Replacing solid brake lines with flexible hoses

[Blue C7]

When I fitted the flexables from redline I made up a bracket as in this picture.flexible

[Geoff Brown]

I have been seriously considering changing to rear flexi hoses this winter. I would rather leave the bulk of the solid pipe attached to the de Dion & three way connector just having short hoses similar to the front hoses connected outboard from the rigid pipe to the caliper.

To me that solution looks more elegant & it is the same sort of thing I always found on aircraft.

I believe there was a parts list about for that type of mod. It is just the thread & size spec for the connector at the caliper end & same at the inner hose end. Any one have info on this?

Either way up access is a slight issue but there are so many 'widgets' about (drill extensions, in situ pipe flaring tool) that it should not be too much of a problem.

 

 

[John Vine]

Hi Geoff,

I think your proposal is a very neat idea. 

The CC hoses I used (S3) came from Goodridge. The short one (77201L) looks like this, but both short and long have the same connectors:

At the calliper end:

Adaptor (1/8” BSP to M10 x 1.0)

https://www.goodridge.co.uk/products/goodridge-bsp-male-to-metric-male-adaptors?_pos=64&_sid=3e6b39b64&_ss=r&variant=34150034823

This connects to the hose via a swivel fitting (-03 hose, 1/8” BSP thread):

https://www.goodridge.co.uk/collections/bsp-re-usable-fittings-for-600-series-hose/products/straight-reusable-bsp-female-fitting?variant=34946256903

Then, at the 3-way, there's what Goodridge call a "bulkhead" fitting (-03 hose, 3/8” x24 UNF) -- like this but longer:

https://www.goodridge.co.uk/collections/jic-unf-re-usable-fittings-for-600-series-hose/products/jic-male-fitting-convex-seat?variant=34946184647

Hope that helps!

JV

 

[John Vine]

Re #23:

Resurrecting this old thread, does anyone know if the possibly short hoses, if one has the watts linkage, issue has been addressed?

I fitted CC-supplied S3 hoses to my R400D (with Watts links).  They were long enough, but I was concerned about how to prevent the hoses rubbing against the de Dion brackets.  One neat solution was to fit 45-deg elbows to the callipers.  I ended up fitting rubber sleeves (similar to Blue C7 in #26). 

Discussion here.

JV

[Geoff Brown]

JV - Cheers!

[john milner]

Solid pipes at the rear do not need to move a lot. Hoses will need to be replaced periodically. I would guess that a rear hose is more likely to fail than a pipe.

[ScottR400D]

That’s a point, but given that there are already flexibles in the system, adding more doesn’t make it any less reliable. They’re a well proven product anyway. 

Though I would agree that the rigid pipes work well enough, at least in my experience, I haven’t had any issues with callipers not moving etc. 

[Geoff Brown]

I have had no issues with the rear solid pipes into the rear calipers on all three of my Sevens going back to 1994. But the idea to change did attract me from an engineering point of view as well as esthetically. 

You could say that the number of times that the solid pipes would cause a problem are minimal. Changing pads one -  but how often does that happen when the average Seven mileage per year is around 3000 - 4000? Unless of course you are a track junky or racer. The other is caliper overhaul. With a bit of luck both actions could be factored in to the fluid change unless things occur out of phase.

The jury is still out on whether I will go for modification this winter.

[john milner]

Flexible hoses are great where the there is a high degree of movement (front wheels) or an awkward pipe route. The only time the rear calipers get pulled about a lot is when the pads are changed so are definitely a good idea for racers but I'm not so sure about anyone else.

[John Vine]

Re #33:

But the idea to change did attract me from an engineering point of view

IMO, that is the key reason for doing it.  Like 7WotW and others, I'm amazed that DVSA haven't already mandated that CC use flex hoses.

JV

[AG2728]

I ordered the flexi kit from CC when I was building my car last year, but after much faffing about, I wasn't happy the braided hoses were long enough to be routed without the chance of fouling and mine is a non-Watts linkage car. I ditched the idea and reverted to plan A, using the solid pipes supplied with the kit. Being a noob at the time, I was unaware there were other options to go braided.

[aerobod - near CYYC]

There are two issues I had with the rigid pipes that the flexibles solved:

- Uneven inner to outer pad wear due to the pipe acting like a weak return spring

- Need to bend the pipe when bleeding the caliper correctly and the ensuing risk of fracture, bearing in mind I change my brake fluid annually and bleed at least once a year, sometimes several times a year, depending on the amount of track use.

[Englishmaninwales]

#37

+1 I find the only way to ensure bleeding is successful is having a flexible brake line so the caliper free to be moved.

[7Nut7]

Changed all my lines over to flexible braided, housed inside a clear sleeve.

Stew

 

 

[Geoff Brown]

Mmmm - not sure about fitting them everywhere. They have an in service maximum life where copper pipes are almost fit & forget. Looks nice though.

[john milner]

Changing from an almost zero maintenance item to a relatively high maintenance item as a way of reducing maintenance only makes sense if that item is getting pulled about a lot or it is noticeably affecting performance.