Hello! I'm Sam with JBugs.com
We're working on out 1971 Super Beetle and while the body is out of the way,
we're installing as many of the parts on the chassis as we can.
In our last video, we installed the rear suspension and brake components
and now we'll work on installing new stainless steel brake hard lines.
For shipping, the long front to rear brake line is looped over,
so we begin by straightening the line.
Then, we install a brake line grommet on the line
and then slide the brake line through the lower hole at the rear of the left floor pan.
A new brake line "T" is threaded onto the end of the line,
then it's shaped and bent using a brake line tubing bender and gentle thumbs.
The brake line grommet is installed into the chassis
and the "T" is lined up with the chassis tab and bolted in place.
We check the alignment with our original brake line and "T" and then tighten the brake line down.
Next, we gently bend the brake line back so we can install it through the front of the chassis.
We continue to bend and shape line carefully until it can be lined up against the chassis.
Once it is,
the line is pressed into place under the brake line tabs at the tunnel,
and the tabs are bent down with a hammer and chisel to secure the line.
At the front of the chassis, we bend and shape the line so it's clear of the pedal assembly.
Then, we install brake line grommets at the inner and outer portions of the chassis bulkhead.
The brake line is bent and shaped there so that it threads into the rear port on our master cylinder and the fitting is tightened.
At the rear left of the car, we thread in the previously installed stainless steel brake hose into the brake caliper
and we loop it up to the brake hose tab that we welded onto the trailing arm.
A brake line clip is tapped into place temporarily to hold the hose
while we shape the trailing arm line.
We bend and shape the line so that it rests into the stock metal tabs on the top of the trailing arm
and then bends down to the stock brake hose tab.
The stock replacement braided brake hose, at the front of the trailing arm, is threaded onto the "T" and tightened down.
It is installed onto the brake hose tab on the front of the trailing arm
and a brake line clip is tapped into place.
The new brake line is threaded into the hose,
routed up to the tab on the trailing arm,
and then threaded into the hose at the rear of the trailing arm.
The brake line is shaped a bit more so it sits against the trailing arm,
the tab is bent over to hold it in place,
and the brake line clip at the rear is tapped into place once again.
Both ends of the line are tightened
and we can get to shaping the left to right rear brake line.
Fortunately, this line can be shaped just like the stock
and since we kept the original, we use [it] as a guide to bend and shape the replacement piece.
Once one side is ready, we set in in place at the chassis
and thread the line into place and tighten it at the left "T".
We thread the brake union in place, at the opposite end of the line,
and bend and shape the line there until the union can be bolted in place at the chassis tab.
We then tighten the fitting and bend over the securing tab in the middle of the chassis.
The installation at the right trailing arm is just like the left;
installing the hose at the caliper,
the chassis,
and then bending the line to fit between the two.
At the front of the chassis, we have all the original brake lines to use as templates,
and we start by bending the front brake line.
Then, we bolt the front brake line "T" in place,
thread the brake line into it,
and then route the line to the passenger side,
tapping the securing tabs in place as we go.
The front left line is shaped using the original line as a template again
and then threaded into the brake line "T".
Finally, we bend and shape the line that runs from the front port of the master cylinder to the "T"
making sure that it's clear of the control arm mount and it's installed.
The rest of the front brake lines will be attached once the front strut housings are in place
but we still have a few more things to do before then.
The main thing of course will being bolting the body back in place.
But before then, we'll go back and double check that all of our fittings are tight
as they are never as easy to get to as they are right now.
Thanks for watching!
Make sure to click the like button below, hit subscribe if you haven't already
and when you need parts for your vintage Vokswagen, head over to JBugs.com