SS Brake lines ARE possible for a 2WD
 

I purchased a set of Crown SS brake lines. Excellent quality BTW. They were listed on dealer’s website as being for a 2WD….which is what I need.

PROBLEM: The end of line that goes through shock tower is not long enough. It is too short by about 3/16”. By being too short the C clip can not be used. Also, steel section of line near caliper is not bent at correct angles.

I purchased from a dealer and they have yet to respond to me since 12-9-17 after email, phone calls, etc.

So I decided to contact Manufacturer directly since the lines were dropped shipped from them directly.

They looked up my order and said the lines were for a 4WD and that lines for a 2WD were not manufactured. They were not sure why they were being sold for a 2WD. They said some guys modify the 4WD lines to fit a 2WD, but they were not direct replacements for 2WD lines. They also rarely sell 2WD lines.

They asked if I would send them a set of factory front lines and they would custom make a set to fit properly. I agreed. Since they were only about an hour from me I decided to take them down myself. I did and they made a new set on the spot.

They recommended we use banjo style 45 degree fitting (instead of of oem block fitting) on the caliper ends so I could swivel the line around and avoid it hitting any part of caliper. They also used the longer end that goes through shock tower. They DOT pressure tested and I was good to go.

I’ll install them soon and hopefully all goes well.

Customer service by Crown was 5 Star!!! They were professional, assisted me quickly, and made sure I was taken care of to full satisfaction. I HIGHLY recommend them. Their products are second to none. BTW….you can order directly from them…..which I did not know until after I purchased from a dealer.

So…if you want to have SS lines for your 2WD it is possible. Just use the parts I mentioned above and you should be good to go. Be sure to send in your OEM lines to ensure a custom line is made to order.

First pic: OEM line on top and new line that was originally sent to me
Second pic: Shows how fitting is too short to use C clip
Third pic: Shock tower hole
Fourth-Sixth pics: NEW lines with banjo style fitting for caliper end and longer fitting for shock tower end.


I hope this helps someone who wants to add SS lines to their 2WD and is having difficulty sourcing them.

update.....

The listed 2WD drive lines do NOT fit the front!
The universal lines that were attempted by Crown do NOT fit. Unfortunately, the angles and offset are not enough to clear caliper, shock tower, and stay far enough away from tire to be installed safely.

So.......Unless they factory offset fittings of a 2WD can be used when manufacturing a custom SS brake line, they will NOT work.

Now.... I am working with KLM Performance to return the lines they sold me (listed and confirmed via email as fitting a 2WD). Let's see if their customer service is as great as when they sold them to me!

They always cut us 2wd's out of the good stuff! :-down

Why not use rubber?

Regardless of the outcome its good that you are paying attention to them instead of waiting until the hex is so bad it rounds out when you want to change flex lines. :-X19

I went with OEM Motorcraft front lines

Looks good under there those west coast vehicles must stay in good shape out there.

I'm confused here...you took factory rubber lines to Crown and they made exact replicas in SS for you YET they don't fit?

I did not say exact replicas.....

They made a set with 45 degree banjo fittings so they could swivel, act as universal type of fitting so to speak. They do not work correctly.

They do not have the OEM style block fitting which creates proper angle and off set which is needed to create a set that is an exact copy in SS.

You may want to take a look at a completely different brake pipe (lines are only from the pipe to the caliper/drum) called NiCopp nickel/ copper brake pipe(line). They are often sold behind the counter at AutoZone and Advance Auto.

The brake pipe GM uses made me never buy another new GM product. On my 1991 K2500, the garage kept K2500 had pre-mature steel pipe failure. On my Wife's 2000 Bravada, the garage kept Bravada had brake pipe failure at under 62k miles. The failures in both cases was due to bad placement of the pipe. In the case of the Bravada, salt and water will be moved on top of the brake pipe, with no where to exit, so the salt and water eat away.

I did a lot of research, and discovered that European manufactures often use a copper/ nickle brake pipe. I can't imagine why GM does not use the same material, as most of their clients are in Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, etc. GM is not so popular in San Diego, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

Anyways, I replaced all the brake pipe on the Bravada with off the shelf copper nickle brake pipe from Auto Zone. The bending of copper nickle is super easy, can be rebent a bit, can be twisted if the pre-cut length is to long, etc.

Not sure why people don't talk much about the copper nickle lines. GM using cheap steel pipe, placed in undrainable locations, made me a Ford buyer.

Here are a few pictures, two from before and one from after. Note I replaced all the pipe all the way to the master cylinder with copper nickel. No flare tool used, nothing but pre-sized pipe. The holes in the brake lines were not at the rear end, but where along the drivers side frame where the brake lines run near the fuel tank. I replaced all the pipe....

For garage kept that vehicle is extremely rusty

That NiCopp brake line is a great product if you're bending and installing lines. Super easy to bend and doesn't corrode badly. Just don't buy the roll of tube. It looks like hell unless you buy/build a straightener.