Broken brake line fitting options.

Hello gentlemen,

I fear you're going to get tired of me. I think that I bought a project vehicle instead of a daily driver, sigh.

So today I'm replacing the rear wheel cylinders on the drum brakes, and of course one of the brake line fitting is corroded and rounded off a little bit. So I read that you can take vice grips and carefully work it back and forth to get it to unscrew, well it broke off.

What are my options now is there a repair that can be made, or are new brake lines called for?

 

Buy a flare kit, a new fiting and you'll be in business

 

Do you think it would reach?
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc117/jeepmarine71_2007/0229161001_zpsrb1wbo47.jpg
Thanks for the help.

 

You would have to manipulate the brake line a bit to get some length. JMO, I would replace the line.

 

Yes there are T junctions on the axle.
Great idea! You guys are awesome, I love this group.

 

Just elaborating a bit ...

Your parts store has a rack full of replacement brake lines with the flares and fittings ready to go. They will also have unions to join shorter lengths of line. Put together one or more replacement lines so that it's close to the right length. You can add an extra bend or two if it's a little too long. Note the cupro-nickel line (Nicopp, Cunifer) is way easier to bend than steel, but more expensive. Be sure to get line with SAE fittings, not metric.

JMO - I would not unbend the pre-made line, since it's a pattern for the shape you need. Instead I would use wire or string and run it along the bent pipe, then measure the string.

This is not the most elegant/attractive solution, but it will get you on the road. The best thing to do is buy bulk line and fittings and make an exact replacement for the brake line. You can buy the spiral wire guard from Summit and other places.

 

A good double flaring tool will help a ton, nicopp lines bend and flare nice and as a bonus they don't rust.

 

yes. Flaring is something that has been difficult to get right for me. Buy extra nicopp and fittings. 3/16 COPPER NICKLE BRAKE LINE 25FT

 

As with anything the prep is key.

 

I did just that, I watch a video on YouTube on how to bend the tubing by hand around a half inch socket. It worked but it's not very pretty.

 

Excellent post, I wish I had read it before I had straighted my line out and measured it. the string is a good idea.

Mine is not pretty, but I think it'll work.

 

Lol, true.

 

I hope you are using a flare nut wrench, if not you will just round off any other ones you are working on.

Rick

 

I am using flare but wrenches but this jeep used to live in W.V., I think they salt their roads like in Ohio. Flare nut wrenches are useless on heavily corroded nuts, sometimes ya gotta go to the vise grips.

 

More likely the previous mechanic used an open end wrench on the nut and the corners are rounded and smashed over. Try the flare nut wrench anyway. If it won't go on the nut, hammer it on.

BTW the open-end wrench will distort the nut as well as round the corners, and the nut will leak. Always use a flare nut wrench on brake tubing nuts.

If the tubing breaks off, it was likely so corroded you would not want to reuse it.Once the tubing breaks, you can use a six-point socket.

These are cool, but for that much you can make a dozen new brake lines -http://www.amazon.com/OTC-6720-Flare-Locking-Pliers/dp/B00IJDK8LQ

This style of vise grips is said to work well for flare nuts, though I have not tried it http://www.amazon.com/Tools-VISE-GRIP-Original-Locking-Wrench/dp/B00004SBBE

Really, I have always been successful with hammering the wrench onto the nut, and then using a piece of pipe (actually EMT) as a cheater bar.