ok i just fitted by sportrak with some new brake pipes, and as i tried researching this on the net first i couldnt really find much and it was all trial and error. to be honest its very easy for someone with limited mechanical knowledge such as myself, or the weekend mechanic (such as myself!). im doing a brake pipe that runs from beck hub to back hub. i have already replaced the one from the hub to the front of the car.

the connections are at the back of the wheel cylinder. one standard union on each.

first of all you need the kit, you need brake pipe, a pipe bender, a flaring tool (metric or imperial) and some unions for joining the hoses or fitting them to brake calipers or wheel cylinders. these also come in metric and imperial. i bought all of mine in a kit from ebay located here:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRAKE-PIPE-REPAIR-KIT-PIPE-ENDS-FLARER-CUTTER-BENDER_W0QQitemZ290092323572QQihZ019QQcategoryZ9903QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

for the money you dont expect much and its not the best quality but it does the job. you will also need some rags and a 10mm-11mm ring spanner or brake pipe spanner.

as this pipe will be going round a diff, a lot of shaping will be needed. have a look at the length you will need and estimate with an extra foot at each end. here is my diff.

bend it round the diff like a semicircle and mark off with a pen where you want bends to be made away from the diff, towards the wheels. try and keep it quite level, its not hard but a bit fiddly.

once you get the general shape you can continue and shape the rest of the pipework. you will end up going back and forth to the wheels and to your bending tool, but take your time and do it right. you will soon end up with a perfect fit. cut the required amount from the ends with the cutting tool and clean them up ready for flaring.

now MAKE SURE YOU PUT ON THE UNIONS BEFORE FLARING! common sense but dont forget. make sure the threads are facing the right way too, like this:

after you have done this, get the flaring tool out. if you go wrong, you can just cut the little bit off and start again. us the right size hole on your tool and make sure the spike is in the middle before you start twisting. i managed it first time. you should end up with ends like this:

now you have done this, put your setup back on the car and line everything up. you should have done all minor adjustments before this stage! put the brake pipes into the holes on your wheel cylinders and hand tighten the unions being careful not to cross thread.

then give them a good tighten with a 10mm/11mm spanner or brake pipe spanner (£4 from halfords) and you should be good.

now all you have to do is bleed the system and check for leaks. attach the pipes to the diff or whatever using your existing clips or just cable ties. either will pass MOT.

i had no leaks first time! hope you enjoyed this, i may add more howtos as appropriate.

thanks for reading

paul-w