Archived Brake line rusted

[Joe Mc]

Is there any place I can order pre formed brake lines on-line. Or am I stuck with the dealer? Need front to rear line that runs along the frame.

Thanks

 

[RON'S RAM]

I replaced the line that runs from the front to the rear inside the frame rail. I could not find it made up even from the dealer. The dealer had the short lines and rolls for the longer lines that had to be flared. There was a short line in the back that has a non standard fitting on one end. I found a specialty house that had one but would have been easier to get it from the dealer. Hardest part of replacing the line was unhooking it and reattaching to the clips on the frame behind the fuel tank. With patience and some long pieces of wood it is possible. Good Luck

 

[Joe Mc]

Thanks Ron. I kind of figured I'd probably have to go back into the Air Conditioning Refrigeration trade I was in before being thrust into a management position and bend up. double flare my own. I'm looking at a place that may be able to make up/claims they can for any and all autos car/truck/domestic/import/all years. They are at http://www.classictube.com/ and offer stainless, steel and aluminum for fuel or hydro lines. They also have S/S braided hose for the frame to caliper/rear drum etc setups too just for future reference - Thanks for the reply.

 

[PRattenbury]

I asked Classic Tube if they had lines for my truck. They didn't. There's 2 other companies that make them Inline tube, and the right stuff. Haven't checked with those two yet. Classic tube said they'd be glad to make some, but I would have to give them old ones they could use as a template.

 

[MCummings]

I bought a '98 Durango off ebay from Ohio that had a steel line burst. Even the dealer no longer makes them (even though they made that body style untill 2003).



I ended having to replace several, and having them all made.



Merrick

 

[SFrey]

i just replaced mine with a complete set of stainless steel ones (pre-bent) from classic tube, now mine is a 97 ext cab, long bed. they should work for you also, may have to shorten the one that runs to the rear. part # DD1021SS.



scot

 

[Joe Mc]

i just replaced mine with a complete set of stainless steel ones (pre-bent) from classic tube, now mine is a 97 ext cab, long bed. they should work for you also, may have to shorten the one that runs to the rear. part # DD1021SS.



scot

Scot,



Is the part number you mentioned, DD1021SS, a "Classic Tube" part number?



How much did it cost you all totaled shipping & the part?



I just got reply from Classic,they'll make up the tube for me but, I need to send mine to them so they can match it :{ - I can't affort the down time and two way shipping + god knows what they want to charge for the part?



Any other ideas out there?

 

[SFrey]

Scot,



Is the part number you mentioned, DD1021SS, a "Classic Tube" part number?



How much did it cost you all totaled shipping & the part?



I just got reply from Classic,they'll make up the tube for me but, I need to send mine to them so they can match it :{ - I can't affort the down time and two way shipping + god knows what they want to charge for the part?



Any other ideas out there?

yes, it is a classic tube part number, i'm a dealer for them. price is $ 209. 50 plus shipping.



scot

 

[RON'S RAM]

There's really not that much to making your own lines. For that price, you can buy a roll of brake line, tubing cutter, double flaring tool and tubing bender. If you've never flared brake lines before it's not all that hard and the directions are included with the flaring kit. You'll have enough extra on a roll to practice with too.

 

[Joe Mc]

So there's one extreme $209 + shipping? or get a roll of tube, bender etc (still have tools from AC&R field so no big deal) and bend em up yourself.



I like the do it yourself method + placing the $150 or so remaining, towards my favorite charity "the Mach 5s & htb2/14 charger" fund :-laf .



The above in mind, raises a few questions - as I haven't done any brake line work on anything that was not 10+ years old, 20 or so years ago: What size lines are on our trucks Metric or SAE, where can I get a roll of whatever size I need (NAPA?) and what size thread are the line nuts.



Last thing I want to do is take my truck out of service on a Saturday by removing the tank and brake lines and not have everything I need to get it back on line - of course the worst part will be "the only place that has what you need - just closed and doesn't open till Monday" :{



Appreciate the replies - Thanks guys!

