Anyone know or have a preference for brake line replacement kit. My 84 2wd short box 150 needs at least the line from front to back replaced and I'm guessing getting any of the 40 year old unions apart without damaging anything else impossible and if the one needs replaced the others might as well be also. It split about a foot before the union that supply's the rear brakes basically right under the saddle tank filler door right inside the crossmember so getting in to see what happened is impossible I figure it split or rubbed through. Looking at 8 pc prevent kits. Do I just go back with steel or should I go to stainless? Should I replace proportion block under master or just brake clean rebuild?

 

I always use universal Ni-copp lines from the local parts stores. It's very easy to work with and bend, and it will not rust.

I just get a tape measure and measure behind the tank. On a long bed it takes 3 lines to make it to the rear. This works well, since you do not want a splice behind the tank, and it makes it easier to snake the lines through the frame brackets and all the other stuff in the way. I believe the longest universal line you can buy is a 60 inch line. Since you have a short bed, you may be able to make the run to the rear with 2 lines, but try to make your splice out in the open and not behind the tank. You may still need 3 lines for it to work out. You can use universal lines to do the whole truck. And not have to flare anything except possibly the master cylinder lines. Those usually do not go bad. If a universal line is a little too long that is good. When you bend the line by hand your bends will have a larger radius anyway. And you can also do this on purpose to use up any extra line you have.

 

I have used Inline Tube pre-bent SS kits on several vehicles. The lines were about 10 years old when I did the frame swap on the ‘89 F-150 and I was able to reuse them all. If you want to make your own I would recommend nickel copper over regular steel.

 

I am not a fan of SS lines unless it is a show car / truck.
The reason is it is hard to get the hard SS to seal. I have seen to many post where it would not stop dripping and the had to send the line back for a new one.

You can go for the pre bent kits and if you dont know how or have the tools to make your own that is a good way to go.
The copper / nickel either like DaveF said to measure and buy straight lines and join / bend as needed or buy a roll off Ebay or the like and make your own.

You can get a double flaring tool, hand bender and small tubibg cutter from HF pretty cheap and work good for what you need to do.
Also get a hand full of fittings as you may not be able to reuse what you got.
Start by making a few flares so you can get the "feel" for the tool and how to make the flare on the bench.
When happy with the flare you can start removing the old lines and use them as a pattern and how long the new line needs to be.
Add the fittings before you flare the line and install the line.
It is that easy and the C/N tubing is easier to flare / bend.
Dave ----

 

Thanks for the input, I found a premade set outta steel for 150$ figured not to bad for ready to go set and saves the time of me bending up and flareing then realizing I forgot fittings or put them backwards, not ashamed to say I've been there done that ! This is my 84 300 2wd straight as an arrow zero rust one small ding on back of cab under window that I've got to push out. I added the slider, removed all the electrical carb/ignition stuff that was a mess. Deleted cruise and added the tach. I'm going to be swapping to V8-5spd over winter and lowering 2-3/4-5 with springs and camber bushings in front and axel flip drop shackles in rear. Might roll pan the rear also but it's a great ol truck that's kept me outta trouble this summer and will be getting painted probably next winter I'm going to practice and learn this next year and shoot it a shade or two darker metallic blue and all the trim mirrors wheels grill will be a grey gunmetal. Oh I swapped mirrors also.

 

Wish my truck looked half the nice. I just measured the length of brake line I needed and bought a 48" piece for a few bucks from the container of Ni-Copp pre-flared with nuts from the bin on the floor at NAPA. That stuff is easy to bend by hand.

Oh, have you thought about flushing the old brake fluid out of the system ?

You might want to save that air cleaner set up with the inlet hoses. Someone was looking for those a couple of days ago.

 

I can see that happening but have never had that problem with the premade lines. Sometimes it takes a few tries of tightening and loosening the fittings but I have always gotten them to seal.

