Thank you all for the information. This confirms what I believed, that copper
is dangerous because it work hardens.
But now, is there a way to identify what material I have on this car? Scraping
a piece will tell me if it's plated, but how can I tell if it's the
copper/nickle alloy? We haven't put that many miles on the car, but if I
haven't lost the brakes yet, might I assume it's the right stuff? From the way
it looks on the car, the last PO received the car with these lines and he put on
several thousand miles. The lines do not appear new, but it is obvious they are
not original, based on how the bends look in the vicinity of the front shocks.
Jim
Dave & Marlene wrote:
> 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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