Replace The Brake Lines, Where does the rubber attach? Options

[HalM]

I took the 914 to VIR for a 3 day DE this weekend. At the end of the second session, I noticed my brake pedal going closer and closer to the floor. No big deal, the South Course is notorious for being hard on brakes. I'll just bleed them and the world will be right?

Wrong. My buddy and I decided to bleed all four wheel. we started, of course, on the passenger side rear. As we were bleeding, we noticed an unusual drop of brake fluid on the rubber hose. We weren't sure where it was coming from, but we think it was the connection between the rubber hose and the hard line to the caliper.

We moved to the driver's side and had the same thing happen, except there was more fluid and no idea where on the rubber line it was coming from. The brake pedal in the car never did start to firm up.

Needless to say, I shut down the car for the rest of the DE. The pedal was good enough to get me 150 miles home.

Now it looks to me like it is time to replace all 4 brake lines. I have a few questions.

Rubber versus Stainless Steel. I have read a bunch of pro's and con's on SS. I have always had them on my Porsches. Any consensus among 914 owners on which is the better way to go?

Anyone have a picture or diagram of where the rubber hoses attach to the m/c lines? I am thinking this a pretty simple DIY project.

The car is used 50/50 for street and DE's. Anyone have a recommendation for pads? I am thinking Porterfield's right now.

Thanks for any and all help.

[Eric_Shea]

replacing brake lines should be really easy

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) "should" being the key operative. Jim, have you ever done this? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

TIP: I've heard to make it easier, cut the rubber line where it joins the hard lines from the proportioning valve. This will leave the metal end of the rubber line as a knub that you can get a 14mm deep well socket on (I think they're 14mm).

The difficult part is this upper end and getting two line wrenches or otherwise in that small space under the engine shelf. Yes, as Dave mentions, I've gone in from above using the access holes in the tin (on my -6) etc.

I've never tried the cut hose method but when I was online here bitching about what a serious pain in the ass the job was, someone mentioned it. It was like a V8 juice commercial, where you smack yourself on the side of the head and say... "why didn't I think of that?" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)