hello slanters- have replaced many metal brake lines usually from rusting or busting when i put a 3/16 3pt wrench on them. since the wreck of my 80 volare wagon, i have been resurrecting my 76 feather to roadworthiness. left rear brake line from flex hose to wheel cylinder has rusted out and i removed it. through bends and curves it is 24 inches long. at a zone and advance, no 24 incher, only 20 and 30 inch. advance fellow said he could cut the 30 inch to 24 and flare one end. have never flared a brake line.back during the war it seems you could find a larger selection of brake line lengths. in any event he locked the cut end in a clamp which centered and held the end. he then put a small puller like clamp on the holding clamp . it had a screw in press bolt with a pointed swivel cone on the end which pressed into and opened the pipe where it was cut, into a flare. it looks exactly like the other end, except the edge/lip is much thinner on the new end. fits the opening and cone in the flex hose. doesnt feel weak but is noticeably thinner. is this the procedure and therefore satisfactory or should i be concerned about the thinness of the flare? always try to be careful with brake work. dont want to go to a a shyster outfit and get clipped fora custom made line. if ok i may buy the tool for my own collection. hope this doesnt sound like a dumb question. thanks bob f

He had put a single flair on the line not the double flair that is used. Any auto parts store has the proper tool set to do the job right. The price range is somewhere about $40.00, then you will have the tool (toy) for your own.

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Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

A few years back I was welding the frame on my 84 Ford van and accidentally torched through the metal brake line for the front right tire. It was a great excuse for me to get a double flaring tool set and teach myself how to double flare pipe. It took me a few tries, but I eventually got the hang of it and was able to repair the brake line myself. Cost was about $40 for the tool and about $5 for the flare fittings.

I recommend you get a handfull of the right size fittings, a section of brake line, and a flaring tool, and fix it yourself. My brake line repair has held up for about eight years now with no leaks (except the second time I torched through the hard line). You will get a new toy (tool) and teach yourself a valuable skill. My one bit of advice is to make sure you cut the end of the tube you are flaring as square as possible.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Your brake lines need to have a double flare, so I would not use the one he made you. It is your life we are talking about.

Rick

Hi guys, I reuse some of the text from another thread Fine Lines...the re-education/run around... on the same theme, brake lines:

Why not buy copper-nickel brake lines (no rusting, no cracking, no ageing) and bend your own lines? A small pipecutter, a cheap bending tool, and a double-flare making tool is all you need. The pipes and tools will last for the rest of the car's lifetime! Some links: fedhillusa.com and cu-ni-brake-tubing.pdf.

Never, ever use leaking lines, lines with cracks in the flarings, or old lines that have been re-bent to fit (they crack!).

And to add to what Rick says, it's not only your life we are talking about!

A very cool way to make the bends in a new pipe while the old one is still fitted so you cannot easily use it as a pattern; use a strand of thick soldering tin along the old line and form the shape you need to make a model.
Olaf

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Aspenized

See also www.cunifer.com .

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

hello dan and other sages- not going to use the single flared brake line. saw a flaring kit for 40 at napa. appears to have holder clamp, pusher clamp plus various size punch and die inserts. appears to work by first pushing open the clamped/ cut tube for a single flare and then using the insert to fold it over into a double flare. am i right on the procedure. dan , read the cunifer link and video. that is an impressive tool(imported from england)but costs close to 400 with inserts. too much for a po fellow like me. do you or any other sages have an experience based opinion on the suitability of the $40 napa tool? like most of you i hate to get clipped. thanks bob f

They work good and seem to be of good quality.

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hi fope- every time i read one of your messages i think of my 53 ford two door with 239 flathead v8 and 3 spd. looked long, hard and unsuccessfully for a 3spd manual overdrive(the old borg warner semiautomatic overdrive) to swap in. always liked the way that od gave you 6 forward speeds and you could shift up or down without using the clutch except when starting or stopping. in any event how was your experience with one of these auto store flaring tools. seems tricky when you go for the double flare. looks like metal would get too stretched and thin or bust. thanks bob f

Bob just follow the instructions in the flaring kit it works good. I have that overdrive transmission here at the house if you come over you can have it.

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wow fope- you may be thelast one in america with that transmission. does the overdrive function actually work ? it had a push pull cable under thedash to engage it and a wire from the od solenoid to an ignition interrrupter which allowed it tokick in at 28 mph. sadly my 53 is long gone. one of those cars we all had which we wish we never parted with. how come you didnt slap it in your 4 door 53. an adaptor for the sl6 bell might have been all you needed . going to get one of those flare kits from napa and double flare some lines. thanks for your advice. bob f

do not know if it works but it is all there including the push/pull cable. The 904 is a real good transmision and at my age it is good, but I did drive the same trans in my parents 54 wagon with the V8.

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