I bought a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic LT (1500?) 4wd extended cab to replace my 1997 Nissan Pick Up that was wrecked by an uninsured distracted driver. Two days later while sitting at a red light, the brake pedal went to the floor. The brake line for the front passenger side sprung a leak. I noticed then that the driver side line was damp in one place.
Went on line and Googled Brake lines for 2007 SIlverado. I clicked on the first hit and it took me to a place that sold a complete set of lines for $170. The passenger side line comes in for sections for the DIYer because it has to come from the ABS pump located under the drivers side door and goes all the way to the front, across under the radiator and back to the wheel.
I got all the old front lines out and started installing the new lines in reverse order. Now comes the problem. Because the google link took me straight to the page for the lines, I did not drill down to find make and model etc. Turns out the Silverado Classic is not the same as the regular Silverado and none of the lines match up.
First, I don’t have a proportioning valve, the lines on my truck go from the ABS motor directly to the Master Cylinder. The drivers side line is also about 2" too long. I have threaded these lines through body/frame to their locations on each end. I think I can bend the lines by hand and make them fit although the Master Cylinder lines will have to be bent a lot and they will have to take a little short cut as they aren’t long enough to follow the original route.
It started raining so I have quit for the day. I plan on running the passenger front line tomorrow to see how it fits.
I googled for more brake lines but was less specific this time. The company that I ordered these lines from does not make a set for the Silverado Classic. I found a set on Carib for this model. The ones on Carib are SS, made by Dorman, include all the rear lines and only cost $68.
Would you remove these lines and try to return them and buy a better fitting set or try to bend the lines in place? Once bent there is no return. The Dorman set uses a one piece passenger side line and that won’t be easy to get out. I mangled the old passenger side line getting it out.
That’s my preference too, but I really need to get this truck back on the road. BTW, I’m replacing all the hoses too, doesn’t make since to me to use the old ones after all the work involved in replacing the lines.
If the Dorman lines are the right stuff and only $68, get them this weekend. You might have them delivered and installed by next Sunday. If you use the truck for work, that $68 will be made up quickly.
2007 is a horrible model year for full-size GM pickup trucks, and I’ll explain why
During that year they sold the Silverado Classic, which you have. It was kind of rounded. That was the last year for that body style. During that year, they also sold the “regular” Silverado, which was more angular. That was the newer, incoming, body style. Unless you make it 100% clear to parts vendors which one you have, you should expect incorrect parts
That said, I believe the “Classic” label or the model year itself is confusing the search, for the reasons I already mentioned. Instead, try searching for brake lines for a 2006 model year. Same attributes, but just one year older. During the 2006 model year, there was only one body style of full size GM pickup truck.
Dorman makes/distributes just about any imaginable part, but I consider the parts to be of less than stellar quality. Not bad, but not as good as original, either. I’m not sure if that’s the answer you were looking for, but you just got one person’s opinion.
Alternatively, you could buy appropriate tubing and use a flaring kit to make your own. Or find a shop that will do this.
I would personally prefer a brake line that duplicates the original layout. 2 or 3 lines to replace 1 just creates more possibilities for leaks and/or problems.
I hate returning things but think I’d get the $68 set and then either use the best of both and eat your loss, or if everything goes fine then return the $170 set.
I think using the label “Classic” was a thing at Chevrolet during the mid-2000s. When the new generation Malibu came out around 2007, they continued to build the ugly old version and called it the Malibu Classic. The only thing classic about it is that it was a classic midsize rental sedan.
Actually, I think the whole “classic” and “heritage” labels are to identify the outgoing models during those years when outgoing and new body styles are sold side-by-side
For example, during the 2004 model year, Ford sold both a “heritage” F-150 and a new body style truck, which was simply the F-150
By the way, I personally didn’t think that old Malibu Classic was ugly. But I didn’t think it was a particularly good car, either. I’m not sure what its competition was supposed to be. It wasn’t a worthy alternative to a Camry or Accord, in my opinion. I might have bought one as a cheap used car, but never as a new car.
The Malibu Classic and the Malibu of its generation were rental lot queens. People bought them because they couldn’t afford an equivalently equipped Camry or Accord. At the time, GM was satisfied selling at a discount rather than trying to compete with the class leaders.
db4690’s idea of buying a flaring kit, a tubing bender, & some sections of tubing & rolling your own would be the most fun. Bend up some bailing wire or copper wire to trace out the right shape and lengths.
I finished installing and connecting all the lines today. I bought some pre-cut and flared sections for the lines that go across the rear axle from the hose to the wheel cylinders and bent them myself. It has taken me longer than planned because of rain and some very cold temps. I still have to flush and bleed the system, replace the wheel well liners, tighten all the body bolts and reinstall the front shield.
Hope there isn’t any leaks. I did re-bend the lines to the master cylinder.
Went to flush and bleed today. As I sucked out the old fluid from the master cylinder, it didn’t look like the level was going down. Looked inside and it was full of muck so I removed the reservoir and washed it out. That was a chore but eventually I got it pretty clean.
I filled up my new pressure bleeder and the MC reservoir with new fluid, pumped it up to about 15 psi and proceeded to flush and bleed. It worked pretty good but I still had a soft pedal. So I had my wife pump the brakes while I looked the system over. The new hose I put on the drivers side caliper was leaking big time at the banjo fitting.
I pulled out the bolt to make sure i had put the new washers on both sides. Now when I bought the new hoses, this one didn’t have the washers with it, so I went back and got some washers from the “Help” section. Of course none were exact but I found a pair that had the same ID and thickness but had a slightly larger OD. The bolt was tight enough but the washer was leaking on the caliper side. I pulled it out and replaced that washer with an old one that had been on the head side of the banjo bolt before. Torqued it down and didn’t leak anymore.
Bottom line, brakes work fine now. Tested them at 60 mph and they stopped the truck in about 130 feet which is about normal. I could feel the anti-lock kicking in too.
“Tube Construction: Lines are constructed from Galfan® coated steel tubing for rust protection with original equipment end forms and fittings and are CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) bent for an easy precise installation.”
Sounds like coated mild steel brake lines. I wonder what the choices of materials are available for brake line selection? Are coated mild steel and stainless steel the only type allowed for US applications?
I’ve heard of those too. So there’s three legal materials for brake lines in the USA, mild steel, stainless steel, and copper nickel? Are the copper nickel ones really only copper and nickel, or are they an alloy of steel, copper, and nickel; i.e. sort of a mild stainless?