Brake Parts Question

[Kurt B.]

It's been a few years since I have posted but now I need help in finding a vendor for the correct rubber brake hoses for my 68.
Getting ready to rebuild the calipers and want to replace the rubber hoses from frame to caliper but don't know what vendor to use for correct NCRS hoses as my 68 is all factory original but has been sitting in garage for a while.
What vendor do you all recommend?
Thank you all in advance,
Kurt

[Terry M.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

It's been a few years since I have posted but now I need help in finding a vendor for the correct rubber brake hoses for my 68.
Getting ready to rebuild the calipers and want to replace the rubber hoses from frame to caliper but don't know what vendor to use for correct NCRS hoses as my 68 is all factory original but has been sitting in garage for a while.
What vendor do you all recommend?
Thank you all in advance,
Kurt

There are no 100% correct hoses, unless you can find NOS hoses and I would not suggest using 50+ year old hoses even if you could find them.

Someplace in the 55 years since your car was built the Department of Transportation changed the standards for flexible brake hose crimps and there is a describable difference in the more recent hoses. The 1968-69 and 1970-72 TIM&JG both call for NO DEDUCTION for the current brake hoses for safety reasons. Not all judges read, understand and follow these instructions. It is the car owner's job to hold the judges feet to the fire and object to a deduction for current day hoses. A notation, Yes. A deduction, NO!

Go to your local FLAPS and buy the brake hoses they sell. Thinking more about this I would suggest sourcing the hoses from one of the big box Corvette suppliers. You are more likely to get hoses that have not been sitting on a shelf for years. If you are going through the work of changing them, it is best to get the newest ones you can.

One last item. If your car is very original and you intend to keep it that way and not drive it too much, keep the ones you have if there is nothing wrong with them. I know of garages full of low-mile original early C3s that wouldn't have their brake hoses changed if you held a gun to the owners, but the farthest those cars go is on and off a trailer or to an occasional near-by Cars & Coffee. It all depends on what you want to do with your car.

[Kurt B.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

Thank you Terry for the quick reply.
I was concerned about buying "non-correct" hoses after reading my 6th edition Tech manual and Judging guide.
Unfortunately, this car sits in the garage and is not regularly driven since I spent so much time and money restoring it to factory original condition.
I have one lip seal caliper on the3 front that is leaking from sitting and non-use, and was going to convert to "O" seals, which I know is not original.
What are your thoughts.
I'm 75 and my son will inherit this car and I want it to be safe but I feel like a traitor converting from lip seals to "O" rings.
Kurt

[Terry M.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

Thank you Terry for the quick reply.
I was concerned about buying "non-correct" hoses after reading my 6th edition Tech manual and Judging guide.
Unfortunately, this car sits in the garage and is not regularly driven since I spent so much time and money restoring it to factory original condition.
I have one lip seal caliper on the3 front that is leaking from sitting and non-use, and was going to convert to "O" seals, which I know is not original.
What are your thoughts.
I'm 75 and my son will inherit this car and I want it to be safe but I feel like a traitor converting from lip seals to "O" rings.
Kurt

I have no personal experience with the O-ring conversion, but the idea seems good to me. No one can tell that you have done that, so no worries from that end.

I have some "normal seepage" (as we used to tell the pilots who wrote up the flying machines I used to work on) on an 8845 mile 1971 I own. I just clean the wheels and step on the brakes once in a while. Full disclosure: Someone else does the cleaning. If I got down there I would have to spend several days getting up. I am fighting getting the brakes done, and that decision will depend on if it has the original calipers. I have only had custody of it for fifteen months, so I am still learning about it. I too am debating about the O-ring conversion, but I am leaning in that direction because the car will spend its time in my custody just resting. I am not a fan of the Corvette disk brakes, but in these circles that is considered heresy. Not too much either of us can do about that. We are stuck with them.

[Owen L.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

A year or two ago, I ordered a brake line kit and received a full set of rubber hoses. I also ordered a complete caliper kit that also came with a full set of rubber hoses. One kit contained China-made hoses; the other contained USA-made Goodyear rubber hoses. I highly recommend the Goodyear hoses - they just looked higher quality overall. Muskeegan Brake sells a full-car set for $40.

https://muskegonbrake.com/products/hosekit-2

[Gary B.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

What exactly is it in the TIM&JG that caused you concern?

Gary

[Joe L.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

There are no 100% correct hoses, unless you can find NOS hoses and I would not suggest using 50+ year old hoses even if you could find them.

Someplace in the 55 years since your car was built the Department of Transportation changed the standards for flexible brake hose crimps and there is a describable difference in the more recent hoses. The 1968-69 and 1970-72 TIM&JG both call for NO DEDUCTION for the current brake hoses for safety reasons. Not all judges read, understand and follow these instructions. It is the car owner's job to hold the judges feet to the fire and object to a deduction for current day hoses. A notation, Yes. A deduction, NO!

Go to your local FLAPS and buy the brake hoses they sell. Thinking more about this I would suggest sourcing the hoses from one of the big box Corvette suppliers. You are more likely to get hoses that have not been sitting on a shelf for years. If you are going through the work of changing them, it is best to get the newest ones you can.

One last item. If your car is very original and you intend to keep it that way and not drive it too much, keep the ones you have if there is nothing wrong with them. I know of garages full of low-mile original early C3s that wouldn't have their brake hoses changed if you held a gun to the owners, but the farthest those cars go is on and off a trailer or to an occasional near-by Cars & Coffee. It all depends on what you want to do with your car.

Kurt------


As Terry mentions, there are no currently available hoses that are exactly the same as original hoses except NOS of the ORIGINAL part numbers. As Terry mentions, I would not recommend using those even if you could find them. I have NOS original front hoses [not for sale] but I would NEVER use them on my car. They are for reference and historical purpose only.

Most of the aftermarket hoses on the market today are of Chinese manufacture, regardless of brand, including ACDelco. They're fine as they are DOT-approved. However, I prefer USA made brake parts. Corvette Stainless Steel Brakes is a source of USA manufactured brake hoses using Goodyear hose. I'm sure there are other sources for these hoses.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

If you buy modern hoses, I usually use some lacquer thinner to remove the modern dates so they aren't "quite" as obvious.

[Kurt B.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

Gary,
I was trying to get hoses with correct crimp and lettering but now realize after reading the posts in this thread that I no longer need to worry about that and I will source new American made hoses. This all startd because I have one leaking caliper and so I plan to rebuild them all and replace hoses at same time.
Thanks to all for the quick and informative replies.
Kurt

[Ron G.]

[Joe L.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

Ron------

As you may be aware, the chromate overplate is way too intense compared to the original coloration.

[Ron G.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

Joe,

I knocked down the glossiness of the finish with very fine steel wool and got it to where it should be. Also, that was done under bright lights which will also enable it to look more intense than it really is.

[Joe L.]

Re: Brake Parts Question

Joe,

I knocked down the glossiness of the finish with very fine steel wool and got it to where it should be. Also, that was done under bright lights which will also enable it to look more intense than it really is.

Ron------

Check out another thread that I posted back in February, 2021 which was "revived" by a recent response. In that thread I posted photos of an NOS 63-66 brake hose. The coloration of the hose ends seen in that photo is exactly the same as the 1967-72 front hoses GM #3898231. I have several NOS examples of those, too [none for sale]. I can also say that the coloration of the hoses in the photo I posted is EXACTLY the same as that of the hoses "in the flesh".