XJ13 Brake and Coolant Lines

Bending brake lines to fit perfectly in a chassis just takes time and the right tools. A good flaring tool makes working with stainless steel much easier. The one shown below works well and with 45 degree and 37 degree tooling both brake lines and AN coolant vents can be completed. All brake lines should be double flared to ensure there is no cracking at the flare transition. Double flares can also mandated in circumstances where road compliance is required. There are many howto guides available describing how to perform these flares correctly.

A good hand tube bender with a tight center-line radius is also worth having. Universal benders with multiple tube sizes on the one tool tend to make it harder to bend the tubing in tight installations. I prefer benders like the one below.

The main coolant lines that run to the front of the car and back are located in the center tunnel. They are fully insulated to minimise heat transfer. The rear brakes line, hydraulic clutch line and radiator upper vent run with the coolant lines. To control them all in the tight tunnel plastic tubing supports are manufactured to fit in the chassis as shown below.

The brake lines in the engine bay run through the center tunnel to each rear brake and the transaxle clutch. The lines had small buffers on them to stop them rattling in the tunnel.

Once installed into the rear of the car the plumbing is well supported and fits closely to the chassis.

The rear brake lines run within the chassis behind the engine mounts and this requires careful planning to negotiate other car structures.

At the front of the vehicle space is also limited. With the requirement for brake residual pressure valves and a brake light pressure switch the installation was a challenge to keep neat and functional.

Flexible lines run from the brake master cylinders to allow pedal position adjustments in the footwell. A plastic tube retainer was used to support the tubes in the tunnel here as well.