Problems with Classic Tube Brake Lines

[dkd021]

I apologize in advance for being long-winded.

It seems like I've had problems with almost every part I received from Classic Tube. First, both lines from the brake master were too long. The brake line running down the passenger side frame rail was awkwardly made. Those problems were fixable, but I've got one that I can't figure out.

Today, I'm tightening everything down getting ready to put my motor back in. Under the car, in the rear where the brake line connects to the brake line valve by the rear pass. wheel (don't know real name, sorry) I try to screw in the brake line. After several minutes I take it out & make sure the threads are good on both the valve & the line. The male side of the threaded nut on the brake line appears to be a size too large for the valve.

At this point, the only other option I know of is to flare the brake line to get it to work. Can anyone give me a reference point as to where to get a good kit to do so? Or any type of suggestions or questions about info I've omitted would be appreciated. Thanks.

[xray]

That's a mistake on their part. I bought the brake line, fuel and clutch lines and except for the nut being 11mm the thread pitch and size was correct and uniform. You need to RMA or ask them to send a replacement tube. Period. Unless---you bought it from the dude who resells on Ebay??

Those lines are too dang $$$$ to tolerate poor assembly. Be careful you're not crossthreading though..That block is brass and could mar easily. Did you put the flare nut against the others to confirm it's the wrong size?

My main issue with Classic Tube was the BMC to Prop Valve lines were for the OEM BMC, and mine is aftermarket. So I had to reuse the old ones until I get a new BMC that is OEM-correct (if that ever happens). The customer service is a bit gruff, but what do you expect for New York, right?

Steve

[dkd021]

I can't send them back for a couple of reasons. The first is that I bought them about 18 months ago. It's been too long. Second is that I had them cad plated. I wouldn't take it back if I were them. But yes, the thread is too large. I've worked with it for a while & it's pretty obvious it's the wrong size. I'm going to just re-hang them tonight & try to figure it out in a couple of weeks.

Would ou mind if I pm'd you some questions I have about this? I think you & I discussed these line issues in the past & apparently you're moving at a much better clip than I am.

[xray]

Doh! Those are two very good reasons....

It might be better for forum searching if you took some pics and we discussed it in the thread, but PM if you feel better about it. Someone may have a similar problem in the future and may benefit from our sage advice and counsel...(sarcasm smilie?)

Steve

[Walter Moore]

If you have an early 240 that brass block is the brake proportioning valve.

(See attached picture.)

Be very careful with that thing. They are NLA, hard to find, and I stripped out two of them trying to re-attach brake lines to them.

I don't recall them being a special thread. But then I also had trouble getting them to seal and hold pressure correctly. I had to use a lot of Teflon tape as I recall...

[geezer]

I've had similar problems with a fitting, having the wrong sized thread. I brought the line to a local shop here called Checker Industrial. They have every fitting known to man in stock or they can get it quick. They cut the flare off the line replaced with the proper fitting and reflaired the brakeline for $12.00 while I waited about 5 minutes. In my case it was still long enough to not cause a problem.You must have a business like this where you live?

Walter, I would redo yours also. I don't think using teflon tape is a good or very safe way to stop a leak in a brake system.

[dkd021]

That's it Walter. I have a spare, but you're right.

I just spent another three hours or so on it tonight. It's darn near impossible to do by myself. This one thing has delayed me for months. Partly because of laziness, partly by buying used OEM parts elsewhere, and by waiting on parts to arrive or for the plating to be completed. But in large part to trying to get them aligned just right. I've spent a lot of hours on this one part of my project trying to get it just right.

Having the wrong Classic Tube parts hasn't helped because the lines aren't as straight as I wish they were, so after I had it done except for re-routing one more line & they being a little off, I started all over. I didn't spend this much time/money/effort to go halfway on this part.

Maybe it's the 1AM thinking in me, but my dad's friend owns a small shop with a lift, so I'll probably just take it to them. They won't let me do it myself because of insurance reasons, but I can lay the fuel & brake tube routing out for them on a napkin. They can also just drop the rear end easily so it should be a cinch for them. I'm just not making progress & it's time to admit that I just don't have the facilities at home to get the job done right.

[280z1975]

You should try to contact the company and ask if they would be willing to sell you the part you need at cost (since you already cad-plated the wrong part). Any company that is worth their weight in customer service will give you this option. They aren't out money and you save on the cost of the part. Everyone is happy.

[xray]

I wouldn't worry about the length, since all that is removed is about 1/4 or 3/8" (the length of the flare). There's aenough slack in the tube to make up the difference. The key is to make sure roundness is retained when cutting and reflaring. I would think any machine shop should have the tools available for cutting and reflaring, and the nut can be bought at NAPA (It's standard metric thread pitch found on the "Import" brake lines they sell)

You could do it yourself with Harbor Freight's flaring tool...I did it when I was trying to DIY the brake tubes and felt pretty good about my flaring attempts...It was the bending that did me in. Be sure you keep the tube round and debur the edges prior to flaring.

Good luck,

Steve

[dkd021]

Well Steve, I'm still working on the fuel & brake lines. My father actually came over today & helped. It's much easier with two people than one.

Now, I've still not found the right size inverted flare that I need for the top brake line. I'd prefer finding a fitting rather than reflaring it myself. I'm confident I'll find something. I'm determined to get this right myself.

I took all of the lines back out of the car last month. We started at the front today, working our way back. We've got everything in the engine compartment to the slot behind the parking brake in place. Also I've got to find two more of the four-hole, angled insulators.

I'd like your opinion if possible.

Are the last two brackets in the rear of the car the most difficult? The one that curves from the middle of the car to the passenger side above the rear end, & the one with the fat three-hole rubber insulator that go to the fuel tank area.

I need to get the brake tube problem fixed first, & if I do then the top brake line will be out of the way as it's attached up high. How much line twisting did you have to fight in getting this done? I'm just trying not to bend them if possible.

[xray]

I had trouble with those last two brackets also. My main issue to overcome was the "shipping bends" put on the tubes so they can be put in the boxes...If I had to do it again, I would loosely attach the bracket which is just before the diff cross member (for lack of better term) before installing the tubing along the trans tunnel; it may help keep everything together better. That last one which has only the fuel lines was a real bear and required some "persuasion" to fit well. I think the length measurement on those is just barely off, but can be made to fit with some maneuvering.

Good luck,

Steve

[ezzzzzzz]

As a side note, the brass block is a check valve to hold about 10 lbs of line pressure on the rear brake cylinders. This keeps the shoes from backing off the drum too far which would require pumping the brakes to get proper contact again. This valve is gutted in rear disc brake conversions. If it gets damaged you can buy these inline check valves from one of the brake kits marketers on the web to make the repair.