Brake Line

[GKM007]

I am working on installing a new soft brake line on the passenger side and I cannot get the nut/bolt on the hard line to let loose. Someone He-manned it on and coupled with some rust it is froze.

I have access to only one place to turn it with a wrench, which should be towards the front of the rig, counter clock wise. Sadly it is pretty rounded now from an hour of trying.

Looking for suggestions. I have sprayed the hell out of it with PB Blaster and no luck. I was thinking about doing the hot cold method but my dilema is this... at this point the nut is pretty screwed. I might be better off replacing the hard line at this point and get a new nut, as since the line is flanged I cannot just replace that?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Can you get at the other end of the hard line?

 

[GKM007]

Not sure? I only traced it where it dipped under the motor, it was dark last night when I finally gave up. I assume there has to be a T-junction somewhere beneath the booster where the driver and passenger split off.

 

[cvar]

I would just snip off the old threaded nut, as close as possible to the nut, so that you'd only lose 1/2" or 1" of hard-line length. Then re-flare that end, and attach it to your new hose via new nut. You can "rent" a double-flare tool from an auto parts place, for free.

In mine, the other end of that hard-line attached directly to the splitter block of driver's side (LHS) brake hose. It ran along the cross-member below the engine. The LHS hose matched the RHS hose, except it takes 2 nuts: 1 input from MC, and 1 output to the RHS hose. Both hoses were attached to the coil bucket via spring, so it helps to remove the spring, to get some wiggle room to work. I presume yours is similar?

See http://imgur.com/a/sUnMy

I had to grip a stripped nut/bleeder in a bench-vice to remove it from a caliper. PITA. Someone must have used red loctite instead of blue?

 

[GKM007]

Mine T-block somewhere else, its just hard line behind the coil bucket. Problem is there is no room to get a wrench in behind there. I'll have to see what kinda of slack I have, I might have to go the cut route. Good to know you can get a flare tool at the auto store.

http://i.imgur.com/2toHHxp.jpg

Looks kind of like mine although my hose is higher on the bucket which causes my space problem.

 

[cvar]

Taking off the fender plastic inner liner might give more room to work?

 

[GKM007]

So ended up pulling a hard line at a junk yard. There is a different route on every one I looked at... Grabbed one from a two wheel drive I thought that I could make work. No dice! Ended up using a 6" chunk from the one I bought and used a coupler to my existing line. I got pretty good at the double flange tool. So far no leaks and the truck will stop on a dime so I will call this a win.

Oh and I do not know why but Ford had a great idea to use red lock tight on all those compression nuts! It was a pain to break them loose!!!