1995 3000GT VR-4: 3SX Performance Stainless Steel Brake Lines

These instructions apply to a 1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, but are easily transferable to any model/year of 3000GT or Dodge Stealth.



The Procedure

Examine Front Brakes
 

  Look for anything abnormal, leaking, rusted, or corroded. Also check the brake line fittings to see if any look like they'll be difficult to break free.

 

Clean Area Around Brake Lines
 
  Clean up the area where you'll be working, as you don't want any dirt or debris falling into your brake lines while everything is unbolted. Degreaser, Simple Green, or Brake Cleaner should work well.

 

Loosen Bleed Screw
 
  Connect your brake bleeding hose to the bleeder screw on the caliper and open the bleeding screw. The OEM screw uses a 10mm wrench and Speed Bleeders (if you have them) use a 3/8" wrench.

 

Loosen Brake Line Fittings
 
  Now you need to break one of the brake line fittings loose. I started off with this one, but you can start anywhere you like. Use a 10mm line wrench on the upper part of the fitting and a 14mm line wrench to steady the lower part of the fitting. Repeat for all the locations of the brake line fittings.

 

Remove Brake Line Clips
 
  There are little spring clips that hold the ends brake lines to the brackets on the car. You'll need to remove these spring clips, and I found that using a pair of Robo-Grips worked great. You may have to wiggle the clips sideways to get them loose.

 

Everything's Ready to Remove
 
  Make sure you've loosened all the fittings for the brake lines and hoses, including the fitting on the caliper itself.

 

Remove OEM Brake Lines
 
  Try not to spill too much brake fluid, and remember that it eats paint.

 

Compare Old And New Brake Lines
 
  Make sure you have the correct-length lines. Old and new Lines shown.

 

Insert New Brake Line Into Bracket
 
  Insert the new line into the bracket and thread in the fitting a few turns.

 

Attach Spring Clip To Bracket and Line
 
  Reattach the clip like it was originally installed. I found a small hammer to be very helpful at this point. After the clip is installed, tightened down the flare fitting to the correct torque spec, which is 11 ft*lbs. Note that the hex stock that the 3SX brake lines was machined from is standard (not metric), so you'll need to use a standard line wrench on it, not your metric wrench. You'll need a 9/16" and an 11/16" wrench. Thanks to Jesse Rink for emailing me the size of these wrenches since I forgot to write it down when I was working on my car!

 

Repeat For Other Connections
 
  Now you repeat the threading and clipping process for each of the other connections.

 

Repeat For Other Front Brake
 
  I did the driver's side first. The passenger's side is exactly the same, except mirrored.

 

Repeat for Rear Brakes
 
  By now, you should have the process memorized. The rear brakes are pretty much the same, so go to it!

 

Bleed Your Braking System
  I have Speed Bleeders on my car, which greatly simplify the bleeding process. I will describe how to bleed the brakes with them here. If you have the OEM bleeder screws, please doo a Google search for the traditional method of bleeding brakes.

Attach a small clear hose to the nipple on the bleeder screw after removing the rubber cap. Put the other end of the hose in a disposable jar or container. Loosen the bleeder screw by a 1/2 turn. Bleed your brakes by filling the master cylinder reservoir and then pumping the brake pedal up and down until you see clean fluid in the tubing and no air bubbles. Make sure the master cylinder reservoir doesn't run dry or you get to start all over.

 




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Last Modified Tue May 18 2004 16:51:36 Pacific Daylight Time