Stainless Brake Lines ..... Leaking

[AAQUINO11]

Hi everyone , I just finished up my brake lines and spent hours ! I can’t seem to get these right !

Half of them are seeping brake fluid. I remade line after line trying to perfect my flares.

I used Baer Remaster and Baer 6P Kit and made all custom stainless hardlines.

I used 3/16” double annealed tubing and Eastwood professional brake flare tool.

https://www.eastwood.com/professional-brake-tubing-flaring-tool.html

And I did a 45 degree double flare.

Has anyone else had trouble like this ? Am I doing something wrong ??

Did I do the right flare ??

Here’s some pics of the car for reference.

167642

[John McIntire]

I did not make my own, but I did purchase SS lines from Classic Tube for my car and I remember having to really wrench on the fittings to snug them up. I had seepage at a few connections and just had to put some more oomph on it to get them to seal. Most likely because the SS is a much harder material. Other than that no problems. When I install them now, I snug them up and break them loose a few times in order for them to seat on the flare.

Good luck.

[AAQUINO11]

Ah good idea ! I wrenched on them pretty hard but like the idea of backing them off and re tighten a couple times to get them to seat.

Have to heard about lapping them with a compound to make a perfect seal?

[icemanrd19]

I always use a spare fitting and some lube. Tighten them back and forth a few times with the spare fitting before installing them on the car

[parsonsj]

SS plumbing is hard to get leak-free. SS is really a poor material for brake lines... coated steel or Copper-Nickel is a better choice.

[dhutton]

I had one i couldn’t get to stop leaking that I was able to fix with a copper conical seal.

Don

[John McIntire]

Ah good idea ! I wrenched on them pretty hard but like the idea of backing them off and re tighten a couple times to get them to seat.

Have to heard about lapping them with a compound to make a perfect seal?

Yeah I remember really cranking on them to the point I'm thinking I'm going to strip this thing.

When I do new lines for the rear I'm building, I'm going to try the NiCopp lines that John has suggested. I've heard nothing but good things about it.

[parsonsj]

I had one i couldn’t get to stop leaking that I was able to fix with a copper conical seal.Right, that's a good point. I've been able to repair older race car plumbing with AN aluminum conical seals. That's definitely worth a try if replacing the hard line isn't in the cards right now.

[Gmachine1911]

I made all new brake lines out of 3/16" SS for my build and bought/used the same Eastwood flaring tool. Not sure if it makes a lot of difference but here's the process I used and didn't have a single leak in the end...1. Used a very small amount of anti-seize to lubricate the line for flaring. 2. Made the flare and visually checked it for straightness and burs. 3. Used red Scotch-bright pad to "work" the flare and remove any seams or roughness from the inside of the flare as well as the outer lip around the flare. 4. Wiped off any excess anti-seize and blew out the line with compressed air. 5. Polished the line and installed it. I did this with every single flare I made and didn't have any trouble. One thing to check is that you're putting enough "ass" behind it when you were creating the flare...SS is tough as nails and it's easy to underestimate what it takes to bend it. You have to be very intentional! Hope that helps.

[CamaroAJ]

Stainless lines really only need a single flare. You risk cracking the line with a double flare. Also use lube on the tool threads to help with less friction and on the fitting its self to help the tool work better.

[raustinss]

Stainless likes to gnall, any type of antiseize will greatly increase your luck in preventing a leak