Stainless Vs. OEM

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Princess Valiant

Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
Joined
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what's the difference between stainless and OEM on transmission cooling lines other than 20 bucks.

I know OEM means original type stuff so if most originals lasted this long, wouldn't it be proven to be some good stuff?
 
I have never in my life seen transmission lines rusted through. I think stainless is just for people who feel like throwing money away.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I have never in my life seen transmission lines rusted through. I think stainless is just for people who feel like throwing money away.
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I have, I just had to lay on the floor of the garage this past winter and replace 2 of them on the GF's Ranger pick up.. Rusted thru right as they went under the radiator up to the external cooler.... Man those suck to change!!! Of course the key word here is FORD!
 
RustyRatRod said:
I have never in my life seen transmission lines rusted through. I think stainless is just for people who feel like throwing money away.
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I have.

Here in the rust belt everything dies a miserable death a few years after it leaves the showroom.

I've seen aluminum bumpers, driveshafts, suspension parts etc corrode completely through (to the point where they break or fall off). Brake lines rust through on a car that's only 3-4 years old.

I've even seen entire frames (unibodies included) rust through on cars and trucks that are only a few years old. Chevy cars are infamous for it in this area. It's nothing to crawl underneath a 1990 - 2012 Chevy Car, look up near the gas tank and find almost no subframe left under the car from the gas tank to the rear bumper.
 
ok, makes sense now.

I think I can get away with OEM. They don't use salt here and we rarely get precip. and its pretty much a desert. As long as the lines can hold up to our routine sand and dust storms then I will be fine.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I have never in my life seen transmission lines rusted through. I think stainless is just for people who feel like throwing money away.
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Ditto with the others brother. The winter conditions and road salt eat everything up. Trans lines, fuel lines, brake lines, body panels.....

I always make the move to S-S lines.
 
The lines on my 54,000 mile "bought new in Florida" 73 Sat rusted through where there was a clip to hold them together.

Stainless is a also 20 times harder to bend and 50 times harder to flare.
 
I had a 71 Swinger when I was in S Dakota, this was in 77 to 81. No salt used, just sand at the places you needed traction. Got back to the Midwest, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin on the BIG lake. In five years the quarters were starting to rust. Salt is BAD for our cars.
 
hope it don't bite me later but I ordered the OEM material. its cheap and I am gathering parts for my first car I ever put together with an auto. I have never had an automatic car before so this is all new to me.

So got the lines and got all the the console pieces. Now I just have to get the car here from Mo. and start in.

[ame="http://www.ebay.com/itm/73-76-MOPAR-A-BODY-AUTOMATIC-TRANSMISSION-TRANS-COOLING-LINES-2PC-SET-OEM-/161014183445?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item257d317615&vxp=mtr"]73 76 Mopar A Body Automatic Transmission Trans Cooling Lines 2pc Set | eBay[/ame]
 
If you want to see rusted lines come up to the great white north!! I changed the lines a couple of years ago on my daughter's Grand Cherokee, and in the winter that is NO fun when you are lying on your back in the driveway.
 
stainless is mild steel with nickel added and depending on the amount of nickel will not corrode or rust.
O.E.is mild steel along with antimony or "tin" and is somewhat resistant to corrosion,but not like hi nickel stainless.
 
RaniDart70 said:
hope it don't bite me later but I ordered the OEM material. its cheap and I am gathering parts for my first car I ever put together with an auto. I have never had an automatic car before so this is all new to me.

So got the lines and got all the the console pieces. Now I just have to get the car here from Mo. and start in.

73 76 Mopar A Body Automatic Transmission Trans Cooling Lines 2pc Set | eBay
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For the cost of those, you could make probably 3 sets of them out of Poly Armor Line by yourself.

Poly Armor Line is coated with an epoxy that prevents rust. A 25 Foot Roll of it costs about $19. Think of how many sets of Transmission Lines you could make for $19 and 5 minutes of your time.
 
stainless is grate but if you don't drive it in the winter there will be no problem with salt rusting the lines.been driving mine for 7 years with steel brake lines and they look like they did when they were new.
 
It doesn't snow here at all, but rust does happen, and overnight too on bare steel....it is really humid here in the summer....when it's raining, it can hit 100% humidity, and when it's not raining, it can still be like 80% and 100*F.
 
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