E46 front to rear hard brake line replacement tips wanted

[hermes]

Any tips from anyone that has done this?

As far as I can see I'm going to have to route/bend/flare all on the car.

[Mr Tidy]

Not an E46 but I've had them replaced on two E86s which seem to have very similar underpinnings. Both times due to corrosion at the rear.

They run inside some plastic trunking until just in front of the passenger side rear wheel, and the end of the trunking get a build up of road debris that holds water against the mild steel pipe with inevitable consequences.

The BMW pipes are pre-formed so the only way to install the one for the drivers' side is to drop the fuel tank, but they will corrode just like the originals. So both times I had mine replaced in kunifer which will last a lot longer. One pipe has a join inside the trunking and both times the garage put a join in the other one in about the same place, routed the kunifer through the support brackets behind the fuel tank and then shaped them similar to the OE parts.

Maybe these photos of how mine were done last month might help.

[helix403]

Not all gen. BMW ones are pre formed. Some are, some aren’t.

[Pica-Pica]

They are preformed in production parts. I had an E36 brake pipe replaced, it was formed and flared in situ by a local specialist. That was many years ago. In UK many pipes were made by TI (Tube Investments) In their Bundy group works, machine formed, of course, then shipped as a front-to-rear package, pre-clipped together.
I would not do it by myself.

[hermes]

Well removal answers my question. Did have to unclip and get the fuel lines out of the way, but the worst bit was getting the tight bends out of the bulkhead where they connect to the ABS unit.

At least I know I can pre make replacements.