i had a brake line rupture today, i think it is due too road salt corrosion, leak is at the rear of the vehicle, right at the steel lines last bend, before it connects to the rubber hose. Any advice on where to get a pre-bent line? or will a steel braided flexable line work?, and where to get one? and any info on install procedure would be a help! The suspension on the truck is stock, with standard size tire's, no lift, or lowering, everything stock. 1999 LS 4x4, 4-door, 4-wheel disc brakes, w/anti-lock.....any special tool's? how do i get that clip where the steel line couples to the rubber line un-done? Any help at all would be appreciated. thank's

 

A dealer's parts department (and maybe some aftermarket auto supply stores) will have pre-bent steel brake lines. If you are talking about the clip where the rubber line and steel line connect, remove the nut (with a flare wrench, if available) and then use a pair of pliers to remove the little u-clip.

 

Thanks...I just got back from the parts store, got me a set of Flare Wrenches... but i have searched the internet and can not find pre-bent...guy at the parts store say's he has 5-foot sections that i can connect together, and a bender or two...routing it will be up to me though, as i dont think i can bend one to fit the one being replaced

 

Where did you go? I have learned at least around my neck of the woods that O'Reilly's, Auto Zone, Advanced Auto, etc. are great place for oil, filters, lights, hoses and other small items and when they have them instock alternators, batteries, etc. Just my opinion do you have an older autoparts store where you are at. Look either in the phone book or ask. What I am talking about is kind of like a non-name brand store. We have one where I am at that they bend whole sections of hardbrake line, as much as you need for like 50 cents per foot needed. I would first and foremost recommend the correct replacement as sometimes the easy way is not always the best way.
You could even maybe try like asmallgarage that deals with brakesand see ifone of the guys could bendup the section you need tofit. Keep in mind that you will have to take the old section as reference.Hope this helps!

 

Just replaced mine two rear steel lines (I have a 96 with drum rears). Minewere rusted and broke when removing my diff cover.My lines go from the wheel cylinders to the brass "tee" mounted to the diff cover on a bracket. The rear brake hose also connects to this tee via a banjo bolt like on your calipers.

My chevy dealer parts man said that they get pre made lines(with fittings, but not bent) from NAPA. He said the only brake lines they can get from GM are spools of bulk line without fittings that must be flared etc.

I bought 2 30" steel lines from NAPA and bend them myself with a combo of my hands and a tubing bender tool (also NAPA). I was very leary of this job, but it was alot easier than I thought. Dont bother trying to mimic the factory lines, I started by installing one end of the line intothe pass sidewheel cylinder and and then bending as needed with hands/bender to get to the tee. I bent mine to run near the e-brake cable at some points on eachside (pass and driver)to zip tie to for support. The pass side was pretty close to 30", but drivers side was much shorter, so I did a tight "S" turn in the line with the bender tool right next to the tee and then thelength was pretty easy to tune with smaller bends from there to get to the drivers wheel cyl. Another tip, when trying to start the line fittings into your brakes, wiggle the line as you screw it in and you will find the "centered" spot of the line and the fitting will screw right in. If you use a vac pump to bleed afterwards, take bleeder screw out and coat its threads with disc brake caliper grease to seal it (per Kyle), reinstall it, then you wont pull tons of air around the bleeder (through its threads) like I did when pulling a vacuum on it. - scary and took 1.5hr to figure out what was going on.

Good Luck - Mike

 

Thank's for that bit-o-info. Thats kind'a what i was wanting to find out. i spent 5-6 hours surfing the web trying to find pre-bent in sections. Lots of places said they had 'em, until i went to look it up, seem's availbility stop's @ '98 models. I wound up at the local auto-parts store, and got 3-5 foot sections, and one 18 inch, all with fittings and flares, and coupling's. The 18" i will run off he anti-lock unit, too the 5 footers going to the rear. At the rear, there is about an 18" rubber line going from the brake line too the splitter, so it's plenty flexable back there, and plenty of room too work so position wont be critical. I think i can bend good enough to follow the frame to some extent so that should not be a prob. But...at the front there is limited space between the Brake Master cylinder, and the Anti-Lock unit. When the part's store (we will just call them A.A.) matched up thier new fittings too my old, they didnt have one fitting to do it, but two!?!? [:'(] that assembly of fitting's was too long to fit the space where it goes...so i took my old fitting, cut the new 18" pipe, put my fitting on, flared the end, and bent that pipe as needed to fit and look kind'a neat. Thing is...i dont have a Double Reverse flare kit, just standard, so i just made as nice even and fat a flare as i could, checked the fit, it felt good, so i hope that werx! Havent put it together complete yet, raining today, but i hope to get on it a bit after werk tomorrow Thank's,
mindless

 

cool, good job! Just check for leaks after you pump the system up with the pedal (after you bleed it).

 

Hi All
Thanks for the above advice.
No rain today, so i got out and did the job. I think it went well. look's good, bled the system, no leaks. Took it and test drove. Everything work's well, truck Brakes well and straight, no leak's. And a higher, firmer pedal then it had when i got it!
Thanx
mike

 

Sounds great! Glad you got it all fixed back up and working again!! Congrats!