Inline Tube messaged me back "You will need to cut it shorter and then reflare the fitting back on." That sucks. Anybody got any experience with this kit on a short bed, like making a bend or using one of the different cab size extension so I don't have to modify this?

 

Easy to adjust. Don't cut the line. Instead, somewhere in the straight section, hand-bend a couple of gentle S-bends to get the length "close enough". Then you can adjust the length between the fittings by pulling or pushing to open up the "S". Looks like you don't have a lot of extra length to take up; you may only need a gentle "V".

The trick is gentle, large radius bends, and bend only a little bit then move down the line a bit to continue the curve. Trying to get a tight bend or bend the radius all at once or all in the same place is likely to kink the line. I think I used about 3" radius on my bends to adjust length.

I have a long-bed crew cab, and that line was too long in my kit. I suspect they leave some extra line in case the customer needs to go around other obstacles. It's easier put in some S-bends to shorten a long line than to stretch a too-short line.

 

Well that line being pre bent was a joke. I know lines need tweaking but this wasn't even close. It looks like a turd but it's in the retainers and not touching anything. The shorter extended cab extension fit the bill for connecting it to the line coming off the RABS module.

 

What's everybody's least hated way of bleeding an empty brake system? Bleeding brakes is my least favorite thing to do on a car, so I'm open to suggestions. Pedal pusher helper, vacuum, pressure, gravity...?

 

My least hated way of doing it involves 3 people. One in cab with pedal, one under with the wrench, and one watching fluid level in master cylinder.

I've seen a handful of other methods but haven't had much luck with them. The way above is easy and quick.i

 

Carlyle (NAPA) vacuum tool. One person, all you have to watch is keeping the master cylinder reservoir full. Break the bleed screw free, put suction hose on the bleed screw, draw a vacuum, open screw, start pumping. When it's time to refill the master cylinder, close the screw. Then open screw and resume pumping. No open bleed - pump and hold - close bleed - release- repeat stuff. If you have a second person, they watch the master cylinder and refill as necessary while you keep sucking fluid out the bleed screw. Extra clear hose is very useful.

I prefer the Carlyle tool to Mightyvac. Mightyvac pulls fluid into a small cup on the pump, which is annoying to detach from the pump and dump. I usually spilled and/or dripped fluid while dumping. On the plus side, a full cup was a good reminder to go fill the master cylinder before resuming pumping. The Carlyle tool pulls fluid through the pump and out a hose, which is very easy to put in a large bottle. Much less spill and drip, and less annoyance. But... you don't have a reminder to go fill the master cylinder. If you have a second person to watch and refill the master cylinder, use a big bottle like a 2-liter soda bottle for the sucked-through fluid, so you don't have to dump it so often. Since I was bleeding a new dry system, once the initial manufacturing residue came out of the bleed screw, I recycled the clean fluid back into the master cylinder. I probably wouldn't do that on an old, wet system.

My $0.02. Your preferences will differ.

 

Is the master cylinder on these trucks plumbed backwards from typical? Usually the port closest to the firewall does the front brakes and the front port does the rears, but mine, which seems to be original, is plumbed as the firewall port doing the rears and the front port does the front brakes.

 

I usually fill the master cylinder all the way to the top with new fluid, open both rear bleeder valves, and let the fluid run out for a few minutes, checking to make sure it doesn't empty the reservoir, topping up as necessary. Then close the rears and do the same with the fronts. That usually gets most of the air out. The rest can be gotten out with a friend pressing the brake and you opening the valve the traditional way.

 

Max,
Welcome to FTE! I'm honored your first post was a response to my post . That sounds like a gravity bleed, which is what I'm planning on doing after I bench bleed my new master cylinder using my nifty new syringe I got to reverse bleed it rather than the typical pump fluid back into the reservoir method.

 

Thanks, I've been lurking for a couple months and the gravity bleed is my go to. I've had my 97 7.3 for a few months now and I'm loving it, unfortunately I have had to do a lot of work to the brakes too.

 

Well, I bled and bled and bled until I couldn't bleed anymore. I still had a spongy pedal but it's driveable. I was running around and out of nowhere the brake pedal got rock hard and then it felt perfect! Got home, shut it down, and saw smoke billowing from the front left. Turns out the caliper had not fully released. After taking it off this is what I found.

 

Dam, time for total rebuild of the braking system.

 

Totally new calipers TOO!

 

The calipers were the only thing I didn't replace at first. So yep, 100% new brake system. Before the brake line blew the brakes we're jam up, so I figured I could keep the calipers. Anything worth doing is worth doing right, and overdoing.