Series Land Rover (Australia & NZ)
Serving the Series 1, Series 2, Series 3 and other Land Rover communities worldwide.

The original brake pipes on your Series Land Rover, if you have any left, will be made of steel. If , as is likely, some have been replaced, then these replacements may also be of steel, because replacements are generally supplied in that material. However, if you need to replace a damaged or corroded pipe then you always have the option of making one yourself from copper brake tubing. It comes in a variety of sizes and 3/16inch diameter, 1/8inch bore covers almost all the brake piping on a Series Land Rover. The rest is 1/4inch diameter and 3/16inch bore.

You need the special flaring tool shown above, or similar, to produce the male or female ends of the pipe that fit into the appropriate unions. It's not a difficult tool to use but it would be advisable to practice the technique on a spare length of pipe first before committing to a critically measured piece. They are usually supplied with instructions and a small tube of flaring grease. You may need a separate tool for the larger diameter pipe but this larger diameter is confined to the brake/clutch reservoir pipes.

Some people shy away from using copper brake tubing, on account of it being softer and therefore more likely to be compressed when driving offroad. However, if the route of the tubing is chosen correctly and the pipe fixed firmly in position, then a hard collision with it is unlikley to take place.

Another advantage of copper piping is that you can fix the ends first and then make adjustmetns in bend angles by hand until you get the optimum route. The pipe should first be modeled on the pipe it is replacing though and care taken not to bend the tube too sharply.

One problem with copper piping though is that it tends to become brittle when bent repeatedly. You should bear this in mind when shaping your pipes. Also ensure that, when fixing the pipe onto the vehicle, there are no long sections of brake pipe that can vibrate and so cause the pipe to become brittle. Take note of this if washboard road is a feature in your life.