Solid rear brake line.

Rusgo

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It’s like one of those universal truths. Anyone who’s ever done an inverted flare has done it without the nut on there first. These are usually you best flares as well. You look at it admiring how perfect it came out, and one second later you realize there’s no nut there.

When I first started doing brake lines I left the nut off about 25% of the time

After 20 years I'm down to 10%
 

ISPKI

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I'm going to take that line off. Then a friend is taing me into town, where I will either get a line that fits identically, or I will get the stuff to make my own.

I've never done an inverted flare. And I'll have to buy the tools to do that with.

I hope that line comes off of there without trouble.


Next up... Replacing the brakes, possibly the rotors, and the bearings, up front.

Going to need a complete list of parts and tools for that job!

Ive redone all the lines on several OBS trucks and working on doing the lines on my "new" superduty. Do yourself a big favor and get yourself a spool of 3/16" NiCopp line. It is the easiest line to form, it doesnt rot out like steel, and it flares super easy without cracking. Someone else can confirm but the flares on these should be double flared. Manual flaring kit will easily handle the NiCopp material.
 

franklin2

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Double flare is required. And you are right, the nickel/copper line is wonderful. I just wish they would do something about the nuts, which are still just a thin coated steel and rust quickly.
 

ISPKI

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Double flare is required. And you are right, the nickel/copper line is wonderful. I just wish they would do something about the nuts, which are still just a thin coated steel and rust quickly.
Yes! Seems like they would be easy enough to make them out of something a little more resistant to corrosion like Brass. Stainless steel fittings would likely propagate corrosion on the mating component but if you use nickel anti-seize that should prevent that.

This might be worth looking at:

https://www.thestopshop.com/collections/brake-line-fittings-armor-unions-tees-etc
 

chillman88

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@ISPKI Thank you! Except for them being sold out of a lot that's what I'm going to need when I redo mine. I've got the NICOPP line already but I don't have the fasteners yet!
 

chillman88

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Stainless steel fittings would likely propagate corrosion on the mating component but if you use nickel anti-seize that should prevent that.

Might not be a big deal after all. I'd still want antiseize though.

If I'm reading this correctly it looks like they wouldn't be near as likely to interact as most other combinations.

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hacked89

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Stainless steel is tougher to work with. I used an F350 kit for my truck and rebent where needed. Didn't need much. All the rear was the same.
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46Gunz

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Ive redone all the lines on several OBS trucks and working on doing the lines on my "new" superduty. Do yourself a big favor and get yourself a spool of 3/16" NiCopp line. It is the easiest line to form, it doesnt rot out like steel, and it flares super easy without cracking. Someone else can confirm but the flares on these should be double flared. Manual flaring kit will easily handle the NiCopp material.

I did this a few months ago to the front of the truck. I used stainless steel fittings with the NiCopp lines and this flaring tool from Amazon. Yeah I thought about the dissimilar metal corrosion as well, so I guess we will see how long it lasts. I agree this line was very easy to form and use. The tool worked great and you can make a flare with line installed on the truck, if needed.

Flare Tool

Brake Line Fittings

Brake Line

Brake Line Protector
 

ISPKI

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Nice find on those SS fittings. Is the 3/8-24 fittings what our trucks use for most of them? I think I am going to order some direct from that manufacturer and test them to see what their material type is. There can be a major performance different between a 400series vs a 304 vs a 316 stainless steel.

That reactivity chart is $$$. My concern with the SS fittings are with threading them into the coated steel junction blocks on the soft lines. The copper/nickel tubing should be super low on the list of reactivity and I believe the SS will generally not trigger a galvanic reaction BUT, what I have studied is that having one member of a fastened junction being stainless steel tends to accelerate the corrosion on the non stainless member. Either way, anti-seize is a must I think.
 

Selahdoor

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Ok, I got the brake line on. No leaks. Working just fine.

Here is the tag for the brake line that I bought.
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Sorry that it's hard to read. I have a crappy camera. Had to shine a flashlight on it for the camera to even pick it up.

Now here's a question.
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What is that stub? (I have inset @hacked89 pic to make it clearer.)

The rubber hose that is hanging there obviously was attached to it at one time, and has ripped off of it. The other end goes up behind the fuel tank, I can't see where it goes to.
 

chillman88

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Ok, I got the brake line on. No leaks. Working just fine.

Here is the tag for the brake line that I bought.
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Sorry that it's hard to read. I have a crappy camera. Had to shine a flashlight on it for the camera to even pick it up.

Now here's a question.
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What is that stub? (I have inset @hacked89 pic to make it clearer.)

The rubber hose that is hanging there obviously was attached to it at one time, and has ripped off of it. The other end goes up behind the fuel tank, I can't see where it goes to.

That's your axle vent! I'd just grab a piece of hose that fits and put it on. I'd just cinch it down with a zip tie unless you want to use a hose clamp. It's not under pressure or anything. The other end of the hose should have a little plastic breather cap in it.

Unless your old hose is fine, then just reconnect it. They're usually pretty brittle though.

Might as well poke a CLEAN piece of metal through that fitting first to make sure it's not plugged.
 

Selahdoor

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Thank you. I'll do that. Was afraid to do anything like that without knowing what it was.

That hose will go back on, just fine. Think I'll get out the compressor and blow through the hose from this end, before I do that, to make sure it is clear.
 

chillman88

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Think I'll get out the compressor and blow through the hose from this end, before I do that, to make sure it is clear.

Be careful not to blow that cap off the other end! It's not really critical, but it's there to keep dirt/bugs out. It just slips out so you might be able to pop it off, blow through, then put it back.

That hose goes up and is clipped to the cross member in front of the rear fuel tank if I remember correctly.
 
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