Project 2500HD

[balthazar]

Had to make a hard stop on the highway @ a light this morning, and blew out a brake line. I drove it back home (about 4 miles); I've had more than one experience piloting brake-compromised vehicles home. Seems like a simple enough repair; drop the fuel tank, the line goes from whatever the mid-cab distribution block back to the axle- maybe 7-ft (I didn't measure it).... but as a matter of course, I should just replace them all. Twin lines running forward are looking crusty, too.

For the F of it, I called the dealer. It's less than 2 miles from me, and I'm on a first-name basis with the service guy via regular service on the Malibu. He told me he replaced all the lines on his '02 Tahoe, and it was

$2000. With his employee discount.

This puts me in the same boat I was with my F-150: when it's brakes went out, the dealer wanted $1400, so I had them put whatever they had taken off back together, they made me sign a waiver, and I drove it back home. I did all the brake work there (MC, lines, rear cylinders) for about $350 in parts.

If the dealer today could've gotten it in today and done the one line for -say- $400, I would've gone for it out of convenience. As it is, he ballparked me at $700 for the one line. Amazingly, there are no pre-bent lines from GM- they bend them in the shop. Weird.

I just cannot pay the overhead in dealership rates- I refuse. The price here is really quite outrageous IMO.

Anyway, my buddy has a shop with 3 lifts, so Monday it's Brake Line City. Wish me well.

[BigPontiac]

LMC Truck seems to offer them, though you'd be sidelined while you waited for them to arrive: http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/ce/full.aspx?Page=156

[balthazar]

How come there's only 1 CC model, and its the 1500HD?

At $330, I'll bend my own. Gee I'm cheap.

[ocnblu]

This is apparently a known problem with GM trucks of your vintage. I'm not sure if it's winter salt or condensation causing it. We have a truck in the shop now that burst a brake line leading to a crash, a GMC 1500 HD. We got the customer's permission to send it across the street to the GMC dealer for replacement of the lines. That bill was $800 for all lines, customer-pay with no discount.

It's good there were no injuries, and the damage is not too bad.

If condensation is the cause, maybe a periodic brake fluid flush would prevent it.

Edited October 6, 2012 by ocnblu

[Camino LS6]

Check with Inline Tube - got all the lines for the wagon in stainless for a couple hundred. Not only are they stainless, they are all pre-bent.

If DOT was worth a $h!, stainless brake lines would be a required feature of new vehicles.

But they'd rather mandate silly things like back-up cameras.

[Camino LS6]

Here's the link:

http://www.inlinetube.com/

[Camino LS6]

Lots of good info on this page for your truck, Balthy:

http://www.inlinetube.com/Preformed%20Lines/Web%20Line%20Listings/CT-CAT-99-06Main.htm

[balthazar]

Working out of a W-body GP is a killer. Still, I'm sort of surprised the 4-ft ladder fit in it (back seat- not the truck). Cleaned out a finished job that had been supplied by my truck over numerous days- the GP is packed to the gunwales.

$279 for stainless (plus $17 shipping) is a decent price, I'm going to order them. I can finagle around my lift time in my buddy's shop until they get here. Thanks Camino.

BTW, I did call LMC today and they sided with me; in that the 2500HD CC was NOT listed, they believed the lines were different and they didn't have them.

[Camino LS6]

My pleasure.

I don't think I'll ever replace brake lines with anything but stainless again. And, the folks at Inline Tube seem to have their act together.

[ocnblu]

So, what do you guys think causes this? Is it corrosion from outside, or is it brake fluid gone corrosive with time, or is it condensation inside the lines?

[Camino LS6]

So, what do you guys think causes this? Is it corrosion from outside, or is it brake fluid gone corrosive with time, or is it condensation inside the lines?

Outside (and cheap steel).

The spraying of brine solutions onto roads over the last few years is really destroying cars and trucks these days. It's like going back into time to the 70s when everything rusted within a few years. For a while there (late 80s through the early 2000s ) nothing seemed to rust out around here - now not so much.

[balthazar]

^ agreed

EDIT :: just ordered the lines, full set of 7 pieces, in stainless, with shipping: $299. Will be here either tom or Wed the latest.

[balthazar]

Lines got here today, I will say they are definitely a quality product.

Some of the longer pieces are sent with what they term 'shipping bends', which are gentle radius bends they bracket with tags telling you to straighten it between the tags. That worked out fine.

I & my buddy's mechanic got all the old lines out, and snaked the new lines in- it really wasn't as bad as I thought.

Initially, I was thinking I'd have to drop the fuel tank, but no. Fitment was very good, just a little twiddling to get the lines mated up at the MC, not enough room twixt the MC & the fuse box. I think it took us about 3.5 hrs.

Issue left on the table tho is, the factory bleeders look like they came off the Titanic. Soaked them down real good and going to carefully try & get them out tomm. Everybody say a little prayer to the Twin Gods of Chrome & Horsepower on that one, please.

These are YET MORE components the next Silverados should have installed at the factory in STAINLESS.

[Camino LS6]

Lines got here today, I will say they are definitely a quality product.

Some of the longer pieces are sent with what they term 'shipping bends', which are gentle radius bends they bracket with tags telling you to straighten it between the tags. That worked out fine.

I & my buddy's mechanic got all the old lines out, and snaked the new lines in- it really wasn't as bad as I thought.

Initially, I was thinking I'd have to drop the fuel tank, but no. Fitment was very good, just a little twiddling to get the lines mated up at the MC, not enough room twixt the MC & the fuse box. I think it took us about 3.5 hrs.

Issue left on the table tho is, the factory bleeders look like they came off the Titanic. Soaked them down real good and going to carefully try & get them out tomm. Everybody say a little prayer to the Twin Gods of Chrome & Horsepower on that one, please.

These are YET MORE components the next Silverados should have installed at the factory in STAINLESS.

Glad it worked out for you - my experience was much the same as yours.

Good luck with the bleeders.

And yes, all new cars and trucks should have stainless lines!

If they made it an option, I'd pay for it happily.

[balthazar]

Soaked the bleeders end of day Wed, and I sprayed them down this morning with Seafoam DeepCreep, which was getting good reviews online.

I was looking for a product called Kroil, but it's rarely available retail, apparently, and I didn't have the time to wait for an amazon box.

My buddy said he got one loose; we're going to hit it tomm morning early. I hope to hell I don't have to buy new calipers. My mind is already spinning with alternative means of extracting them if they stay tight.

[Camino LS6]

Good luck!

Keep us posted.

[balthazar]

Truck is done. Got all 4 bleeders out & replaced this morning. I was wondering if the ABS module would add more drama to bleeding the brakes, but it went very well.

Pedal is excellent and the truck went about 55 miles today.

So from the dealer-discount quote of $2000, doing it myself cost me right about $330 (lines, bleeders, fluid).

As a bonus, I also got to rotate my tires for free; gee a lift makes that easy!

[balthazar]

That lil' 'nick' in the line is the original blow-out point:

IMO, this is pretty sad for an 8-yr old truck (107K).

[Camino LS6]

Good news!

I went to look at another truck yesterday ('97 2500 with 66k on it) - ALL of the brake lines are a disaster.

Damned brine solutions!

[balthazar]

My buddy has an '02 with 149K on it, and he reports the brake lines are past due, too.

My B-59 blew out what I believe was an original brake line, tho it had about the same miles as my truck (105K) it was 36 yrs old.

If indeed this brine scenario is at fault, the safety issue is monstrous.

[Camino LS6]

Yes, monstrous describes it well.

Been thinking about that very potentiality.