I replaced those squiggily brake lines behind the brake drum back plate with the nice new stainless steel kind.

One of them fit correctly; the other-see picture-appears to need an additional fitting.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Loyal Baker

72 240Z

 

There were two different slave cylinders for these. Perhaps you have one of each? (I think one is NLA?) or one of each different hard lines maybe? 

From my experience on my '72 there were some cheaper ones with the fitting angled in a different way. I ended up swapping the short brake lines from one side to the other and with some mild bending of those got them to finally line up. The ones that were like the OEs were like $200 each. The ones that I bent the lines to make them work were $40 maybe? Here's some threads on it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=rear+240z+brake+cylinders+classiczcars.com+&client=ms-android-americamovil-us-revc&source=android-home&source=hp&ei=sXBsY4mXMbCgqtsP3dalqAM&oq=rear+240z+brake+cylinders+classiczcars.com+&gs_lcp=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&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-hp

You have to watch out you don't cross thread it.. first take of the line and screw the line into the brakecylinder then carfully make the bend and install the line. With a bit care you manage to make that corner.. 🙂 

Always look for the R and L on the em.brake hook..  the bleed nipple should always be at the top.. otherwise you can't bleed them well. (i can't really tell from your pic that it's in the right way installed..)

The stainless lines sometimes don't seal well.  The steel is very hard.  Better make sure it fits well.  Check the sealing surface for cracks, sometimes the flaring process can overstress the metal. 

Good luck bending it.  I used wood screws on a piece of wood to create a forming curve so that I didn't crease the tube (typical tube metal though, not stainless).  Some people fill them with sand before bending.

Thanks everyone.  After taking in all suggestions,  I just followed Robert Pirsig's advice: "Assembly of Japanese bicycle require great peace of mind." I eyeballed the stainless line and figured there's enough spare line length in the big curve to "stretch" it an enable the tight 90 degree turn, and I just futzed with it until it worked. Putting it on, taking it off, over and over until I mentally pictured how it should go. I used a sharpie to mark which axis to bend and when my tube bender wouldn't work, used imagination and problem solving to jerry-rig a tube bending jig until I got all the bends right. Like, I used the end of a crescent wrench, which was held fast on a 2x4, as something to carefully bend the line around. Sure, it would have been a snap to pay the exorbitant price for the 1972 cylinder, but I made $200 an hour adapting the line to the cheaper brake cylinder. Success!