Volkswagen Repair: Replacing Brake Line, vintage vws, chevy dealer

Question
1979 Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertable.

I really love my VW and I intend to keep it until I die. I've had this wonderful car for ten years now and it's never given me the slightest problem.

Yesterday my brakes failed and I took the car to a local dealer. He says the brake line is leaking from under the drivers seat area.

The dealer that has my car (a Chevy Dealer) says it's a very labor intensive (removing seats and carpet) and could be very expensive. They admit they have not worked on a 79 beelte before but say they can do it.

Unfortunately, I can't find any repair shops in the area I live in now (upstate NY) with very much experience working on a vintage VWs.

When I look in the two repair manuals that I have (Haynes & How to keep your VW alive), I can't find any details about exactly how to replace the brake line.

Can you tell me what's involved and how much time it would take a good mechanic to replace the line?

Also, can the "traditional" path be bypassed with a "flexible" steel line?


Thanks

Tom Ledbetter


Answer
I dont have much experience with the aircooled cars, but on most cars if you punch a hole in your brake lines and the line is in good shape, you should just be able to replace a small section of the line with a couple fittings.  Ask them how they know there is a hole in the line when they havenn't removed any of the interior to see it?  I cant imagine they would run the brake lines on the interior of the car.  A good mechanic should be able to replace a brake line in an hour.

Good Luck,
Ryan