional mechanics replace these lines without destroying what I’m told are practically irreplaceable hard lines? Might a propane torch help? If there are any success stories out there, I could sure use one.

randomhick35

heres my story. i replaced every line. they were ALL siezed. i just wrote off the steel lines and cut them right below the head so that i could put a socket on it. with 6 faces on it instead of 2 [open end wrench] i was able to free them. You can buy the steel lines from napa for next to nothing. good luck!

theiceman

I was able to do mine after being on my 78 since new. I treated with pb blaster for a week using it and a tooth brush to work it in. Then i used a proper line wrench ( 11mm i think ) and a wrench to hold the other side..came off no problem.

Peter Zimmermann

der Mond: Line wrenches are the big secret, and they should be used on all line fasteners! They provide superior grip to an open end wrench and you can apply far more pressure to fasteners when using them.
Pete

der Mond

Pete,
I have a set of Craftsman Pro flare nut wrenches and the problem is not proper grip on the nut, but rather that once loose, it then binds on it's own hard line and twists it. I cannot remove the nut/line without twisting and destroying the hard line. Maybe it's a Midwest car thing with more corrosion than CA. I see that hard lines are not all that expensive, so would have no qualms about replacing the ones that run from the calipers to the rubber lines. What appears tricky is the sections that run from the rubber lines to the distributor junctions. I haven't tried to loosen them yet from the distributors, and if they come loose all right, I'm OK except for one: the left rear, which runs from the rubber line and down and around the G50 to the distributor on the right side. It appears that it would be necessary to remove the sway bar (I plan to anyway) and then the transmission mount crossmember in order to get a new line in. Any experience with this?
Many thanks,
Dennis

theiceman

Wow I did not have this issue at all. Is there anyway you can dress the lines behind the nut ? In other ords tighten it back up , use some fine emery cloth on the lines then back it off again ? I would NOT want to replace the hard lines on the car .. what a pain ...

ice

bauerjab

I have had very poor experiences with buying brake lines from NAPA or any other auto store. I would have to tighten and tighten and tighten. And they still leaked.

I would use only Porsche brake lines.

Peter Zimmermann

bauer is right - o.e. lines only! Yes, the one that goes over the torsion bar tube is a bit of a project, the others are pretty straight forward. When I've had trouble as described I try to break the rubber hose loose, then while holding the nut on the hard line, turn the rubber hose off. I've always, when in doubt, replaced the hard lines between the rubber hose and caliper - it makes for a very tidy job and doesn't cost a lot more.
Pete

theiceman

Great Tip Pete. I guess the theory is you are chucking the rubber line anyway , so cut it in half and back that off instead of the nut on the hard line. At least then you have it off and have something to work with.

der Mond

Pete,
That's one solution I hadn't thought of (neither had anyone else here or on Pelican, evidently), and it seems as though it would work. It's things like that that can save a guy's whole summer!!!! Last night I was under the car coming to the realization that the only way to get that cross line off was to drop the engine.
Thanks!

Peter Zimmermann

ice: Exactly.

der Mond: Remember, this is fun!!! And you'll love it when it's done!
Pete

theiceman

just don't get any of that brake fluid on your body work ....

pjc

The point is that the nut should not bind on the hard brake pipe and as such, although Pete is correct with his solution to get you out of the problem, it doesn't actually fix the problem. I would replace the hard pipe as well - easy job.

PJC

KC911

I agree. I too cut the rubber lines due to 'frozen nuts' in order to remove mine, then replaced both the rubber and hard lines (it's easy to bend your own as I needed to do w/ my 930 brake upgrade). One thing too, in attempting to remove the lines, use flare wrenches only, and position two of them so you can squeeze them together to attempt to break the nut loose... although that technique didn't work for a few of mine though.

Keith
'88 CE coupe

theiceman

I thought this only happend in Canada in winter when your heat exchangers are rusted out ...