Disco 2 Making up rear brake pipes

Hi All,

In another thread I mentioned that the brakes failed returning from the (passed) MOT. Having had a crawl under the car, the O/S rear pipe has rusted through where it goes over the spring, completely hidden from me and the MOT tester, but not from all the muddy crud it was sitting in. The same on the N/S is just about rusted through so I'll replace that as well.

So opens a can of worms! Just get some pipe, maybe some fittings and a flaring tool. Not that easy! Firstly, is the pipe 3/16" or 5mm? I know there's not much difference. Is the flare DIN or SAE?

This may have been mentioned on here before, but I've not found it.

Any advice welcome!

Many thanks in advance.

this is the tool I used when i did mine with copper pipe, if look around you may get it cheaper

frostythor said:

this is the tool I used when i did mine with copper pipe, if look around you may get it cheaper

Hand Held Brake Pipe Flaring Tool

A professional-quality, easy to use tool that’s great for flaring brake pipes in-situ on the vehicle or on the bench. Includes detailed instructions for producing single or double SAE flares on copper or copper/nickel brake pipe. HAND HELD FLARING TOOL FOR BRAKE PIPE #HPRO

www.carbuilder.com

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Thank you. So it’s an SAE flare then?

PopPops said:

Thank you. So it’s an SAE flare then?

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It does both I think from memory. Great wee tool.

+1 for that wee hand-held tool, I've got a Sykes Pickavant vise-mounted one, and I've also got one of these, and if anything, the wee yin makes ever so slightly better flares than the Sykes Pickavant one. I'd suggest going "full mongo" on the brakes, replace every pipe with cuni/cunifer pipe, new ends, and replace all the flexis while you are at it, for the cost of the materials, it gives you a lot of future reliability / peace of mind for not much more money & effort.

frostythor said:

this is the tool I used when i did mine with copper pipe, if look around you may get it cheaper

Hand Held Brake Pipe Flaring Tool

A professional-quality, easy to use tool that’s great for flaring brake pipes in-situ on the vehicle or on the bench. Includes detailed instructions for producing single or double SAE flares on copper or copper/nickel brake pipe. HAND HELD FLARING TOOL FOR BRAKE PIPE #HPRO

www.carbuilder.com

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Just ordered the tool, pipe and fittings from carbuilder. To be doubly sure, I disconnected a fitting on the car and it's a DIN flare.

Thanks for everybody's advice, I've now got something to do over Christmas!!

Hi when I replaced the rear pipes on my D2, I also replaced all the plastic clips except 1, the last clip at the very back on the passanger side, as I could not get it out, so I cut the old pipe and just pulled it out, so as it was to tight to get the new pipe in I just pushed my new pipe through with a long end and then put the fitting on and pressed ther correct end on the pipe,
Secondly I put a joint in the offside pipe were the pip turns to go over from thr near side to the offside I could not thread it all the way as it down the passanger side the over to drivers side the down the chassis to the back wheel, so make sure you have at least one in line double ended female joiner

Is it worth fitted braided hoses?

frostythor said:

Hi when I replaced the rear pipes on my D2, I also replaced all the plastic clips except 1, the last clip at the very back on the passanger side, as I could not get it out, so I cut the old pipe and just pulled it out, so as it was to tight to get the new pipe in I just pushed my new pipe through with a long end and then put the fitting on and pressed ther correct end on the pipe,
Secondly I put a joint in the offside pipe were the pip turns to go over from thr near side to the offside I could not thread it all the way as it down the passanger side the over to drivers side the down the chassis to the back wheel, so make sure you have at least one in line double ended female joiner

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Thank you, yes, I've ordered a set of plastic clips. Jamesmartin always used to add a joiner at that place.

MJI said:

Is it worth fitted braided hoses?

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It probably is if I can find the bits in time! If not, is a job for better weather. I'm going to put the truck in for MOT again in the summer to avoid ll this lying in a cold wet drive!

MJI said:

Is it worth fitted braided hoses?

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Short answer is an emphatic YES! But I'll give you an explanation as to why that is my answer...

In my street racer days, we used to feel that braided hoses gave us a more positive feeling brake pedal when really braking to the limit of the tyres. The reason for this is that the OE style cotton braided rubber hoses were less stiff than the steel braided poly coated ones, and allowed a bit of ballooning when pushed hard, robbing you of some braking effort and pedal feel. However, if we are completely honest, we don't drive our landys fast as street racers rag their vehicles, but even so, I'd still recommend braided hoses.

Now having seemingly countered the main reason for street racers feeling they neededed the braided hoses, I almost hear you ask "Why is he still recommending them?" Well, simply put braided hoses are generally made with better materials, and much less likely to deteriorate over time. At the top end of the scale, HEL makes their brake hoses with stainless fittings and ferrules, and come with "a no-quibble lifetime warranty". Personally I'd rather pay a little bit extra to have hoses that will last the lifetime of the vehicle, than save a few bucks buying say britpart hoses, and have to replace them in 5-8 years, and thus have to fight with 5-8 year old bleed nipples.

The thorny issue is the pricing, the HEL's are unfortunately £156 for a full set of 6, but they are a "fit and forget" solution, so IMHO worth it. However, even if HEL's price for a full set makes you balk, it's not much more money to go from OE style rubber hoses to other brands of braided hoses, such as britpart stainless braided hoses. Although britpart use zinc plated hose ends & fittings, as opposed to HEL's stainless fittings and ferrules, but the terrafirmas are less than half the price of HEL hoses. I've never had a brake hose fail on rusty fittings, usually the rubber gives way long before the metal, and having the stainless braided wire encapsulated in a clear plastic coating, with a PTFE liner, means these hoses should last more than long enough, and at somewhere around £60 they aren't too much money.

Really not worth the hassle of flaring your own, just remove the two pipes that need replacing and take them to your local factor who will make you up two replacements whilst you wait.

When you get your flaring tool have a practice making the flares on an off cut, it took me a few attempts to get good flares but you soon get the hang of it. Also clean off the LR 'green' coating before flaring, (you'll find the cunifer pipe flares easier than the steel/coated LR pipes), best of luck.

I make my own as well, easy when you've done a couple. I use copper pipe
Done them under a landy to make a join but easier with flaring tool in a vice I find

Thank you. All the bits except the plastic clips arrived yesterday and I've had a play and made 3 quite good flares. It might not be so easy lying under the truck though!

PopPops said:

Thank you. All the bits except the plastic clips arrived yesterday and I've had a play and made 3 quite good flares. It might not be so easy lying under the truck though!

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Remember and slide the fitting onto the pipe before you flare it

When you cut the brake pipe file the cut square and take of any swarf

meego said:

Remember and slide the fitting onto the pipe before you flare it

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What's the problem? You only have to cut the best flares you've ever done off . Been there, done it . Happy Christmas.

As said on here. Practice on an off cut. Once you get the hang of it it's so easy. I re plumbed the complete set of pipes on my
P38 once upon a 20 years time ago. Seemed a daunting task but once I started it was real easy.