What is the best material to use for the cooling lines? Will steal braided lines work?

 

I suppose they make them that work but I use solid lines myself whenever possible.

 

Yes, braided stainless will work, but hardlines are preferred.

 

Run transmission cooler line up to the transmission cooler and then use a short section of reinforced hose. You can buy the hose at the auto parts store. I didn't know it was braided steel. I do know it is different from the standard fuel and vacuum hose.

 

There are two basic types of braided stainless hose, rubber lined and teflon lined. The teflon lined is rated at pressures up to 3,000 psi but is usually available only in -3 (3/16) and -4 (4/16, or 1/4" - get it?) sizes. The rubber lined is available in a wide variety of sizes but is only rated at a couple of hundred PSI. Abrasion resistance is phenomenal (usually the stainless overbraid causes wear in the thing it is rubbing against, not the other way around). On the downside, it is expensive, the rubber does deteriorate over time, and it's heavier than hardline. Personally, I'd use hardline.

 

Well I guess with either hose you wouldn't have to worry about bursting a hose because of transmission fluid pressure. Don't most automatic transmissions have fluid pressures ranging from about 100-300 psi? I don't ever recall hearing about 100,000,000,000 psi in the transmisson, especially in the cooler lines.

 

Alright thanks guys Ill go with the hard lines

 

I had a lot of 3/8" copper line around so I used that. Definitely not the cheapest way to do it but I always get a "wow look at that!" when I open my hood. At least it won't rust and it is much easier to bend.

 

Use the hard lines. I have lots of pre-bent, lines laying around the I bent wrong. Laying upside down under the car measure the nbend backwards once you are standing looking down at the bench. Word of caution measure twice bend once. Save yourself from the extra bends.

 

I am in the same situation as you and understand. Extra lines stashed above where all my car magazines are stored. I re-did all the hard lines for the brakes on my '46. Quite a learning experience.

 

Ah yes, the brake lines, another item on the 48 olds list of things to do. Should be a consideration on all older cars, along with changing the rubber lines as well.

 

I bought a set of lines from Classic Tube(I think thats what it was called) for a 64 Cutlass.They said they the line were bent the same way that the factory ones were, but they weren't.