Jim,
Several materials have been / are being used for brake piping.
First & worst is regular copper. Copper work hardens with vibration &
flexing & fatigue cracks. Not good for brake or fuel lines.
Low carbon annealed steel has been used for many years. It is not
subject to fatigue failure but has rust & corrosion problems.
Various coatings have been used to protect the steel, such as, copper &
tin plating.
A 90% copper - 10% nickel alloy (UNS C70600) has been used in Europe for
many years. It has the fatigue resistant qualities of steel & very high
corrosion resistance. I don't know whether present US car manufacturers
& racing organizations are sanctioning It's use or not.
http://www.copper.org/applications/automotive/brake.html
The confusion may be between copper, copper plated steel, & 90/10 copper
- nickel, which all look pretty much alike.
Dave Russell
Jim Juhas wrote:
> I'm interested in your collective wisdom and thoughts about
> using copper tubing for brake lines in automobiles.
>
> I met a fellow car club member Tuesday night who extolled
> the virtues of using copper brake lines on his restored
> british cars primarily because it eliminates corrosion
> problems. He said the biggest caution is to avoid running
> lines where they could be easily damaged, as from a rock,
> since the line would likely rupture. He said there was no
> problem in holding enough pressure.
>
> My '66 Sprite came to me with copper brake lines, and I had
> considered changing them. Now I'm unsure about the need to
> do that. Also, I was under the impression that copper lines
> were not legal to use according to most DMVs.
>
> Any comments?
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