brake pipes

[johnnyb44]

Hi to all
After having a look around underneath my 75 I've been met with a mixed bag of news. The underside bodywork is very good. In fact I'd go as far as saying spotless. But the suspension add ons do have a lot of surface rust particularly the two front wish bones that are part exposed to the elements of the front wheels before they disappear behind the undertray The metal looks very thick so hopefully protecting these will be enough to preserve them for the future. I've tried underseal in the past but It just simply flakes away after a few months as the rust simply lifts it away. I'm my opinion it just simply makes the car look " good ” underneath with no benefit what so ever. I have used old engine oil sprayed over in the past which I think works quite well if done regularly ( and its cheap ) but I know there's a lot of people out there would disagree.
Anyway to cut my ramblings short, my latest car is one of the best cars I've ever had and I want to keep it that way, so I'm going to spend a few quid every few months and wax oil it. Its no hardship to park the car on a kerb and reach underneath it with a couple of aerosol spray cans of black wax oil every few months.
Where do the brake pipes run along on the 75.Do they run along the middle of the car or along the sill.( My eye sight is not much to be desired for ) On the mot certificate it states slight corrosion on both front pipes so I was going to give all the pipe work a good clean and wax oil treatment.
Wax oil does seem to be very resistant to road spray from my experience so should serve it job if done regularly

Many thanks for reading.
John

[suffolk boy]

middle of the car.the bits that suffer are where the pipes join the flexis each side of the fuel tank.

[Jordan Apex]

middle of the car.the bits that suffer are where the pipes join the flexis each side of the fuel tank.

This sounds familiar for some reason ;)

[Moodster020]

Just applied this to mine, repeat once a year:
http://www.acf-50.co.uk/

Got mine on ebay

[SD1too]

John,

Look under the floorpan on the offside. You'll see a pair of brake pipes running from the bulkhead to the fuel tank. The corrosion starts where they're secured in the clips. That's where you should put your Waxoyl, but be warned that the clips may break as you ease out the pipe.

Simon

[suffolk boy]

This sounds familiar for some reason ;)
funny that:}

[Grumpy1]

John, my car had an advisory warning last year for 'slightly corroded brake pipes'. On the mot last month one of the pipes actually split on the brake test. Just imagine what the consequences might have been if I had needed to brake hard in an emergency! :shrug: Replace 'em now, don't just cover them up! :(

Chad. :}

[johnnyb44]

Many thanks all for your help and advice.

[Moonshine Mark]

Opinions will always differ but personally I would get the brake pipes replaced with copper rather than coat it in something so as you can't see the condition of the pipe underneath.

All a case of personal preference though ;)

[johnnyb44]

John, my car had an advisory warning last year for 'slightly corroded brake pipes'. On the mot last month one of the pipes actually split on the brake test. Just imagine what the consequences might have been if I had needed to brake hard in an emergency! :shrug: Replace 'em now, don't just cover them up! :(

Chad. :}

When you put it like that Chad it does make common sense to just get them sorted out right now.

[suffolk boy]

Opinions will always differ but personally I would get the brake pipes replaced with copper rather than coat it in something so as you can't see the condition of the pipe underneath.

All a case of personal preference though ;)
as i did with mine.but the ones i looked at today only had a very light amount or rust on them which you can rub of with your finger.so i to recomended to waxoyl them.but if they are pitted and rusty i would for safety resaons alone recomend replacement.

[T-Cut]

If you drive the offside wheels onto a thick plank or similar, you can lay alongside the car and reach the front to rear pipes very easily. I labbered mine with Hammerite at a year old. Detached from the floor clips they hang down enough to wire wool clean then paint them properly. My recommended pipe replacement is Kunifer (copper/nickel alloy).

TC

[Grumpy1]

I can't emphasise this enough - 'slightly corroded' on an advisory does not mean 'pitted and rusty'! Replace them!!

Chad. :}

[johnnyb44]

I bet it was quite a shock to see the brakes emptying all its fluid all over the mot stations floor. I will check the pipes very carefully before I decide whether or not just to protect or replace them.
My car has only done 50k and is 12 years old. Its a bit Jekyll & hyde really. The body work is spotless as is the engine bay. The interior smells factory new, but other parts of the car show its true age like the aforementioned parts underneath.