Brake Lines... AGAIN, but this time flex lines!

Poll

What to do for brake lines

Only registered users are allowed to vote for this poll.
14 votes were received.

keep calling around	1		7%
get some line and compression fittings and make my own	5		36%
Eat more bacon and shut up; the Justy is so slow I can stop by hanging my foot out the door.	8		57%

---

Hey Folks,

I searched...

So Justy needs new flex lines. I called a local shop and was quoted well over 200 bucks for custom braided lines. Seems a bit steep.

Matt

http://www.oldbritts.com/brake_line.html

used this method on an old bike, should work for the car.

Matt,

you can buy premade -3an braided flex lines premade, CHEAP from many different places, Any roundy round place can get them for you. They are premade, with -3an ends crimped on

You'll just need to get some adapter fittings.

Flare Adapter
Banjo Adapter
-3an Premade hose

You can do better in pricing than Summit, but it's easy to link to.

That will take care of the front end. I cannot for the life of me remember how the rear brake lines are arranged.

You could also very likely use premade lines from a newer Subaru, atleast in the front. You can get them for around $80-$100 for all four.

Chris,

I wondered about just using adapters and pre-made lines...

Hmmn.. seems too simple! (how am I too eat bacon now?)

Matt

Just make your own, simple to do. A great skill to have, you can have spares and they can be exactly the right lenght with the right ends. You can even have them tested by a local hydro shop so you know they are good.

When I did the rear of the Merkur I just used a string to estimate length needed then figured out fittings and lengths and ordered stuff from Baker Precision.

I ordered stuff for the BMW from HRP World. I re-plumbed the entire car using them and everything seems good so far. Individual lines ranged from ~$10-40 depending on what lengths and fittings you needed.

Dave

Yeah, get them premade from somewhere. I got mine from "american hose and fittings" in kent. Or America's hose?

....America's hose? ......nevermind. *shudder*


But yeah, you can usually find a place to make them which saves time and headaches for only little money.

VTCar has theirs made by Brown & Miller right here in race city usa. http://www.bmrs.net/bmrs_catalogue.htm

Silly boys. The hose is cheap, the fittings expensive.
Vermont Sports car did not get rich saving people money, they got rich by choosing their clientele and marking up already expensive things.

For those who are trying think---counts of some here--- and run the car---counts out some here----over a period of time, it makes great sense to but RE-useable ends and assemble yourself.


If it is such a huge strain on your time to screw together part A and part b on each end, maybe you should consider a new hobby. maybe you could become an amateur doctor, or fireman or detective or photographer or cowboy...

THEREAFTER, if a hose gets killed, you disassemble the ends and re-use, changing for 4 bucks the hose.

I understand for some that thinking ahead is difficult, especially since convenience is so drilled into your thick skulls that thinking ahead to when the car actually ever goes is a thing so distant and foggy that its a foggy dream..

But the NEXT time spending $4 sounds pretty good to me.


Matt! Mod your hardlines so that the only metric is right into the master cylinder and brake caliper. Inverted flare and end in INCH swivel female.
Then a bulkhead fitting. the hose: female both ends so its not handed. In caliper: whatever metric crap Subie uses male IN and -3 Male out.


Now should you kill a hose running over a fucking moose, and in its death throes it jerks its antlers and rips a hose, 1 man with 1 wrench can swap the hose quickly--and you get on to the more time consuming bleeding.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Yeah,

Now if I can just find a supplier locally... I hate online shopping (I've had a "cart" for a week at rock auto while I decide to order from them or the local guys).

Argh!

Matt

Personally, i think that buying 2 adapter fittings to adapt the already existing (i'm assuming) hard lines, and calipers in the car at ~$5 each. Then using an off the shelf, pre-made, pre-tested, pre-crimped hose on BRAKES, which are available for like under $10 a hose, is a smart idea.

Do enough googling, and you'll find hords of guys who cannot put together reuseable hose ends well enough that they come apart the minute they put engine OIL PRESSURE (~100psi) to them. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be putting together BRAKE flex lines myself. Especially for for $10 a hose. Hell just look on Nasioc, and guys trying to make their own power steering hoses, or even the "tuner" shops who market a powersteering hose kit THEY have put together using the same fittings....lots of guys spraying power steering fluid all over the end of their driveways.

Order the fittings, and install on the brake hard line and caliper. Then use the premade $10 hose. Order 2 extra premade $10 hoses identical to what you just installed, then if you rip one apart, you just swap it on.

I sure as hell wouldn't trust any of my service guys (or myself) to reuse the reuseable hose ends off my broken flex hose and replace the flexible hose with a new $4 piece, especially in a 20 minute service somewhere in the middle of Quebec when it's -30deg C at 1AM. I would however trust a monkey to replace that broken hose with a premade, pre crimped, and pre tested hose that is identical.

Quote
Do It Sidewayz
Hell just look on Nasioc, and guys trying to make their own power steering hoses, or even the "tuner" shops who market a powersteering hose kit THEY have put together using the same fittings....lots of guys spraying power steering fluid all over the end of their driveways.

Remember the clientele.

I made all of my own brake lines, soft lines through the entire car, myself using reusable fittings. The Summit -3 thing that pushes the braiding out a bit was crucial. And a clean cut. Electrical tape wrapped around and a nice sharp hacksaw worked wonders. I used a nice solid piece of wood covered in white paint that acted as the molding around Mark's bedroom door at our old house on Galapago to push the fittings on. Worked like a charm.
Front:
-3 Banjo to straight to tee (to straight fitting to bulkhead with a 90 to another straight to another straight to another straight into caliper) X 2.
Rear:
Banjo to 90 to bulkhead fitting to 90 to banjo into handbrake to banjo out of handbrake to straight to tee to (straight to bulkhead to straight to straight into caliper) X2.
That's alot of fittings and not a single one leaked. Since I did all soft lines if in the future I decide to get away from the Merkur (not likely) and do something like a Volvo or Subaru or BMW I would likely be able to use 95% of my brake line system in that car. Of course I did soft lines everywhere which is just asking for death.

One key I found from doing all my -10 fittings for oil cooler was to buy everything from one place. I've experienced fittings that do not work with hoses from different places. The -6 to -10 that you will want for fuel to oil lines are easiest to assemble with a bit of assembly lube. Nothing fancy, same shit you use to build engines with.

So...

I went with pre-made AN3 hoses and adapters.

I couldn't find stuff locally to make them myself, and in a way I liked the idea of having common lines with assorted adapters.

All the lines are the same length, so I have some spares "in case" that will work for front or back. If we ever tear something off, the service fix is quick.

The car is getting close! This weekend do a final bolt up, and hopefully a little shake down next week.

We are officially registered in open, so I get to use all my fancy bits (big cam, 11:1 comp head, the triple carbs if it runs... the header if I get it done, the fancy big brake kit from the '93 Justys with 13" wheels (massive 240mm rotors dude!)

We's gonna be flying!

Oh yeah, 80 bucks all in!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2011 06:12PM by Mad Matt F.

Sweet, revenge of the Justy! We want pictures...