I was in the process of replacing my caliper and I started stripping the damn brake line bolt. What can I do from here? Is there any place to purchase that single brake line, so I can just [try to] disconnect it from higher up? Is there any way to re-fit the end, so I can just cut it off of the old caliper? Thanks.

 

Do you mean the brake hose or the actual brake hard line? There's a solution regardless, just need to know where the issue is. And what corner of the car.

 

It is the front driver's side. The bolt that is stripping is the point that it actually plugs into the brake caliper. (I am in the process of replacing the caliper).

 

OK, the actual hard line then. You can't buy them new pre-bent, not even from Volvo. You have three options: Measure the length of the line, including the bends and bend a straight one to fit. Pulla used one from a salvaged car. If it is the nut that is stripped, use vise grips to reinstall it. Is the end of the line loose now and that is what is stripped? If so, obviously it can't be reused.
Bending brake lines requires a small tubing bender to allow bends w/o crimping. Always buy a piece longer than you need, you can always put a loop in it if it's too long; nothing worse than making all the tedious bends and ending up a half inch short!
I do have a complete cross member including brake lines if you wanted me to mail the specific line to you. Shoot me a p/m if interested.

 

A place that makes hydraulic lines can make any brake line. I had stainless steel lines made for my car at a place called EVCO House of Hose. But they should be able to find any of that hardware.

 

The line isn't loose yet. If I just go for it and break the nuts loose with vice grips, and re-install them with vice grips, do you think that would be a safe route? Or a bad idea in general?

 

As far as I know, the hydraulic hose shops here in Dallas wont bend brake lines but they certainly are a good place for brake hoses, p/s hoses and a/c hoses that are tough to find.
If you don't have it taken apart, it might serve you well to buy a small set of line wrenches designed specifically for this issue. Rather than contacting only 2 of the flats they contact 4 and virtually prevent this sort of thing from occurring. The look like open ended wrenches at first glance...

Worst case scenario, yes you could do the vise grip thing...it's just that sort of seems to always come back to haunt you!.

 

Here's a picture of a 240 driver's side strut. So, did you round off the top line or the bottom one?

 

both, actually, in the process. lol. I ended up getting the bottom ones off (with a regular wrench too!), but I really rounded off one of the top ones.... wooops. I figure if I need to replace my brake lines at any point, I could just order the brake line first and get it all situated, then just cut it, and it would be a lot easier to get off.


Oh yeah, and I took off a rear caliper last night, and was a little more careful and patient, and got the brake line off with no stripping