Trailing Arm Brake Line
Trailing Arm Brake Line
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Discussion

Lewis's Friend

Original Poster:

1,052 posts

213 months

Monday 4th January 2016
quotequote all
Hi All

I am soon going to put in the brake lines for my new rear calipers. I have had stainless flexi lines made up to run from the chassis copper pipe all the way to the caliper. I just need to secure the lines.

The easiest way I can think of would be to use P-clips attached the the rear of the trailing arms so that the lines are actually hanging off of the back of the trailing arm.



(please excuse the artwork. I'm not too amazing anyway, and this was with a broken thumb!)

Is this an acceptable solution, or would they be too exposed and need to be inboard the trailing arm to stop things flicking up etc?

Thanks

Barkychoc

7,848 posts

227 months

Monday 4th January 2016
quotequote all
Inboard looks a better solution to me. Make sure the pipe is not under any tension through the full range of the trailing arm movement.

phillpot

17,448 posts

206 months

Monday 4th January 2016
quotequote all


Mine take a some what more "flowing" route wink







Lewis's Friend

Original Poster:

1,052 posts

213 months

Monday 4th January 2016
quotequote all
Thanks for the feedback chaps.

I do like the flowing method. Very curvaceous...!

I will have an experiment and see what works. I was trying to avoid drilling too many holes in the trailing arm, but needs must. I suppose another method could be to attach P-clips roughly as shown in my very technical drawing, but to have them bent upwards at 90 degrees.

So many options!

v8s4me

7,270 posts

242 months

Monday 4th January 2016
quotequote all
I'm doing exactly this job myself at the moment and I'm using 'P' clips secured through the holes where the original clips were. The only difference is, because I haven't made up the caliper union yet, I've put grommets in the holes on the original brackets and will run the hose through these. Picture to follow when I've done it.

Lewis's Friend

Original Poster:

1,052 posts

213 months

Monday 4th January 2016
quotequote all
v8s4me said:
I'm doing exactly this job myself at the moment and I'm using 'P' clips secured through the holes where the original clips were. The only difference is, because I haven't made up the caliper union yet, I've put grommets in the holes on the original brackets and will run the hose through these. Picture to follow when I've done it.
Mine has the unions on, but I was planning a similar tactic. Only one side on my car has pipe clips though. The other just rested on top!

magpies

5,191 posts

205 months

Monday 4th January 2016
quotequote all
this is mine - if doing again I'd avoid the joints and run the same route with the st st flexi


v8s4me

7,270 posts

242 months

Monday 4th January 2016
quotequote all
v8s4me said:
.. I'm using 'P' clips secured through the holes where the original clips were. The only difference is, because I haven't made up the caliper union yet, I've put grommets in the holes on the original brackets and will run the hose through these.....
Like this...



Lewis's Friend

Original Poster:

1,052 posts

213 months

Monday 4th January 2016
quotequote all
v8s4me said:
v8s4me said:
.. I'm using 'P' clips secured through the holes where the original clips were. The only difference is, because I haven't made up the caliper union yet, I've put grommets in the holes on the original brackets and will run the hose through these.....
Like this...

That's interesting, because mine has no brackets like that at all.

I'm going to run one length of flexi pipe from the copper pipe fitting inboard on the chassis, straight to the caliper.

I'm going to experiment with mounting a P-clip and bending it at 90 degrees. I will report back if I have any success!

phillpot

17,448 posts

206 months

Monday 4th January 2016
quotequote all
Lewis's Friend said:
That's interesting, because mine has no brackets like that at all.
Maybe because Joe's is a V8s so had discs from new?

Lewis's Friend

Original Poster:

1,052 posts

213 months

Tuesday 5th January 2016
quotequote all
phillpot said:
Maybe because Joe's is a V8s so had discs from new?
That could explain it. I think one of mine was a replacement unit as well, as it was a different colour powdercoat (as much as was still grimly hanging on to the metal that is) and has no holes for the pipe clips.

I've turned them black with POR15 now anyway...

Kitchski

6,544 posts

254 months

Tuesday 5th January 2016
quotequote all
I've got an S1 that I converted to run discs at the rear last year:



(You can barely see the solid line on the arm. I used a regular brake line clip though, which you can also barely see because it's black.)

You need to have a flexi at the caliper end, not just the arm mounting end, as the caliper is a floating type and needs to move. You may have already worked that out.

You can either go with one long flexi from the arm mount all the way down to the caliper, or you can be a tart like I was and go for two custom hoses and a length of solid pipe in the middle. There's no advantage to doing that, other than to satisfy your masochistic desires. Either that, or you know it looks better!

Lewis's Friend

Original Poster:

1,052 posts

213 months

Tuesday 5th January 2016
quotequote all
Kitchski said:
I've got an S1 that I converted to run discs at the rear last year:



(You can barely see the solid line on the arm. I used a regular brake line clip though, which you can also barely see because it's black.)

You need to have a flexi at the caliper end, not just the arm mounting end, as the caliper is a floating type and needs to move. You may have already worked that out.

You can either go with one long flexi from the arm mount all the way down to the caliper, or you can be a tart like I was and go for two custom hoses and a length of solid pipe in the middle. There's no advantage to doing that, other than to satisfy your masochistic desires. Either that, or you know it looks better!
May I say, that is a very clean chassis! I've gone for the single long flexi route, as I thought it would mean fewer unions to leak from...

phillpot

17,448 posts

206 months

Tuesday 5th January 2016
quotequote all


No seat belt bolt, work in progress?


Kitchski

6,544 posts

254 months

Tuesday 5th January 2016
quotequote all
phillpot said:
No seat belt bolt, work in progress?

Nah, that's just how I roll hehe

Kitchski

6,544 posts

254 months

Tuesday 5th January 2016
quotequote all
Lewis's Friend said:
May I say, that is a very clean chassis! I've gone for the single long flexi route, as I thought it would mean fewer unions to leak from...
It should be, I'd only just had it back from the painters!

You're right - less unions usually means less headache. I've got 12 flexi braided hoses on the thing frown

Lewis's Friend

Original Poster:

1,052 posts

213 months

Tuesday 5th January 2016
quotequote all
Kitchski said:
I've got 12 flexi braided hoses on the thing frown
Good form! I'll have 4 by the time I'm finished. Which at my current rate of progress will be mid-September.

Barkychoc

7,848 posts

227 months

Wednesday 6th January 2016
quotequote all
The trailing arm should have some holes already that supported the original copper pipe.
The original clip type is BPC2 on this page http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/search?q=bra... but you may be able to utilise some of their other clips.

Lewis's Friend

Original Poster:

1,052 posts

213 months

Wednesday 6th January 2016
quotequote all
Barkychoc said:
The trailing arm should have some holes already that supported the original copper pipe.
The original clip type is BPC2 on this page http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/search?q=bra... but you may be able to utilise some of their other clips.
You're quite right. One of my trailing arms has this. The other, a replacement I presume, doesn't have any holes or clips at all.

Which is not really an issue as I'll be putting some in myself now anyway!

Barkychoc

7,848 posts

227 months

Wednesday 6th January 2016
quotequote all
If you don't want to drill it get yourself some girder clips - they should do it.

http://www.thesitebox.com/screws-fixings/britclips...