 

[RON'S RAM]

Joe,

not sure what year truck you have, but my 97 has 3/16"OD. line from front to rear in the frame. NAPA's part # for a 25' roll of the standard steel brake line is 641-4000, at around $25. 00. It does not come with the fittings, so just ask for 2 standard fittings. There was one short line at the back axle that used a different fitting on one end. The fitting OD was the same as 1/4" brake line yet the ID fit the 3/16" line thus has the smaller flare. NAPA has adapters to adapt 3/16 to 1/4 but the 1/4" end has the 1/4" flare and not the 3/16" flare that we need. (if that makes any sense to you. ) I found a specialty shop that stocks the fittings and bought an extra one just in case. So if you get stuck, let me know. Also, if you have some patience, you can replace the line without removing the fuel tank. I probably should have gone with stainless, but it was more than 3 times the price of steel. Maybe 10 years from now I will.

Good luck.

 

[RON'S RAM]

One other thought. If you're replacing the longest line on the truck, now's a good time to flush out the old fluid and replace it with new. I sucked most of the old fluid from the master cylinder then added new fluid and bled all 4 wheels until the fluid was clear.

 

[Joe Mc]

Would make sense to do fluid change in the process - even though I did so this past spring - it's only fluid and a bit of time so no biggie.



Any idea on size line, nuts and where to get a coil of steel I need to bend up my own?

 

[RON'S RAM]

I posted the size line, nuts and NAPA part # above.

 

[Joe Mc]

I posted the size line, nuts and NAPA part # above.

By gosh you certianly did Ron ouble Duha!!!!!! on my part.



o Thanks for pointing out to me that I missed the info - sorry about that.



Printing it now - cool.

 

[Joe Mc]

Job all done - took tank out and bent up new line - Ron's Ram was dead on with the part number etc. Flushed system with product SanFilepeBob suggested Valvoline DOT 3 4 @ $5. 99 a quart - I actually have brakes that work now.

 

[RON'S RAM]

Glad to hear you got it done and can stop again. I hope you didn't just finish at 7:00 this morning.

 

[Joe Mc]

Naw, I did however, finish Saturday night (this past) about 11:30P. Neighbors gave up on "thinking" I must be nuts - they've known it for quite some time now.



Ron - Thanks again for your help with the size line etc. The line from the frame mount to the ABS (rear only) valve (thing with the lever to the rear whatever the heck it is) is OK. I see what you meant by the different size nuts with the 3/16 line though. And, as always when I try to explain something that is not a normal thing they are used to hearing (spark plugs for a ???), the guys at the local NAPA were like DUHHH trying to translate the Portugese I must speak to them when I go in there. Anyway, I got lucky as not only was the line OK, but the fittings after being spritzed with a little pen oil loosened right up free of the line :--) I was shocked. I took off the rear brake hose to take with me in what turned out to be "The Quest For Brake Hoseage", and as luck would have it broke the vent tube/bolt that holds it to the housing :{. So after not being able to locate replacement I used a 3/8 hose to go into the axel through the brake hose block mount and some bigas wire ties to go around the housing using the line nuts that go to each wheel as a place to snug the ties, then everything connected back up. Not to happy about having to jurry rig my rig, especially the brakes, but it had to be done. At least the dealer had the vent tube/bolt so I could secure the old hose and disassemble my rig job. New hose is on back order @ DC - figures right . For some reason the AWABS front and rear brake hoses are more readilly available than the RWABS only? Odd that there's a difference to begin with - but there is. So, yesterday I find out the DC has discontinued the hose, which I paid in advance for when I picked up the vent tube/ bolt :{ #@$%!. Told dealer to see if another one was on the shelf somewhere else, crossed my fingers, toes and well you know - thank goodness in 5 minutes he had located one at a dealer close by, had the counter guy put his hands on it and make sure it went in the "ship to other dealer" bin - should be @ dealer I use Wednesday next.



DANG! sorry for the life story Woke up early 5:30a and just started rambling - have a good day and better weekend.

 

[RON'S RAM]

Your welcome, glad I could help. I've gotten lots of help on here from others also. If you ever can't get a brake hose, there is a place near me in Worcester Ma. ( Mechanics Bliss Supply Co. ) that is supposed to be able to make just about any kind of hose and is supposed to be certified for brake lines. I have never bought a brake line from them but they are the company that had the special sized nut for that short rear brake line. Their phone # is 1-800-832-4626 or 1-508-753-8137. They also specialize in all types of gasket material and will make custom gaskets. The sales rep's email is: -- email address removed --