DIY Brake lines for 57 suburban

[FAKKY]

Hi guys

Any good right ups on routing your brake lines and what goes where generally.
Bought a good flaring tool.

Couple good docs on flaring generally ....eg

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/prope...g-brake-lines/


But need to understand where to route and why

-------+

57 suburban
Dakota IFS up front disc
Ford explorer 8.8 rear disc
Firewall mounted MC and hydroboost


Real basic Questions like

# where do I see in lines to crossover front
#same for rear
#which ports belong to front and which to back for hydroboost
#where to secure on frame
#proportioning valve
#how to pressure test without engine ? Possible ?
#other ?

Obviously never done before.

Thx

[mr48chev]

I think most everyone will tell you to duplicate the original brake line routes pretty closely. There is no need to reinvent the wheel on this.

I've got the good (and somewhat spendy) Eastwood flare tool that I bought a year ago that works great, I also have my old Snap On and a couple more in the box. I still have not found the perfect works right every time tube bender. There are probably ten tube benders in the drawer and some work reasonably well but none do it anywhere close to perfect every time.

I bought a 25 ft roll of brake line off Amazon a while back that ended up coming from a vendor that was suggested in a brake line thread either here or on the HAMB. I am not a big fan of the green coated ( kind of green) that comes from O'Reilly's or other parts houses. I've had more problems with it than any other line I have had as far as flares and bending go.

I should add use a good and sharp tube cutter so you don't squeeze down on the tube too tight. Also Eastwood and some others sell a deburring tool to use on brake or fuel lines that is real nice to have. https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-tu...ring-tool.html

Main thing is plan it out, figure out your bends and where you are going to make your connections ahead of time. some serious planning saves on wasted tubing and mistakes.

Always make sure that you have the correct fitting on the tube for doing the flare. The club for those who didn't is real large.

[FAKKY]

Thanks.
I'm pretty sure I'll end up joining that club ..... Bending measuring and flaring without the correct fitting in place just sounds like something I'd be "good at".


I don't have the original brake lines on truck anymore. Where should they route to stay away from pinch points and mouting points

No engine in yet either...... So avoiding engine mounts etc.

Where are they typically teed off....so on.

Thx guys

[MiraclePieCo]

I particularly enjoy bending brake lines; it's an artistic endeavor. My first bending job resulted in about a wheelbarrow load of scrap mis-bent tubes however!

Can't specifically advise you how to route because I don't know how your rig is set up or what obstacles there are. Generally I try to keep brake lines on the drivers side frame rail, leaving passenger side for fuel lines. Route from master cylinder to LF, with a tee to RF. Each will then have a flexible hose to brake. Next from MC along frame to rear center, a flexible hose from frame to a tee on the differential, then hard lines along the axles right and left. I weld tabs on the axles and fold them over the lines. On the frame rails I secure lines with Adel clamps about every 16 inches. Minimize the number of junctions to reduce potential leaks. The secret to a good flare is to debur the tube inside and out, and keep the tube and tool liberally oiled.

Here's a diagram. If you have a combination valve it will replace the RPV and APVs.

[Dave0]

I broke down and bought a hydraulic flaring tool. I will never do another brake lin e without it!

I bent all my lines by hand or over a socket.

https://www.amazon.com/Mastercool-71.../dp/B007TN15EG

[_Ogre]

if you are doing steel lines just buy an assortment of straight lines from the parts store
you can minimize the amount of cutting and flares you need to make
6'' and 12'' lines are handy for coming off the mc to residual pressure valves and proportional valves
you can pretty much buy any length line you want from 6'' to 60'' in stock

universal benders suck, i like line specific benders, if your using a hydroboost you only need 3/16'' bender
a 3/16'' bender will bend tight 7/16'' radius bends and get close to flare nuts
this bender is $60 new at amazon but ebay is flush with use ones for half that



imo avoid this type universal bender, bend radius is 'uge and you can't get close to fittings
i have one of these for bending under sink plumbing or the occasional fuel line

[FAKKY]

Thanks guys.
Ill probabably go ahead and buy a bender just so its cleaner rather than using differnt objects to bend around.

Got 25 ft of 3/16" Copper Nickel Brake Line
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Bought some adapters and will have to get some more. Will make my own brake line mounts out of some appropriate thickness angle iron to look like this

https://www.aeroflowperformance.com/...ng_Bracket.jpg


Does anyone have a good build thread reference where someone ran lines and shows what they did ?
Still not sure on

1) The hydroboost I have has a proportioning valve with it ...... Im running disc/disc front and rear ..... how do I know if it will work fine or doenst matter as disc/disc and I think it came off a disc/disc applicaiton.

2) When you exit the rear frame to get to the rear axle ... obviously its going to cycle .... what point do you move from hardline to softline.

Basically as sinple as this -

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...=1517442073429


Drop it from the frame to the tee junction by a soft line.


Once its all hooked up and in - anyway to test it (pressure) before engine goes in. Or just assume there are going to be small leaks at fittings and deal with at time.



**newbies**

[Black_Sheep]

Here's some photos of how I routed mine. I kept the residual pressure valves close to the MC to maintain pressure in as much of the line as possible. I used a Wilwood adjustable proportioning valve in the rear brake circuit, mounted on the driver's side frame rail. Stainless steel clamps from Ebay were used to secure the line in place.

[FAKKY]

Thanks.

Most domestic cars/trucks are metric brake fitting correct.
Metric nut/fittings, 3/16 and double/45 flare.


Lastly.
Hydroboost is from a astro van. looks like this.

http://classicbroncos.com/photos/dat...hydroboost.jpg

I *think* the front port off the PV goes to front and rear to rear ....... but ?? *shrug* it might not matter.... one being for front reservoir ... other being for rear reservoir.

[Black_Sheep]

Originally Posted by FAKKY

Thanks.

Most domestic cars/trucks are metric brake fitting correct.
Metric nut/fittings, 3/16 and double/45 flare.


Lastly.
Hydroboost is from a astro van. looks like this.

http://classicbroncos.com/photos/dat...hydroboost.jpg

I *think* the front port off the PV goes to front and rear to rear ....... but ?? *shrug* it might not matter.... one being for front reservoir ... other being for rear reservoir.

NAPA has a good selection of flare nuts if the hydroboost or MC uses a different size, then you can avoid using adapter fittings. Just don't forget to put the flare nut on the line BEFORE you flare it, like I did...

[Erics51chevy]

Dont want to hyjack your thread. No point in making another one. Anybody know if a 01 silverado hydroboost has a built in 2lb valve? How can i find out? I cant find a clear answer.