<VV> Brake Line Update

Matthew Klopfer corvairdroptop at yahoo.com
Wed Jan 10 12:56:24 EST 2007


Brake Line update:

Ok, 

So I went at it today. The front left brake line was
the first recipient of my punishment. After a few futile (could have
guessed) attempts with flare wrenches, it was clear that the line
wasn't coming off the brake hose. I took a hand saw, removed the blade,
put on some heavy gloves, and began filing away. TEDIOUS. I filed away
where the line leaves the inner wheel well. 

This worked well,
as the hose came out of the slave cylinder with one good strong shove
from a flare wrench. At that point I was able to unscrew the entire
hose and about 7 inches of brake line. 

As an academic
exercise, I attempted to undo the connection between hose and steel
line on the floor of the garage (more favorable setting than in the
wheel well). Didn't work. So I hacked the line down at the fitting and
successfully broke the two apart using a socket. Lesson learned. 

I
went inside the car and (carefully) began filing the front left line
under the dash. This thing was right near the e-brake so I had to be
careful. That came off after some more tedium and I set about using my
socket to take the pathetic fitting out of the block. 

But this one was too rounded off for a good fit. The socket wouldn't work. Came time for the bolt-out. 

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Hand+Tools%2C+General+Purpose&pid=00952166000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Bolt-Out%2C+Taps+%26+Dies&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

Using
this frightens me because if this doesn't work...then what?! There will
be a gnarled piece of metal left over with no hope of anything
hexagonal fitting over it. At that point I would probably use my
replacement lines to build an entirely new Corvair around them. 

There
were a few scares because the bolt-out sockets wanted to jump out as
they were torqued at an angle. (Why does the space have to be so tight?
Who came up with this?) Eventually the thing bit down and punished that
nut for ever looking at me funny. It came undone with a terrible crack.


I yanked the old line out and threw it against the garage door
to make sure it was dead. Steve Irwin should have been there to jump on
top of it. 

I put tape on both ends of the new line to keep it
clean. I then guided it through the passages and gingerly got it into
position without having to drop the gas tank. (I hate the thought of
that.)

Now there's a line in place (tape still on the ends), a
new hose ready to go, and a wheel cylinder in the mail, which is what's
holding the rest of this up. Once it gets here the front left wheel
should be set. 


Incidentally,
that nut under the dash is lodged in the bolt-out socket with a
death-grip, which I find mildly amusing. It refuses to leave, but I'd
rather have it stuck there than in the car!


Thanks to everyone who has thrown in their two cents. I really appreciate it. 

I have some pictures. Can this list handle them or will they bounce back?

Matt
1968 Monza 110 Convertible (PG)




 
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