I am in the process of installing stainless steel lines, rotors and pads on my 2002 sedan. While trying to remove a brake line I managed to round off the flare nut and now can't remove the line. How can I best (and easiest) get the old line off and put the new one on??? Please help a depressed owner trying to improve his car!

 

This is not meant to sound like a jerk post but it is the honest truth.
I am making the assumption that because you rounded the nut you weren’t using a line wrench, so there fore I assume you don’t have too much automotive skill (yet). So the easiest/best way to get out of your situation is to call a toe truck and have it taken to the nearest shop you trust NOT A DEALER.
What needs to be done is they need to cut the brake line just under the fitting, a new fitting needs to be placed on the line and the line needs to be re-flared. This is the cheapest/easiest way to make this repair and can go horribly wrong if not done by some one that knows what they are doing.
If you take it to a dealer they will most likely want to replace the entire brake line.
Again I mean no offence by this, this is just the best advice I can give.

 

The brake line can be cut and re-flared by someone who has experience but they must make a clean cut and de-burr the line of stray metal particles. They must use a specialized double-flare tool, not the commonly available single-flare used on less demanding applications. A single-flare can fail under brake line pressure. The hard line cannot be cut so short as to place stress on the replacement stainless braided line - this too can cause premature failure.

If you have any doubts, let the dealer or other Subaru specialty shop replace the line with a factory part. If you have a mod-friendly dealer in the area, they can easily install your braided lines at the same time.

Don't take shortcuts on your brakes. A failure can be dangerous to you and others.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

Thanks guys, by the way I did use the required 10mm flare wrench, but since my car is an 02 with 55,000 miles in 4 years of winters in the NE the nut was obviously seized and now I am stuck. Luckily I haven't drained any brake fluid yet so I can still get it to a dealer or garage to fix the problem and install the line. And I thought this would be a fun upgrade!!!

 

plyers :-)

 

This probably won't make you feel any better but I ran into almost the same problem with my '02. I used the proper size flare nut wrench but that nut was just about seized. The retaining bracket for the brake line was starting to twist around and I had to resort to using a pair of needle-nose Vise-Grips® to hold it steady. Almost could've used a third hand.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

I must have trashed 20 lines learning how to work with old brake flare nuts.
They method I use and it works out well for me is start soaking the flare nut with PB blaster (penetrating oil) every 10-15 minutes for about 45 minutes. Then use a set of vice grips to hold the nut/collar that the flair nut threads into and a line wrench to break it loose. The key is to place the line wrench in a position in relation to the vice grips where you can squeeze the two together to turn the nut loose. This will keep the line from twisting or kinking or the soft line from turning in the bracket.

Don’t be too discouraged. This happens to all of us at one time or another. It's all about learning.

 

You don't need a shop to do this. Use Vise grips. Just tighten them down enough.

To be clear, you rounded the old line that is being replaced with the braided? If you're putting on new lines, who cares if the flare nut is rounded on the old one.