Need some opinions here. Are the stainless lines worth the extra money?

What do the original ones look like? Not as shiny?

I did stainless. They look great and will last forever. The OEM will only last 40-50 years :rolleyes: :D
The stainless are a PITA to flare if you do any custom work. Very hard to get to work right.
I'd do OEM if doing it over again...

I restored mine with original lines 20 years ago. Now they look dingy and old. I often think I should have gotten stainless. However if the fittings are not stainless, will it matter?

TTFN
Mat

You guys mean that mine will only last another 2-12 years!!!!?

You guys mean that mine will only last another 2-12 years!!!!?

Naw, you get 15-20 more...we all know your's is a one-off supercar. ;):D:p

I did stainless on my Firebird. Got them from The Right Stuff at Carlisle. They fit almost perfect and look great. I saved the originals to compare with and they were the same bends, length, and gravel guards. Well worth the money.

cool time to order some stainless!!!

thanks guys

For what it's worth, I used some of each type. It depends on the "look" you want; stainless looks shinier, and not as "correct."

If you wipe the oil off and spray the plain steel with a durable satin clear, like Eastwood's Diamond Clear, they'll stay looking nice from the outside for a long, long time.

I would recommend original. The stainless sometimes dont seat well and leak. I redid my car with originals and they still look great and dont leak.

I prefer the OEM. Stainless is pretty, but is more difficult to bend and seal.

I'm not sure what they do to the OEM lines, but they're not bare steel. If they were, they would be rusted by the time they made it to your doorstep.

They won't last forever, obviously, but since these cars are now garaged and mostly driven in nice weather, they'll last plenty long.

I prefer the OEM. Stainless is pretty, but is more difficult to bend and seal.I agree also. Stainless is hard to seal as it is not as soft as steel lines are.

I suggest if you do get SS lines, visit your local Hydraulics & Pneumatic Shop and get a butt load of copper sealing washers fitting the flare and fit one per flare. European OEM's do this and they work great to sealing SS flares.

Also, add a drop of oil to the backside of the flare and its fitting, helps in sealing.

Stainless is a pita to seal. The oem lines shine up real nice with steel wool if your looking for shine.

Another piece of trivia. Back when these cars were new, all us bench-racers used to comment on the cool springs wrapped around the tubing because we thought it was high-performance designed to aid cooling. Then I got into refrigeration about 1990 or so. The spring steel is there to allow the tubes to be bent-to-fit on the assembly line without kinking. Precision is NOT required. Of course the wire probably aids cooling somewhat and protects the tube from rocks too. That's neat if you're driving your first gen on gravel roads all day doing power drifts.