How to install brake and fuel lines.

[MarcDeSoto]

I bought a brake line kit for my 1948 DeSoto.  it has already been flared with the couplings installed.  Will I have to cut some lines and put new flares on them?  Or will I just have to bend them to fit?  Who sells fuel lines and are they pre-fitted to my car?  Thanks, Marc.

[48ply1stcar]

I've never pulled the trigger on this vendor, but I've given it some thought for my 48 Plymouth.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/383653663676?fits=Make%3ADeSoto&hash=item59538a53bc:g:ZFgAAOSwKL1e~kqx

[MarcDeSoto]

That's the kit I bought.  It's true the lines are easier to bend than ones in the past.  I'm still going to use the line bender tool.  I don't think I'm going to have to cut lines or flare, so the job will probably be easier than I thought.  I don't even think I need the clips and can just use the old ones.  The lines just slide right in.  Today, right after getting some take out food, I was driving home and right behind me was a cherry red 46 Plymouth business coupe.  I'm sure it was a hot rod as it had the hood louvers and after I turned off, I saw it speed off fast.  

Edited August 14, 2021 by MarcDeSoto

[Kilgore47]

Here is a tip for installing your new brake lines.  Cap or tape the ends of the lines while installing them to prevent debris from getting in them.

I installed new brake lines in the P15 last summer.  A little tedious but not that bad.  I was able to re use all the old clips.  Bend open for removing the old lines and bend closed after installing the new lines.

[keithb7]

Do the new brake lines all come straight? With flares and nuts on each end? Each is a predetermined length? You are to just bend them into shape and install them yourself? 
 

That doesn’t sound all that different than just buying a decent double flaring tool kit, bulk lines and building your own. 
 

I have bought bulk line and made my own brake and fuel lines. Just practice a few double flares. Inspect your work. Each one will get better.  Then you are ready to proceed.  Cheap and easy.
 

The hardest part is trying  to wrap your mind around the various bending tools. How to get the right bends in the direction you needed. I’ve thrown away plenty of short pieces bent the opposite direction I wanted. Threw a few out that I flared, then realized I forgot to put a nut on. Lol. Its cheap. Its fun. It’a a skill you will enjoy learning. Then you are rewarded with the end result. 
 

Safe? Absolutely. Cut and flare them right. As good as factory. You should be inspecting your brake system regularly for leaks anyway. You’ll spot a leak, if you are concerned about the quality of your flares.  
 

I’d rather know I did it right than some questionable part built who-knows-where. 
 

Single reservoir brakes. Stock engine, steering  suspension and brakes. I’m happy. It Works just fine.  It has for 83 years and counting on both my ‘38 Mopars. 

[Bryan G]

For one car I own I bought a kit from Classic Tube; those are supposed to be exact fit, and they did look very nice. I chickened out, though, and paid a mechanic to install them. He said he'd never used such a kit before and they worked well, but it would have been cheaper to just pay him to make them. On my current project I pieced the lines together using the pre-flared straight lines from the parts store. I mostly used the nickel/copper lines and they were remarkably easy to work with. Using those lines saves on having to do your own flares but can take some creativity to make everything fit given the limitations of the sizes they stock. In the end it worked out well, just not exactly like the factory.