Assuming I can find suitable flexies, I hope to make up my front brake pipes like this (green for flexies and yellow for fixed copper)

Can anyone see any problems with this? I think it would look neater and lesten the fouling problems at SVA
Rescued attachment AltFlexie.jpg

If you can find something to match the colours it'd look well classy.

Hippy (helpful as ever)

can't you do that with one long flexi ? it would be cheaper...

At Exeter show I looked at quite a few, most were like lost lassoo's looking for John Wayne. Many showed signs of rubbing on bits of suspension.

With trade connections you can get the average short flexie for about £6, this would be £24 for the front end(copper brake pipe is 37p a kilometer). How much do you want to save?

I reckon it would only take a couple of hours extra to do, but be much neater and better from an SVA point of view.

Slightly (!) off topic, FWB are selling domed nut covers for about £12 per 100 - is this good?

Mark

Would you not still have a problem with the S shaped bit at the caliper end .It would need to be long enough to allow the steering to turn and may foul the calliper. I agree the flexis on most cars I have seen appear rather untidy and I am not satisfied with mine either. Does anyone know if it is ok with the SVA inspector to cable tie the flexi to the wishbone?.
Paul.

quote:

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Originally posted by Mark Allanson
At Exeter show I looked at quite a few, most were like lost lassoo's looking for John Wayne. Many showed signs of rubbing on bits of suspension.

With trade connections you can get the average short flexie for about £6, this would be £24 for the front end(copper brake pipe is 37p a kilometer). How much do you want to save?

I reckon it would only take a couple of hours extra to do, but be much neater and better from an SVA point of view.

Slightly (!) off topic, FWB are selling domed nut covers for about £12 per 100 - is this good?

Mark

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Nice idea!

quote:

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Originally posted by Mark Allanson
At Exeter show I looked at quite a few, most were like lost lassoo's looking for John Wayne. Many showed signs of rubbing on bits of suspension.

With trade connections you can get the average short flexie for about £6, this would be £24 for the front end(copper brake pipe is 37p a kilometer). How much do you want to save?

I reckon it would only take a couple of hours extra to do, but be much neater and better from an SVA point of view.

Slightly (!) off topic, FWB are selling domed nut covers for about £12 per 100 - is this good?

Mark

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I had intended using rubber hoses and had not really considered braided hoses, have you got a supplier address?

Comes bach to the question, are hoses allowed to be fastened to the wishbone for SVA?

I had better get hold of tiffosi, I think they are in Devon

www.earls.co.uk
...will make brake, fuel, clutch pipes to whatever spec and length you want.

Just ordered some braided flexies from them

[Edited on 24/6/03 by givemethebighammer]

I thought I had read that the reason that cars dont use flexy EVERYWHERE is that you would get a spongy pedal due to compliance in the flexy.

I wonder if having long flexy will promote a spongy pedal.

I like your idea tho......



As a comparison, granada disk rears have TWO pipes - a very short one from caliper to a length of copper, then a further about 200mm long from the end of the swing arm to the body.

I wonder why ford didnt use one long flexy......
woulda been cheaper......

unless the spongy theory is right.??
atb

steve

[Edited on 24/6/03 by stephen_gusterson]

No spongy feeley with braided hoses

Mark I agree that is the way to go if doable. It is always better to have the least amount of flexible piping that will do the job. And looks better IMO.

i've seen this done (long braided hoses). You weld a suitable size washer (thats been bent nearly 90degrees) onto the wishbone, two or three should do, this then provides a seating for the hose and you can cable tie round it.

This was on a race car so don't know about sva but its the way i want to do it if it'll pass sva.

Ned.

It looks as though it would be very tidy.

However you would need to experiment to make sure that the flexy did not foul when on full lock. Especially when the wheel is turning in to shorten the pipe length.
I think the solid to flexy joint should be nearer to the centre of the A-arm. Near to bottom Shock mount, just behind the ball joint, as opposed to either side of it. Looking at it from the side of the car along the axle line.

At least with one flexy you can position it so that it either flex's up or down and not into path of tyre.

Terry


[Edited on 26/6/03 by Spyderman]

I buy stainless braided line on a drum (cheaper that way), and it has either a black or natural coloured PTFE tube at its core, depending on the make. This stuff is rated at over 3,600 PSI. It doesn't stretch or bulge at all. The main reason you see it used in short lengths, is purely a cost consideration, though I sometimes ponder the benefits of this, as the end fittings aren't cheap!
I run it from the master cylinders to the front wheels, and sometimes the whole way to the rear too.
It does need to be attached and held as securely as possible.
Sometimes on the front lines, I slip the braided line through some clear or coloured PVC tube before fitting the ends. A couple of short pieces of heat shrink tube can be slipped on too, and shrunk down over the end of the PVC and the end fitting. It looks very neat, and stops the SS braid getting gunged up with muck.
The way I attach it to my wishbones, is secure, and also has a certain amount of give.
I cut a short piece of 3/8" rubber hose, say about 20mm long. I thread a long 5mm wide cable tie through the rubber hose, around the brake line, back through the rubber hose, around the wishbone tube, and lock it up tight.
I can't remember, but you may be able to see this system in one of the pics on my web site.