On Thu, 13 Mar 1997, DUHART JOHN wrote:
> Rimmer Bros is selling a full set of copper brake pipes for about $62.00
> US. My question is does anyone have any experience with copper piping
> for brake systems. Should be nice for bending, but what about corrosion?
> TRF sells a full pipe set for $110 US. Its not copper but I don't know
> what it is made of.
I'll bet the Rimmer Brothers pipes are copper-clad steel, not plain
copper. Plain copper was used by some car manufacturers years ago, but
went out of favor because copper tubing's reliability under extreme
hydraulic pressure is marginal. Copper is pretty soft, so the tubing has
a tendency to expand and eventually split. Its softness also makes it
more easily damaged by road debris, careless mechanics, etc. Some
manufacturers used to wire-wrap copper tubing to protect against crushing,
but that didn't solve the stretching problem.
The Uniform Motor Vehicle Code prohibits copper brake tubing.
Steel tubing overcomes the major shortcomings of copper, but introduces a
new one: rust. One solution is to use copper-clad steel. This offers
the strength of steel tubing and the rust resistance of copper.
Steel tubing is also easier to bend without kinking, by the way.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chip Old 1948 M.G. TC TC6710 NEMGTR #2271
Cub Hill, Maryland 1962 Triumph TR4 CT3154LO (daily driver)
fold@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
If cars had evolved as fast as computers have, by now they'd cost a
quarter, run for a year on a half-gallon of gas, and explode once a day.
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