In fact the lines are still like new but the fittings must be regular steel. A couple of them were stubborn when I tried to get them apart to move to the “new” frame.
I’m fairly certain that will happen when he changes all the lines and hoses.

 

Lowering these trucks with springs and camber bushings usually does not work out. That is why they make the dropped beams. If you lower it 1.5 inches and get the most extreme camber bushing you can buy, the alignment guy MIGHT be able to get it back in alignment. Just the way these trucks are with their twin I beam front suspensions.

 

For lowering our trucks this is who you go with https://djmsuspension.com/
At the time they did not make a kit for the early kingpin trucks then when they sis it was the wrong size for my truck
I was looking at them as my pins were frozen so it had to come apart anyway so why not lower it right
I ended up rebuilding mine with new pins.

I am kind of happy I did not lower the truck because when I hook up to the clubs trailer the rear drops so the truck sits even front to rear and the trailer jack is not far off the ground.

As for that air filter that is pretty cool
I would keep it as it looks factory stock and I like things that look factory that are not.
Look at my metal ribbed floor that replaced the wood floor on a flare side or dual tanks that was never an option on a flare side.
I see you have a short bed with dual tanks so I dont know why they could not do it for the flare sides?

Nice truck yes a little lowering and the rest left the way it is I could rock it
Dave ----

 

I've always like the twin snout air cleaner look and have built them for about every car or truck I've done over the years. I torn on leaving this 300 and just swapping a 5 speed in and putting a intake and some split manifolds and send it. I've got a Clifford valve cover and a powered by Ford one also that I'm going to put on it just figure which one. I've got to clean up the wiring a bit still from the kid I bought it from had really screwed it up and I've got a under hood trouble light to install also. It's a clean little truck. Gotta make mind up to either just make this a good clean runner and find another to build into a street strip truck or build this into one. I'd like to see how far off the frame from a Fairmont wagon from 80s would be for putting truck onto. Can't be too far off. Find a V8 wagon

 

Sounds like you know what you are doing, this should be fun to follow. Depending on how fast you plan to go in the 1/4 mile, the longer wheelbase is more stable, when you pull the chute

 

My 81 flare side has a 300 but using the factory log intake and carb as I was looking for MPG from my truck and back up to pull my car trailer.
I am running the EFI manifolds and full 94 F150 pipes, no cat and a Thrush welded muffler. At idle has a nice sound to it.

As for making it a street strip "truck" unless you will be running brackets and dont mine running in the 20's in the 1/4 then go for it.
But to butcher / frame swap a truck as nice as that to go faster is criminal in my book.
There are a lot better platforms to make a street strip racer out of.
You will want to trailer what ever you race in case you break something other wise how will you get home?

Yes I have drag raced a street car and took it on a trailer as it was 2+ hours to any track I went to.
It was a factory v8 AMC Gremlin, 16.20 @ 90 MPH car and I put a lot of 10.0 cars on the trailer with it.
Like your truck it was a nice street car and did not want to start cutting it up for slicks, etc as it was all stock.
At the time I was also building a 70 AMC Javelin for drag racing as I got it as a gutted shell.

There has to be something out there with a blown v8 to start with for racing.
Heck v8 Ford parts have got to be cheaper than 300 parts and easier to come by too.
As for a chute you would have to put crazy money into a v8 motor to even worry about needing one and no way with a six with out even more crazy money.
But as they say "its your truck do as you want."

BTW I dont know if Cal-Track makes traction bars and springs for a pick up.
And no you dont have to run their mono springs as I did not on the Javelin.
A little adjustment made a big difference on a hot greasy track and if I was to build another car would run them again.
Dave ----

 

