Brake Line Bracket (Front)

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Major System Category: Brakes & Suspension
Task: Mount front brake bracket and connect steel braided lines.
Parts: Brake Line components
Prerequisite Tasks:

1. Mount suspension and brakes
2. Master cylinders

Additional Costs: N/A
Time Requirement: 2.5 hours
Date Started: July 28, 2012
Date Completed: July 28, 1012
When I turned the page for brake line routing, it seemed like a lot of things were going on. I broke things down into four tasks:

1. Brake Line Routing (Front)
2. Brake Line Routing (Rear)
3. Brake Line Bracket (Front)
4. Brake Line Bracket (Rear)

This is the build manual photo. It shows how they want the hard brake line to interface with the steel braided line, but it never explains the miracle required to configure the hard line. I am a world class expert in screwing things like this up. 

There are a number of tasks that need to be performed here. I decided to tackle the brackets first, so I could concentrate on the hard brake line routing later. The kit supplies a bracket designed to attach to the bolts that attach the upper control arm to the chassis nearest the cockpit area. The whole thing seems overly complicated, and it introduces a kink in the hard brake line that seems real easy to screw up.

I taped the bracket inside the inner wheel wells. What you don't see in this photo is the steering column and master cylinders. This is at the junction of the inner wheel wells and driver's foot box exterior. Orientation: Looking up from the under side of the car on the driver's side.

Fortunately, there are others who stared at the same photo and decided there had to be a better way. RumRunner is a builder in Maryland. He has photos showing a better way to do this:

This is the other bracket taped in place (Gorilla tape is wonderful).  This approach really doesn't change  the height of the entry through the inner wheel well. It just eliminates the line kink.

Consideration: This is a design change. It is up to you as to whether or not you want to do this. Personally I think it is an improvement.

These brackets are marked for cutting.

I mounted the brackets inside the inner wheel wells and marked them. I retreated to the inner sanctum of the Northern Man Cave and retrieved my die grinder with its trusty cutting wheel. The brackets are made out of soft aluminum. It is a very quick job to cut and drill these brackets for an inside mount. Besides taking off the bolts on the suspension after my buddy Glen tighten things down for me. just didn't seem right.

This is the original bracket (top), and the modified "L" shaped bracket (bottom) that I used.

I took the tires off the car. The extra room comes in handy. After the bracket is riveted into place, the hole to run the brake line through needs to be drilled. RumRunner said he used a 7/8" drill bit. I did not have anything that big. I drilled a pilot hole from the inside of the wheel wells, then used a 15/32" bit to drill a hole from the outside. I finished it off with the Dremel steel cutting bit. (I did wander down to the local hardware store, looking for a 7/8" bit. Never found one that worked in my drill. I think God took pity on my confused mind and plopped me in front of the Dremel bits, as if to say, "Look dummy,. Try this one!")

Bracket riveted into place. Two rivets through sheet metal and two rivets into the frame, plus black silicone.

The Dremel cutting bit did a nice job of deburring the edges. About this time I remember there were some parts left over from the Big Brake Kit. The kit I purchased from West Coast Corvette included the clips and the mounts for a Corvette replacement. I just needed the clips. I ran the end of the braided brake line thought the bracket and slid the clip holder into place. It sounds so easy. It takes a little bit of work to get that done. 

Braided steel brake line running from the caliper through the inner wheel well  and clipped to the bracket. Orientation: Driver's side.

Same brake line as above, just from a different angle.