Ridgid Brake Lines

[redzed]

Can anybody tell me what was the original factory finish on the ridgid brake line installed on the 240 &260z

[Groundhog]

Any follow up on this topic. My original lines have a "gold" CAD colour finish. Replacement tubing that I can get is silver. Has anyone managed to source tubing in close to original colour?

[C.A.R.]

Just get the original lines re-plated.

Edited January 13, 2018 by Lurch ™

[260DET]

The Superflow tube I got is silver, maybe ask at a brake place because they may have seen some.

[gilltech]

The original brake lines on my 260 are silver.

[GongZ]

I have recently gone through this exercise. I Googled the crap out of it, but couldn't find anything definitive about what the original lines were made of, or coated with.

I did not come across any original advertising or road test photos that showed them and they seem to be very camera-shy in later photos.

I suspect that they were cadmium plated steel, and therefore a yellow/gold colour.

All the local brake shops use steel Bundy tubing which has a silver appearance.

 

I bought a pair of supposedly genuine Nissan brake transfer lines from the US a few years ago and they look like this;

 

The brackets you can buy on eBay are also a 'gold' colour.

 

So based on the above, I have decided to use kunifer aka cunifer aka cupro-nickel lines. This material has the 'gold' look and is apparently easier to bend and flare. It is also reported to maintain its appearance better than Bundy tubing. (the first use of Kunifer was by Volvo in 1976 - so 240Z's certainly didn't use it) 

 

 

The next question was 'how much do I need?' - Google failed me again! A US eBay seller used to list a hard brake line kit which included a total length of 39'3" - a bit over 12 metres.

I couldn't find a local supplier so I have therefore ordered two 25 foot rolls (about 15 metres) of kunifer tubing from a UK eBay seller. I may buy more, together with some 5'16", line to do the fuel supply and return lines.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cupro-Nickel-Kunifer-BS-EN12449-3-16-x-25ft-Brake-Pipe-FAST-DISPATCH/322954439336?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

 

 

- and it's 'rigid' by the way - Ridgid is a US based tool manufacturer.

[260DET]

I always thought that cadmium plating was a flat silver white colour while zinc is brighter and can come in several variations including gold. Amiwrong? The tube I have is as I have described cadmium.

[GongZ]

I always thought that cadmium plating was a flat silver white colour while zinc is brighter and can come in several variations including gold. Amiwrong? The tube I have is as I have described cadmium.

 

I have always thought that cadmium plating was a yellow/gold colour. Your question made me wonder, so I had a bit of a Google and discovered that the yellow colour is due to a "chromate conversion" coating that is applied over the cadmium to give better corrosion protection.So I think I should have said 'cadmium chromate'.

 

http://www.chemprocessing.com/page.asp?pageid=54&