I've decided to keep this truck as a daily and still v-8/5spd swap it so I can have some more power and long range drive without the at times headaches of finding basic 300 parts on the fly, but m going for the built in mid 80s with a super shops around the corner. My kit showed up with the pre-bent brake lines and I was able to get the fittings loose way easier than expected, I hit the threads with some lube several days before. After really crawling around underneath and seeing just how clean and straight the truck is I decided to keep it together and I found a fiberglass Company that makes pretty much everything but the cab so I can build me a truck for the strip correctly and not worry about beating up good straight metal. Gonna finish the brakes this week and got 4 new shocks to put in figured might as well change out all the hard lines while it's on jack stands. I'm still gonna look for some traction bars and lower it a bit and there's people saying dream beams is only way and there's people saying springs and shocks with camber bushings work great. It's not the $$ that makes me wanna go springs but 800$ is pretty pricey for a set of beams. Again I do appreciate all the advice from y'all and will keep updating progress. I've got a plan but tomorrow I'll have another so heeere we gooo!

 

Yep that is the way it goes.

My .02
On the lowering beams or springs the way I look at it, how you going to cut the springs heat is a no no?
How much can you cut before it is "too much"? How many times you going to take the springs in & out to get it right?
What if you cant get the camber back in spec with the bushings then you going to buy a set of springs and try again?
And the really big one for me, when you cut the springs you loose suspension travel and can be setting on the bump stops.

Beams you dont loose suspension travel and I am pretty sure you can dial it back into spec with bushings if need be.
I believe in doing the job once and not have to monkey with it to get it right but thats me.

On the motor 300 vs 302 / 351 " headaches of finding basic 300 parts on the fly", like what parts as I would like to know?
Tune up parts are tune up parts for all the motors listed. Anything else inside the motors I believe anyone is going to have to order and you will be down for machine work anyway.
The 300 has timing gears where the 3xx motos have chains and they go bad. Think I have seen 2 - 300 motor gears go bad in all the years I have been on here.

I guess you either love the 300 motor or hate it. I have only own 2 v8's for the street, 86 GM 6.2 diesel and a 02 Dodge 5.9 gas, both were for pulling my car trailer.
4 banger in my auto cross / road race car, 238 straight six in a off road racing 4x4, both were used on the street for a bit before turned in to race duty.

Where did you find fiberglass parts for our trucks, not that I looked for any but is nice to know?
Dave ----

 

Autofab and US body are the two I've looked at with US being the place I've been researching and as with almost all fiberglass places the reviews are as one way or the other as using dream beams or springs and shocks! But to lower with springs I've mainly read and seen guys use 91 explorer springs because they fit the pockets correctly and give a 2 in drop along with good shocks and a set of the bushings to correct camber if there is an issue and they say they still have good ride and not wearing tires out, have seen guys take the rubbers out to get lower but I'm only looking for the 2/3 in front drop and for rear will axel flip and use spring hangers and shackles with correct shocks for rear. I've got to quit trying to "reinvent the wheel" and stop trying to get old stuff to do what I'm wanting it to do and it's not meant to do it and put a drop on this 84 leave it be and enjoy it. I'm going to build a chassis meant to do what I want with parts meant to do it and save myself the hassle and money of swapping this from that car or truck type stuff and make what I want and I'll find a donor to pull the cab and whatever sheet metal to put on custom chassis and if I decide to go fiberglass then i can go that route. I'm still wanting to swap in a V8 as I have another 78 250 custom explorer and a 79 Econoline 100 shorty cargo van with 300s so if like to have a bit more power and a 5 speed in 84 for daily and enjoy what it is. If I get to jumpy I'll hunt down a first gen lightning which was my idea to make my 84 a lightning ish clone from the 80s . But there's a couple 1st Gen my favorite style up here in the PNW for sale and not crazy $$$ so maybe I should just scratch the itch. I've wanted one since they came out in my freshman or sophomore year if highschool and I had several chances to buy them over the years but never did and I'm thinking maybe that's the way to go also. Like I said and admitted I've got ADHD focus hop terrible when it comes to cars and trucks. I'll impulse buy something dump time and money get it almost how I Invision it then something else shiny catches my eye and I start all over again. Dozens of cars and trucks since 93 and I got my rambler american 2dr ht that we swapped a 5.0&5spd and since then it's a revolving door.