Does anyone make the short brake lines that run from the Master cylinder to the ABS control thing? they are the short ones with the briaded steel in the middle of them. it is for a 97 f150 4x4. discs up front drums in back.
JP

 

Might be a dealer part. I'm not shy about going to the dealership parts counter to get part numbers from them, then go to directfordparts.com and search for the part number. If the dealership price is cheap ($40 or less) I usually just buy from them. The downside to saving money by buying online is that it sometimes takes a week or two to get the part....not good if you're broke down.

 

Now that's a revelation, "a dealer" ya think?

When this came up previously, there were the expected differences in opinion & bashing. The upshot was that individual, custom formed, brake lines are hard to come by & a healthy majority suggested that you make your own up from common straight/standard lengths. I found my FORD dealer did not stock lines & recommended the same. To order was ridiculously expensive. One 'make your own' fan claimed he could make up a brake line in less than 5 minutes. IMO it takes a bit longer, but is still a pretty easy job, although you will need to reuse the big fittings on MC.

Making up lines is quicker than ordering & aftermarket lines are not always perfect fits, probably won't have the "briaded steel" & may require you to bend anyway. The common standard length lines won't have the "briaded steel" & you need a flaring tool, but it is fairly easy to make custom copies.

I wanted to keep OEM appearance, found a perfectly rust free donor at You-Pull & installed recycled brake lines for next to nothing, but still had to make 1 line. I've made many over the years, but if a donor is available its my 1st choice.

 

i tried the dealer first. both parts are no longer made and only one seems to be stocked by dealers is a few places that are NOS. i think i might just bend and flare. i started but then had my line fold over so i stoped and then practiced my flaring with the pieces. how perfect do the flares need to be? does it matter is they are offset by a little?

 

You got the right idea. Preparing the end of the tubing is critical, make it smooth, square & deburred in/out, then practice a few times on scrap tubing. You don't want cracking/splitting & the inner cone needs to be at least very nearly perfect to seal. If you were trying to form the coil, suggest you try a mandrel to bend around to avoid folding. Go slowly/gradually for tight bends. Note there are also simple tubing benders.

Don't discount the junkyard, there's a lot of F150s being dismantled. May take a You-Pull type, since big guys won't want to mess w/so small.

 

Sorry to set you off, CW, poor guy wanted to know where to buy the lines already made. If he woulda asked how to make them, I'd have suggested that he have an experienced friend help him out. I feel that it would be irresponsible to suggest to an inexperienced stranger that they fab up their own brake components. He's gonna be out on the road with somebody's wife and kids someday. I hope he does it right.

That being said, JP, take CWs advice and if you can't get them pre-fabbed try the boneyard. If you insisist on bending your own, remember that the braided portion is in there for a reason.

 

"Sorry to set you off, (sheets), poor guy wanted to know where to buy the lines already made." I told McCann the pitfalls of trying dealerships (which he confirmed) suggested my "1st choice" was recycled lines & that making up lines "from common straight/standard lengths" has been Enthusiastically recommended here.

I have higher expectations of FTE members (until they prove otherwise) & do not automatically assume incompetence. I responsibly included "you need a flaring tool". My presumption was that if McCann thought this was beyond what he's "comfortable" with, he'd easily realize any local mechanic can make up lines quickly/cheaply & on the spot. Since he wants OEM lines, not extra length, I'd guessed his issue might already be dangerous rusty lines. In any event, the safety issue you chastize me for is virtually the same as comes w/just changing the lines. Your opinion seems to be that any "experienced friend" is OK & McCann is "an (irresponsible) inexperienced stranger". I made my 1st flared lines as a teen & IMO this is a useful skill set almost anyone can learn.

I'm curious, what you think the "reason" for the "braided portion is"? Note that I quoted McCann's "briaded steel" presuming he was talking about the spiral wire wrapped solid steel brake lines I'd expect to be on his '97. I've never seen what I consider "braided" brake lines connected to a MC. In my experience "braided" refers to high performance SS "braided" cover flexible brake hoses used to go from frame to wheel. Hint, if you think it helps those who "insisist on bending" you'd be wrong.

