My '67 Chevelle resto is nearing completion after a long 6-year project. I still have the old brake lines installed on the car and have now realized that old brake fluid/residue is still in the lines after all this time.

How can I go about cleaning these lines without taking them off the frame? Is it best to just replace them entirely?

Thanks for any help, Charles

You're trusting your sweetheart 'six years in the making' restoration to 40 year old brake lines? An old adage about 'putting all of your eggs into one basket' comes to mind. :D

I guess you could clean them up, but why not just replace them? This is *brakes* we're talking about here, after all.

I take it these are original brake lines? My 69 SS also has the original brake lines that are in excellent condition. On the outside I use scotchbrite to shine them up real good. I painted the protection sleeves (look like a long spring) a natural cast grey. They look awesome against the freshly painted frame. On the inside of the brake lines I pluged one end and then pour Acetone (from AutoZone) in them, then pluged the other end. Let it sit for about fifteen min. and shake well. Then empty them into a clear glass. The color should be darker than the clear Acetone. Worked well for me. I did the same to my fuel line. Do not use Acetone on on anything plastic or rubber, FOR METAL ONLY!!!
There is no clean-up required as Acetone evaporates very quickly. If you have a compressor, shoot some air through the line to eliminate any pools if your going to install them quickly.
Have fun!