What about Copper/steel alloy? My local Parts Source sells Cupro easy bend lines with flares and fittings already installed .... I assume they're OK, but I'd prefer to know if they're not, since I just installed them from the master to the p valve when I did my disc conversion.
Joined: Sat Aug 19 2006, 05:03PM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2919
They're probably fine Ross, since they are a copper/nickel alloy and not simply copper, provided they were sold by the parts store to be used as brake lines. (You got them from PartsSource?) However, you may have a hard time if you had to get your car safetied, if they appear to be copper because of the colour.
Possibly the OP's car is plumbed with cupro lines as well. I just checked on google and cupro lines are that colour. I think we had a discussion thread on cupro/kunifer lines here before....
Joined: Wed Dec 21 2005, 07:34AM
Location: indiana
Posts: 791
Yes, what the parts store sells should be OK. It is also available in a 20-25ft coil used for cutting/flaring to custom lengths, sometimes under the moniker of 'Bundyweld'. The copper is alloyed in for corrosion resistance, but the tubing base metal is steel. Solid copper tubing (commonly used in household plumbing) is a no-no.
And back to an earlier post - Unless there is a pressure accumulator in the system, a hydroboost loses braking assist if the engine dies, because the PS pump stops. Certain models of Jaguar and Lincoln Mark 7 of the late 80s-early 90s use such an accumulator (charged by an electric motor).
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Location: indiana
Posts: 791
Mike66Chryslers wrote ...
I just checked on google and cupro lines are that colour.
I just checked that also. Hmmm. IMO that appearance could lead a whole generation of new-to-cars folks to think it's regular copper, and that they could just plumb their car from Home Depot and save some $$. Kinda scary. (I'm not referring to the OP) So a tech inspector has to check them with a magnet, then???
Joined: Fri May 08 2009, 10:41PM
Location: Finger Lakes, NY
Posts: 315
I have my have my inspection license in NYS. If it looks like copper to me I would have to fail it. If the owner can prove to me that it is not copper then I could pass it. The state sends out officers posing as customers to catch techs who let things go.
Joined: Sat Aug 19 2006, 05:03PM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2919
Fury Fan wrote ...
Mike66Chryslers wrote ...
I just checked on google and cupro lines are that colour.
I just checked that also. Hmmm. IMO that appearance could lead a whole generation of new-to-cars folks to think it's regular copper, and that they could just plumb their car from Home Depot and save some $$. Kinda scary. (I'm not referring to the OP) So a tech inspector has to check them with a magnet, then???
A magnet sould not stick because it's a copper/nickel alloy, only 2% steel content, not a copper/steel alloy.
Joined: Thu Mar 22 2007, 08:13AM
Location: In the workshop
Posts: 1063
aquaman wrote ...
I have my have my inspection license in NYS. If it looks like copper to me I would have to fail it. If the owner can prove to me that it is not copper then I could pass it. The state sends out officers posing as customers to catch techs who let things go.
What would happen if you did a safety inspection on a Volvo? They've had the copper nickel alloy (aka cunifer) pipes for the last 40 years. would that mean an automatic fail? Or do the US market ones still have steel pipes?
Joined: Sat Aug 19 2006, 05:03PM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2919
I was just pondering about Hydroboost this morning, and this seems to be the only thread on the Dock discussing it.
I wish Yatzee had chimed back in with specifics on what parts he used for this conversion, and required mods to the firewall bracket, brake pedal pushrod, etc.
Joined: Wed Aug 11 2010, 10:15AM
Location: E WA
Posts: 1230
yatzee wrote ...
Like many of you I had a hard time stopping my 4400 lb. car reliably and predictably. I did a disk brake conversion but still wasn't satisfied. My engine would only develop 16 inches vacuum so the power brake booster install was an installed waste of time. The engine stalled once and the damn brake pedal was on the floor in no time but my stopping wasn't. Enter the best mod I ever did - hydro boost. Looks kind of "industrial" but I'm not a purist when it comes to installing new technology. I figure " If it goes fast, it should stop fast" Now that I know how well it works, I'll flip the booster 180 degrees to put the lines down and hidden. Just the booster, not the master.
Note how low and unobtrusive the Saginaw pump sits in the lower left. You can just see the filler cap.
Very interesting and nice work.
This seems like a reasonable option if you have a low vacuum engine or are in the position where you need to replace the vacuum booster.
I have a 1995 F350 diesel and it has a separate belt driven vacuum pump for the brakes. I think that I would prefer the hydro boost system.