Replacement of front brake lines

Maintenance advice to keep your Spider in shape.
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Roscoe790
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed May 24, 2023 3:22 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Fiat Spider 2000

Replacement of front brake lines

Post by Roscoe790 »

I decided to twist/snap the front brake lines on my 1981 Spider 2000 during a brake job and now get the opportunity to replace both sides. The driver's side looks fairly straightforward, but the passenger side looks less fun. I'm assuming it is possible to replace the entire front passenger side brake line with the engine in the vehicle, but I figured I would ask you fine folks before I waste Sunday and Monday breaking my fancy new copper brake lines.
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3798
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: Replacement of front brake lines

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

Roscoe, I have taken out the passenger side brake line and then reinstalled it (with engine in place), so I know it's possible. In my case it was a '71 spider, so I don't know if this works on all years. Basically, I just kept angling and twisting the brake line and working it around the rear of the engine until it came out from the passenger side. Some gentle bending of the line was required, but not enough to create new permanent bends. In the end, it looked like it did originally, and the line fit in the plastic clips as it should.

-Bryan
Roscoe790
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed May 24, 2023 3:22 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Fiat Spider 2000

Re: Replacement of front brake lines

Post by Roscoe790 »

Bryan

Thank you for sharing your experience. I was a bit gun-shy based on the way I handled the steel lines, but I am going to attribute that to their age. As a bonus, the copper does appear to be a hell of a lot more maneuverable. I will get after it tomorrow once my to-do list is a bit shorter.

Thanks again.

Roscoe
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