Brake lines -

WELL! Fix one problem and four others show up! The story of my life at the moment ha! I replaced the two midlines on my 2003 4x4 only to find the one which looks like it goes on the front of the frame in front of the axle is toast.

Does anyone on here happen to have a diagram of how the brake lines are routed on these cars? Gotta pull another one off just to have it custom made again [emoji849]

PFA - Rear midlines that were shot



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I do a lot of brake lines and there are lots of ways to do them.
I have never had any made. I have bought 25ft rolls and done all the flares but this is my LEAST desired way.
I just get the 72 inch pieces to start with and whatever lengths that gets me just a little longer than I need and route them near factory way or sometimes a better way, sometimes an easier way...and zig zag or loop the end to take up slack and connect (after finger bleeding air out).
The biggest hassle with brake lines it the factories INSISTANCE (stupidity) on using different size fitting and thread nuts on the same size line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can't stress this enough.
Bad enough you can standard and metric and inverted and bubble flare....BUT then they have to use 3/8-24 or metric 10 on one end and metric 12 x 1.0 on the other.

The short adapter lines at store are annoying and all the parts stores selection of adapter fittings is poor at best.
I have several times had to take the old metric fitting off the old and flare in onto new line. I hate flaring though. Probably mainly because I don't have a $150+ hydraulic close quarters flare tool. The loaner ones and all I have used slip easily and the center tips on the double ans bubble inserts break off before you can finish a car.

Ford is famous for using different sized fittings. When I replaced the brake lines on my 1990 F150 I looked around at several auto parts places for the fitting on the left rear brake cylinder and was told that was a "factory part" and I'd have to go to Ford for that one. What a croc of you know what.

I, for some reason, like doing the brake lines on older cars. Seems the new vehicles are "designed" to cause pain any time you have to work on something. The brake lines are installed before the body is put on the frame and there's places you just can't get to if you want to route the lines as they were from the factory.

You can be creative in routing.

And, you should buy the coated brake lines. The anti rust coating makes them last longer if you live in an area where the roads get salted in the winter. My 05 Silverado rusted the brake lines out in just 6 years. It only goes home to WV a weekend a month in the winter time. With the coated replacement lines it's gone 8 years now and they still look pretty and green.

coupe11 said:

Ford is famous for using different sized fittings. When I replaced the brake lines on my 1990 F150 I looked around at several auto parts places for the fitting on the left rear brake cylinder and was told that was a "factory part" and I'd have to go to Ford for that one. What a croc of you know what.

I, for some reason, like doing the brake lines on older cars. Seems the new vehicles are "designed" to cause pain any time you have to work on something. The brake lines are installed before the body is put on the frame and there's places you just can't get to if you want to route the lines as they were from the factory.

You can be creative in routing.

And, you should buy the coated brake lines. The anti rust coating makes them last longer if you live in an area where the roads get salted in the winter. My 05 Silverado rusted the brake lines out in just 6 years. It only goes home to WV a weekend a month in the winter time. With the coated replacement lines it's gone 8 years now and they still look pretty and green.

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They were misinformed about that fitting being a dealer only part. Finding that fitting on a piece of brake line is dealer only but the fitting itself is available. You can buy packages of them metric tons metric twelves whatever you need. It's not just for two either GM actually started doing it before Ford did. It's still ridiculous though that they do this game was changing the fitting sizes when it's unnecessary. I'm convinced the reason I do it is to make it idiot-proof up on assembly of the vehicles. If you had a piece of line going from let's say the master cylinder to the ABS unit like one that I replaced two days ago, and both fittings are the same size you could try to put the line in the wrong way because it kind of looks like it would fit either direction as far as the way it is bent. Someone might try to screw the fitting in and it wouldn't go and they just leave it hanging along the assembly line. When you make it so both fittings are different and even often color coded it makes it easier to manufacture them originally. There is no engineering or design reason for one end to have a bigger fitting on the same line.
Rhinohyde is about the only brand that's available at most local parts stores. You can sometimes see the uncoated stuff in rolls but I wouldn't even bother to install that on a car. Then you have the copper alloy which is sometimes called cunifer. A couple of my local stores are starting to carry Straight pieces of the copper alloy or as a couple of years ago you had to buy in the rolls. This is the best because it will probably Outlast the car. The rhinohide is much better than the old steel line that was uncoated or simply painted. They claim it has a p v c coating but it's not really coated like Factory GM brake lines and others with the plastic sheath on it. It is just more like a thick paint that scratches or nicks off pretty easily.
The biggest advantage of this is is very easy to bend and almost impossible to Kink. The old non-coated stuff would think very easily even just trying to make a 90-degree turn. You had to use tubing benders whereas with the Rhino hide you can just spend it however you want with your hands.
The Rhino hide is decent but not nearly as good as Factory. In the nasty salty winter conditions it's good for at least six to eight years usually pushing 10.
I just did some rear brake lines on a 93 Chevy Z71 truck a week or two ago oh, been doing them on a 99 Buick LeSabre for the past two and a half days, still have a 2000 Expedition to fix a rear leaky one and then I have a 98 Durango that has one blown out also. I really don't like brake lines but I'm getting pretty good at doing them.

The line that took a shit now is the right rear brake. Looks like it goes up and over the gas tank which should prove to be amusing to replace though I don’t think I’ll route it the same way but it’s a long one! Junk yard first to see if I can find the part but not putting much faith in that idea


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Repo5280 said:

The line that took a shit now is the right rear brake. Looks like it goes up and over the gas tank which should prove to be amusing to replace though I don’t think I’ll route it the same way but it’s a long one! Junk yard first to see if I can find the part but not putting much faith in that idea


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It's really not worth the time to try to find a clean junkyard one. You can get a 72 inch for about $8.
Just unscrew the end at the rear hose or wheel cyl to see what type and size it is. It should be a 3/16 line with a metric 10 thread and bubble flare.
The part number for the 72 inch is PAE-372.
I've bought 4 of them this week. 7.59 each set my local store. You just have to measure how long you need. They have 30, 40, 51, 60, and the 72 inch lengths.
If you need more than 72 to get from a front fitting to rear then you will need a union which they often call a coupler for metric. It is usually a longer white steel one and not brass like for sae thread and inverted flare.
Always test fit your unions and line at store.
If you agree going from abs or proportioning valve you will probably find the front fitting has a larger thread size nut on it. To do it without flaring you get adaptor.
A Edelmann 267000 is common for this. It is a 3/16 bubble metric 10mm to 12mm x 1.0 thread pitch to screw into the abs or master cyl where a bubble line went.
Mostly you need these for master cyl and abs input lines. Most output abs and lines into brake hoses are what is already on the new line.
You can also use the short adapter lines with different sizes on each end but then you use another union connector on the longer line. I find it much easier to use adaptor at abs but I can also see pluses of using line so you get actual bubble line sealing and forming between metal and not just a harder adaptor pressing against it cone to convex but I haven't had any leak on me.