 

Whatever....the braided steel portion is placed in the lines that run from the master cylinder to the ABS to allow it to flex so that parts are not cracked or broken by vibrations. Yes, there is a braided portion on each of the two lines. I don't know why they put it in there instead of coiling the lines like they used to, but they did.
And I never assumed that JP is incompetent or irresponsible, only inexperienced. Who presumed he couldn't tell the difference between braided steel and coiled steel?
Can we get back to the issue of JPs brake lines now or are you gonna ruin another thread?

 

My '98 only has the spiral wire wrapped solid steel lines connected to the MC. There are NONE of what I referred to as "braided" lines under the hood. The "flex" of these solid steel lines is neither enhanced or reduced by the spiral wire wrapped loosely on them. FORD has used these spiral wire wrapped steel lines for a long time. The flexible hoses that extend frame to axle are braided under the rubber covers.

On the aftermarket SS braided flexible lines/hoses I'm familiar with, the braid serves to, reduce expansion under pressure, add strength, dramatically improve resistance to abrasion & look kewl. They're generally stiffer than stock rubber hose b/c the SS braid reduces the flexibility of the synthetic rubber hose within.

I've never seen or heard of solid steel brake tubing being covered by braid. Braid is a unique overlapping/weave pattern quite different than spiral wrap. Try to make the distinction between braided & spiral wire wrapped. Or are you repeating a "self-adjusting" V "automatic adjusters" strategy to ruin this thread?

 

Its not worth debating over.....this is my last reply to you on any thread.
JP knows what he has on his truck, I know what I have on my truck, and its a braided steel flex section that runs between the master cylinder which is mounted on the firewall and the ABS which is mounted on the frame. I don't give a flyin', flippin' rat's a$$ what you have on your '98, and I doubt JP does either.

 

The 97 have the braided steel lines. What is the advantage of coiling the hard line? is is needed? or if there is a little bit extra will that work also? I bent them and flaired them up last night and installed them this morning. they seem to hold fluid in the (with car off pumped the brakes and then also with the car running). my dad took it for a test ride and it seemed fine he said.
JP

 

Coiling the hard line allows it to flex, kinda like a spring. Since the master cylinder is mounted to the firewall and the ABS is mounted to the frame, and the cab sits on flexible mounts, the line that runs between the two needs to be able to flex so it won't crack. If you ran the line straight from the master cylinder to the ABS there's no room for flexibility and you may end up with cracked brake lines over time.

 

there are some bends in the bottem part where the line and the ABS connect. Would this give enoug flex. If you would like i could try to talk a picture of it so you could see the slack that is there.
JP

 

A better idea would be to peek under the hood of a few trucks until you find one without the braided section that you just replaced, then compare your design to that. I'm not a leading authority on brake line design, and I'm not going to be able to tell you much by looking at a picture. It ain't like your replacement is gonna break overnight if it isn't just right, its repeated twisting and flexing that gets them. If you wanna post a pic of your handiwork, that'd be cool.

 

Thank your favorite deity "this is (your) last reply to (me) on any thread".
I'll expect you to keep your word & not cop out, filling replies to others with more comments aimed at me. Note that McCann has a '97 & nobody specified the optional 4-wheel ABS.

I suspect there are a vast number of things you "don't give a flyin', flippin' rat's a$$" about, yet are obsessed to rant about.

For more open minded readers, my '98 has standard rear ABS (as on the vast majority) & a very typical FORD MC that is NOT "mounted to the "firewall". Its "mounted to the" vacuum booster. To take the MC off, requires removing NO fastener "to the firewall". The ABS valve body is NOT "mounted to the frame" either. Its mounted on a bracket held in place by the very same bolts that hold the MC. 4WABS didn't become standard until halfway thru '99.

Readers will also note that the flexible braided hoses I referred to are NOT easily 'made up' at home using just a flaring tool, would NOT use the common straight solid steel lines & since they're flexible, DO NOT need much in the way of bending. If McCann is "bending" & "coiling the hard line" so it will "flex like a spring" I doubt he's using anything braided. Still sure sounds like FORD's spiral wire wrapped "hard line" to me.