FoolishDog

One of my factory steel hard lines is rusted out and spitting fluid, figured its time to update all of them. I patched up a buddies rig a year or so back and I have all the tools to cut bend and flare. I also have about 20' of that copper alloy line left around so I figured I buy more of that. Ive seen some people talking about stainless though so I figured it might be good to ask if anybody here had an opinion? Also is it worth replacing those rubber flex tubes at the end? This is my DD, might take it on some light trails down the line but I'm not going to be rock crawling with it. Ive only done small patch jobs on breaks in the past so any general tips and advice would be welcome.
-Thanks!

Edit: these are the copper alloy lines I was thinking of https://www.amazon.com/NiCopp-Nickel.../dp/B00A02C9H0
I don't have a source for bulk stainless lines atm.

srb53150

i would go w/ stainless steel. the copper will corrode.

jedijeb

The copper/nickel alloy is used on European vehicles and most say it doesn't corrode at all. Being a chemist I would say the copper/nickel alloy would be more resistant to road salts than even stainless steel is. Only thing that should damage the cu/ni alloy would be acids.

caged

just buy the coated lines. no stainless or copper, it's a waste.

Ralph77

Copper/Nickel alloy lines all the way. You already have used them so you know how easy the flare and bend. I live in New England where they use that crap on the roads. I had to do my rear brakes and the long line from the proportioning valve to the rear brake hose on the rear diff was not looking good. Replaced everything from the proportioning valve back. And I mean everything. Was it pricey? Hell ya. Do I regret spending the money? Not one bit.

bad_idea

I fit pipe on Navy ships. 90/10 copper nickel is used on potable water. 70/30 copper nickel is used on sea water. Stainless is much cheaper than copper nickel. If it held up to corrosion better than cuni, the Navy would use it instead. For corrosion, go with the CuNi. For strength, go with the stainless. I've installed both on cars, and the CuNi is definitely easier to work with.

BlueRidgeMark

Yep. It's a breeze. As for strength, either one is much stronger than you'll ever need.

peligro113

Yup Cupronickel

srb53150

ok then , 1st post said copper, not copper/ nickel. its all about the correct terms being used sometimes.

HYRYSC

I used the stuff called Nicopp. Very easy to work with, no bender was necessary, just used my hands. Plus it looks pretty good too.

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

Nicopp helllllllllz yaaaaaaaaaaaah. Stuff is great.

pfff I bend 3/8" steel line with my hands.... they're called man hands

HYRYSC

Some of us need to protect our assets!

bad_idea

A note on strength. Both lines are capable of handling the pressure. The stainless is stronger in it's ability to resist dents from foreign objects striking it, especially compared to CuNi.

Anony

My experience is stainless lines are more difficult to work with than steel and copper. Some flare bits are rated for stainless while other are rated for only steel.

Some people prefer steel over copper lines, because steel is harder and more durable and less likely to mess up the flare connections. There are different qualities of steel lines, some have an exterior coating to help prevent rust. It was years ago I could have gone with either stainless, copper or steel and chose a good quality steel for the rear lines.

My front lines are still ok, being more difficult to replace, I might go with stainless if ever requiring replacement. I'll see how the steel lines hold up as I often travel on salty ocean beaches. Rear lines are easy enough to replace. If the rear steel line rusts out I'll probably install a stainless line.

The rear line along the axle was installed with a spiral armor, same as the OE. So the rear lines are fairly tough and able to withstand rocks, sticks, branches and debris.

When working with softer copper nickel lines you should take precautions not over-tighten the flare, just enough pressure until the flare tool stops turning and no more.

Rubber flex lines you can replace if you want. I don't normally replaced until they start to age and appear worn or if they haven't been replaced in a long time.

FoolishDog

Thanks to everybody for the advice. I swapped out the busted line with the CuNi and that went pretty smooth. Going to put in an order for a few new coils and I'll swap em all out.