So after getting my electrical problems sorted out I take my '86 F-150 out yesterday to get a door key made. On the way back the brake pedal gets a little soft then the brake light comes on. I make it home ok and discover that the brake line is leaking along the frame just behind the drivers side door.
I have already paid to have one of the rear lines replaced and have to assume at this point that they should all be replaced. I would like to do the work myself but have never done it before and don't want to end up with a piece of yard art. At this point I can still drive it to the shop.
So do you experienced mechanics think I can do this in my driveway? I would love to be able to add this skill to my knowledge base. Do I need special tools? What should I look out for? How should I approach this or should I just hire it done and nurse my ego for a few weeks?
Any thought or suggestions that you all could offer would be greatly appreciated.
Jim

 

You can replace the lines yourself . You can buy lengths of line and join them with coupler fittings to make the length you need . You will have to bend to fit . Or you can buy a roll , a flaring set , and make one whole piece to length . I usually measure and buy sticks and unions to match the needed length . Do not use compression fittings , use a whole length or union fittings .

 

They also sell pre bent lines but they arent hard to make.

 

That's what I have done on several of these trucks, make my own using the pre-made lines you can get at the parts stores. They have them in a rack. Just make sure you get the right ones, they sell metric ones also and it's easy to get them mixed up.

Take a tape measure and roughly measure from the proportioning valve all the way along the frame to the rear hose connection that goes to the rearend. I seem to remember using 3 different pieces for this run with two couplers. This works well, since you need to snake the line in through the frame and behind the fuel tank. They only sell certain lengths, so get as close as you can to the length you need, but always be buy a little too much in length instead of too short. As you make your way along to the back, you can zig-zag the line up and down a little bit to take up the extra length, or you can make a large circle with the line at the rear before entering the hose connection.

Same with the front line to the driver's side, and the front line to the pass side.

If you make large sweeping bends, you can bend it by hand without kinking it. This also takes up the extra length in the line. If you want to make sharp bends, they have a tool at the store that you can buy that will make tight bends without causing kinks.

The line they sell now has some sort of green coating on it, and it seems to last a lot longer than the silver colored line. I have actually had to replace the brake lines twice, after the replacement line rusted out. What I did the second time was smear grease all over the line after I was done.

As long as you go to the proportioning valve, you should not have to re-flare the lines. If you want to replace the ones going to the master cylinder, you will have to save the old fittings and install them on the new line and re-flare the line. Reflaring the line is not that easy, but can be done with tools they sell also at the store.

 

Thanks guys. I got the old one off easy enough. Tomorrow after work I hope to get another line installed.

 

I would go for the prebent, ready made lines if they're available any day of the week. If you have to use up extra length on your routing, it just won't look as professionally done. On the other hand, if you make up custom lengths, flaring your ends can be problematic unless you have access to a GOOD double flaring tool, and practice a bit with it first. Good double flaring tools aren't on the shelf at most auto parts stores.