# Brake lines don't fit

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/brake-lines-dont-fit/109144>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** chevrolet, silverado1500\
**Created:** [November 4, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/brake-lines-dont-fit/109144 "2017-11-04T19:57:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 1:08am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/brake-lines-dont-fit/109144/21 "2017-11-16T01:08:08Z")

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> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#):
>
> Are the copper nickel ones really only copper and nickel

I don’t know but I have seen warnings about using aluminum or copper lines as they do not have the burst strength. I’d guess that adding nickel to the copper would make it stronger. I just saw some copper nickel lines when I googled brake lines after I bought the set I bought…

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**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/brake-lines-dont-fit/109144/22 "2017-11-16T21:15:23Z")

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Not steel with copper and nickel. Have you seen the buildings with rusted exterior panels? That’s what you get with copper intentionally added to steel. The oxide is tight to the iron surface beneath. Other than that, copper is a tramp element and renders the steel unusable for anything but the lowest cost applications, like nails. I’d say it is a copper nickel alloy.

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**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/brake-lines-dont-fit/109144/23 "2017-11-17T01:48:47Z")

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> [@jtsanders](#):
>
> That’s what you get with copper intentionally added to steel.

Along with 6 or 7 other alloying ingredients:

> **[Weathering steel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering_steel)**
>
> Weathering steel, often referred to by the genericised trademark COR-TEN steel and sometimes written without the hyphen as corten steel, is a group of steel alloys which were developed to eliminate the need for painting, and form a stable rust-like appearance after several years' exposure to weather.
> U.S. Steel (USS) holds the registered trademark on the name COR-TEN. The name COR-TEN refers to the two distinguishing properties of this type of steel: corrosion resistance and tensile strength. Al...

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**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/brake-lines-dont-fit/109144/24 "2017-11-17T03:44:28Z")

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Here’s some good info on the copper Nickel brakes tubing. @jtsanders is correct, not a steel allow. Almost completely copper and nickel, in the ratio of 90% copper to 10% nickel. Minor amounts of other stuff.

“The copper-nickel alloy used for brake tubing typically contains 10% nickel, with iron and manganese additions of 1.4% and 0.8% respectively”

It looks from the link below to a good choice for a diy’er install, as it is claimed to be easier to work with. No sure what the price premium compared to mild steel is, or if there is a price premium.

[https://www.copper.org/applications/automotive/brake-tube/brake.html](https://www.copper.org/applications/automotive/brake-tube/brake.html)

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