Flexible Metal Brake Line

RalphG

RalphG

Well-known member
Just wondering if anybody has used the flexible replacement brake line to fix their old Fords? I'm looking at the type that comes in 25 foot rolls. Made of copper/nickel. Supposed to be easy to work with and outlasts steel. I'm needing a long line replaced on one of my non Ford vehicles but figured this would be a good place to ask for opinions or previous experience on this type line.
https://www.amazon.ca/-/fr/Bobine-fil-frein-cuivre-nickel-25/dp/B07C8N5K95?ref_=Oct_s9_apbd_otopr_hd_bw_bA07ySJ&pf_rd_r=Z51XZN0H736WSVMHHC1Z&pf_rd_p=9b186c1e-146f-5e39-8f87-6054f9596295&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-10&pf_rd_t=BROWSE&pf_rd_i=9163229011
 
The brake lines rusted out prematurely on my 1999 F150 "beater" truck. I used the new "Ni-Cop" as a replacement and it worked very well. Very easy to work with (I never had to do a second flare), and it is not susceptible to corrosion.

I recommend it highly. This is from a guy who spent a LOT of time using Stainless Steel to re-plumb my '36 25 years ago. The only complaint I can think of is that it doesn't look like the original. After using it, that's not a factor for me.
 
tubman said:
The only complaint I can think of is that it doesn't look like the original. After using it, that's not a factor for me.
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Thanks for the review. Appearance is not a concern in this case as the brake line is well out of sight unless you get the car up on a hoist.
 
All flares on brake lines and gas lines Must be Double Flared. ;)

You can buy various lengths of NiCop that is ready to install. ;)





.
 
To be clear, I did all double flares; what I meant is that the all flares worked the first time. When I did the stainless lines, that was not the case.
 
I wouldn't use anything else, Ralph. Over here it's trade name is Kunifer. That's copper nickel iron. To say it is flexible isn't really the case, if it were expected to flex it would work harden and break. More "malleable" might be a better way to describe it.
It is a completely different animal to common copper pipe which is always well known to be a no-no for brake lines.
Mart.
 
Nickel/Copper brake/fuel lines are an excellent product. As other posted, it bends in a nice radius by hand, and you get good, tighter radius bends with a tubing bender. Because it is nickel/copper it also double flares easily.
NAPA and other auto parts stores carry it in bulk length and pre-made up lengths, flared with fittings.

It was originally developed & mfg. in Britain and has been used on high end cars like Aston Martin and Jag for years. It is widely copied and made by everyone, most out it overseas.

I get my NI/Cop from Federal Hill here in MA. They carry the original English "Cunifer" product and very good quality fittings. They also sell and rent high end bending and flaring tools. Their 1/4" tubing, (Early Ford size), is exactly .250 OD.
 
tubman said:
To be clear, I did all double flares; what I meant is that the all flares worked the first time. When I did the stainless lines, that was not the case.
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Same here. Very easy to work with. Sometimes too easy. Watch tight bends for it has a tendency to sort of kink instead of make a hard 90. Once you realize that, it's a breeze to work with.
 
russcc said:
Nickel/Copper brake/fuel lines are an excellent product. As other posted, it bends in a nice radius by hand, and you get good, tighter radius bends with a tubing bender. Because it is nickel/copper it also double flares easily.
NAPA and other auto parts stores carry it in bulk length and pre-made up lengths, flared with fittings.

It was originally developed & mfg. in Britain and has been used on high end cars like Aston Martin and Jag for years. It is widely copied and made by everyone, most out it overseas.

I get my NI/Cop from Federal Hill here in MA. They carry the original English "Cunifer" product and very good quality fittings. They also sell and rent high end bending and flaring tools. Their 1/4" tubing, (Early Ford size), is exactly .250 OD.
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Thanks for the tip. My fittings were high quality and with SAE threads, but metric heads. I didn't like that.
 
I also like using it. Like Tim, though, I’ve found it can kink when doing a tight radius with the bender. It could just be me or my bender, but I find I can get a better very tight radius with the steel line.
 
I used it to make all the lines for my '40. Worked pretty well. I recommend buying a small pipe cutter if you don't already have one. Hardest part when you buy it in a roll is getting it strait for the long runs.
 
As stated previously, purchase your material from Federal Hill. The stuff at the auto parts store is not the same!
Tom
 
I believe the auto parts store tubing is from china, so the nickel/copper ratio maybe different than the British "cunifer" tubing sold by Fed Hill. The Fed Hill tubing seems less flexible than the import stuff and that maybe a function of nickle/copper ratio.
 
OK, I'm convinced that the original Cunifer tubing is better than the Asian imports. Who supplies the original stuff and/or how does one contact Federal Hill?
 
tubecomparetest1.jpg
glennpm said:
http://www.fedhillusa.com/
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Man, what an eye-opener. There's just SO much "FAKE CRAP" out there these days to go along with everything else that's "FAKE".....if ya ain't paying attention!
DD


468208
 
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I will stand alone in the crowd and stick with plain steel brake lines both in race cars and street driven cars. Money and difficulty of installation is no compromise for safety for me.
 
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