Though I didn't PLAN on it, I've got all new brake lines now... When I was doing my oil change, I noticed that the old hoses were dry rotten and really rusty.

I couldn't figure out why the previous owner would have done the brake job that he did and overlook the hoses- I figured I'd just pop 'em off, put on a couple new ones, and be on my way. Sure.

They wouldn't budge. Eventually, after a lot of soaking with PB blaster, I got them off- But the steel hard lines broke on one side, and on the other the nut rounded off.

So, I decided that since I was going to have to do it, I might as well do it right, and replace the hard lines as well... Things were a bit of a mess to begin with-



Whoever put it together evidently didn't like to cut and flare tubing- They used lengths that were 2-3 time longer than they needed, and just looped it everywhere... It looked more like a whiskey still than a brake system.

This line-

was one of the best- NONE of those kinks were required, other than to make the line shorter, and where it connected to the master cylinder there was a VERY sharp bend- So sharp, come to find out, that the tube had collapsed- obviously not good for fluid flow!

So, I pulled all the steel lines out, and ran new ones... It took a lot of PB blaster, time, and a few choice words to get all the old fittings off. This was my first experience bending and flaring steel tube, but after a few practice flares, I got the hang of it. It looks much better now-



But, far more importantly- it WORKS much better now! It feels like a new truck, to be honest. The old system worked, in that it stopped the truck- But I didn't realize how poorly it was operating. No problems now!

I also replaced all the brake fluid as well while I was at it. It was VERY dirty looking. Who knows when that was done last.

Next up is replacing the hard lines to the rear brakes... They seem OK, but I've found at least 6 unions in the run, and I'd feel better if it was one straight run all the way back. Then, on to the suspension...

-Andrew

 

Nice work Andrew! There are lots of F100s etc. out there like mine with single chamber master cylinders making future plans to upgrade to a dual chamber master cylinder. It's encouraging to hear you say, "This was my first experience bending and flaring steel tube, but after a few practice flares, I got the hang of it." What specific tools did you need to use for flaring, bending and anything else? What's a union in the run?

 

probably a fitting that joins 2 lines together. If a pipe is cocked all up , you put a union in the line. Looks great A G

 

Thanks, Will.

99 Hoss answered correctly- a 'union' is a splice between two sections of hard steel tubing. IF they were done correctly, they should be OK, but every one of them is a potential source of a leak. It looks to me like whoever did it went down to the local auto parts store and bought the tubing in pre-made sections, and about 5' was the longest that they had on hand.

The job is really easy- I read up on it a bit, and watched some You tube videos... The tool that you need, a double flare tool, isn't THAT expensive, but you can also get one as a loaner tool from many auto parts stores. You need that, and a decent tubing cutter, and you're all set. Originally, I bought a cheap flare tool at harbor freight, but found it rather frustrating. The one at the parts store worked a lot better.

I bought my 3/16" line in a 25' coil, it was about $20. Not all the stores had it in bulk like this- some only had the precut sections. I had PLENTY to practice with, so I made sure to do a few trials before I Attempted something that I actually used. It's pretty simple, if you follow the directions- I found that the most important thing was making sure that your cuts were straight, and the tubing has been deburred properly. Other than that, the tool does all the work!

I found this article helpful-

How To Flare Tubing

Oh- And one more thing- make SURE you slip the fitting on BEFORE you flare the end... Ask me how I know

-Andrew

 

What you really need is something somewhere inbetween your first and last picture. A loop in the line or a line with a flex portion takes the strain off the line. The body will move independent of the frame and you need something in there that will allow for some movement. Your job looks great, but the flexing will eventually break the line or develop leaks.

 

Watch this video...

All about brake lines - Video - Jay Leno's Garage

I just did the brake swap and bent up new copper-nickel alloy lines. If you want to make it easier on yourself, check this out. These can be bent without a tubing bender, easier to get an accurate flare, and will not corrode like traditional steel tubing. This has been standard on higher end foreign cars since the 70s.

 

That was an interesting video. The copper alloy lines look interesting- How much more expensive were they? Honestly, the steel wasn't that tough to work with, and the bender was cheap... For bigger radius bends, you don't even really need it.

 

Andgott,

Nice job!

Something that caught my eye was the location of the prop valve right on top of the steering box. Is that the stock location for a '66?

When I upgraded to '79 components I had to drill into the frame under the cab to mount the prop valve. I hadn't even thought to mount it on top of the steering box. It might have saved me a lot of time on my back under the truck!

 

I'm not sure if that is original or not- There have been several modifications done to the truck over the years. The Master Cylinder is not original- it's a dual reservoir master. The truck was restored 10 - 15 years ago, and the engine, transmission, and some other parts replaced- I don't know if it had power steering before this or not.

I suspect, however, that the master cylinder was replaced more recently, as the quality of the install doesn't match the quality of the other work that had been done. It amazes me what they did and didn't do- for example, they didn't rewire the stop light when they changed the master cylinder, there was just no switch at all. They put in a new c-6 transmission, but didn't bother to change out the speedometer cable- in fact, they just left the old one dangling there! There were tons of items like this- Stuff just not hooked up, or wired wrong...

-Andrew

 

who is the best company to buy brake line and fittings for the 1965 ford f250,is ther a trade place you can get a good deal,thanks

 

I agree, while it does look great there is no room for cab movement.

 

Not to get off topic but why does your truck have a proportioning valve? I thought they just had a distribution block when not having discs in the front? Maybe its just a 66 thing?