I have a short bed step side 4X4 with 114k. miles that I bought from the original meticulous owner which kept it in like new condition and had all of the service done at the dealer so looking at it from the outside it looks perfect , but look underneath and all of the brake and gas lines are rusted to the point that I lost my brakes a few days ago . I decided to replace all of the lines so I pulled the bed off to make it easier and while the bed is off clean and undercoat the frame . The gas tank is out of the truck so you would think that the lines would now be easy to access but you have to wonder what the GM engineers were thinking . The lines are all in places where you can hardly even see them let alone be able to change them . I bought a kit with all stainless steel pre bent lines but the way that the lines are routed above the transmission I'm not sure if there will be enough room to snake the lines up through without loosening the cab and raising it. Has anyone changed these lines ? I would appreciate any input.

 

I've done quite a few sets of brake lines, but fuel lines ... I don't know. Usually for fuel lines I lift the one side of the bed and one side of the cab up about 4 inches and set it on wood blocks then slide the prebent lines in.

 

Did you have to remove the front fenders to raise the drivers side of the cab and I assume the steering column would have to be disconnected ?

 

Nope. There is enough stretch in all the attached components to where if you get all the mount bolts out (the very most front one in front of the rear wheel is sometimes nut and bolted) you can stick a jack, or in my case a under hoist jack stand, and lift the body up enough for a 2x4 to slide in on the mount perch. Lifts the body up enough to slide the lines in and clip them into place. You literally only need to pull the wheel well liners, wheels and unbolt the body. I loosen the passenger side, and completely take the bolts out of the driver side cab/bed and jack it up, pull the body mounts out, and put a piece of wood in there to support it.


EDIT: whoops sorry, my first post here read like I lift the body for fuel lines ... I'm talking about tipping the body for prebent brake lines, not fuel lines. I've never done a set of fuel lines

 

Fortunately I already removed the bed and gas tank so all I have to deal with is from the back of the cab forward . They sent the wrong line kit so I have to wait until Monday for the auto parts guys to check into it so I will keep you informed on the progress .

 

Well if it's any help to you, your local GM dealer can order you a set of prebent brake lines too. I'm not sure where you're already getting your lines, but the GM ones are a coated alloy type line that will never rust, and fits perfectly for an extremely reasonable price. $150-200 if I recall for the entire set of brake lines.

 

Hi , Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. It's been quite a job but it is done now with excellent results except I still can't get the ABS light to go off even though everything is new and working the way it should . ( Any secrets to shutting it off ? ) I got the brake lines through Advance Auto Parts , a complete set . Dorman just started making them , pre bent stainless . ( Around $100. ) Advance said that I was the first customer to buy them so I didn't know how that would work out , but all in all it wasn't impossible , just aggravating trying to route the lines because of being pre bent. While I was at it I went on ebay and bought a gas line kit from a company called " Tank Re-new " ( around $100. ) . They are made out of nylon with the quick disconnect fittings just like the original steel lines but because they are made out of nylon they can be re-routed in an easier path than the original steel lines. I put the fuel filter in an easier location and now it also has the quick release fittings making it very easy to replace unlike the original GM setup . I didn't have to raise the cab for any of this , just have to plan it out and take your time .

 

Awesome, I am glad it all worked out well for you. In my eyes, once an Silverado has has its brake lines and fuel lines dealt with, the value goes up significantly lol. Replacing brake lines and fuel lines is somewhat of sore spot for me on these trucks, because of all the engineering involved in making the factory lines go where they go, rout the way they are routed ... and once they rust out, all that engineering is just gone. Unless you get prebent lines, in which case I'm a big fan.

ABS light will need to have the codes pulled. That, or unplug the battery for a while and hope it clears any sort of history fault. If it's a hard fault in the computer, then it'll still need its codes pulled and you'll have to diagnose what's causing the light

 

Disconnecting the battery didn't seem to help and I have a code reader ( Actron Auto Scan Plus ) for engine codes but I didn't know it works for ABS codes until you mentioned codes and I checked the manual . It says it does do ABS codes , so I will be checking that out today.

 

What did you find out? I had ABS codes on my 98, so I replaced both front hub assemblies and then 5000 miles later the EBCM went out and there was NO WAY I was paying that much for a new one lol