Ok, I'm officially an idiotou: ou: ou: ou: I was cutting away at the rusty floorboards in my daily driver '88 colt vista with my cutoff wheel. I was cutting from the inside of the car, and all of a sudden I get a plume of white smoke and I can see fluid dripping onto the floor!!! ou: ou: I managed to swipe right through the brake line! Is there any way to fix a brake line by flaring it and adding a fitting, or do I need to run a whole new section of line (it's a LONG intricately pre-bent line, I am sure it's mega-$$$$ to get from mitsubishi), The section where I cut it is about a 12" straight portion of the line. The line itself was in fine shape before my ham-fisted mishap....... Well, I've had enough for tonite, if anyone has any words of wisdom, please let me know! Thanks
Scott, I had a '68 Dodge Polara with a compression fitting in the brake line. Never did I have a problem with the fitting leaking. On the same car, I also had 3 or 4 compression fittings in the tranny lines to repair leaks. Also, no problems with the fittings. I finally found a set of "new" tranny lines at Mopar Nats in '90 and took out the old lines. Talk about an easy removal! Just took the fittings apart and the pieces kinda just fell out of the thing. Just thought I might throw the tranny line info in just in case you keep going with the cutoff wheel! :laugh:
Thanks! I didn't even think of using a compression fitting.. I _thought_ I had located all of the lines prior to cutting, most of them run inboard of the rocker panel, dunno why this one was different At this point tho, I think I may just cover the rust with POR-15, fill the holes with fiberglass and call it a day!
PLEASE, for everones sake, do it right and replace the complete brake line. It may seem expensive now but in the long run it may be cheap. Don't fool around with other peoples lives. Splice the tranny lines. Then, you only have yourself to be concerned with. Thanks in advance. Jan Garwig
Actually, the use of FLARED UNIONS on a brake line is just fine... DO NOT use compression fittings. Make sure you get a good quality double flare tool, available from a variety of sources, put a good double flare on the line, (don't forget to put the nut on first) and then make sure you double check the connection after your repair is complete. But as Jan said, replacing the whole line, while a pain in the rear, is the saftest way to remedy this problem. JW
ou: ou: Exactly what I meant.ou: ou: I had the flared unions on the Old Girl, not compression fittings. Thank, General Jim, for I do not want to be the cause of ruination of any one other than myself.:laugh: I guess I've been on nights too long to be able to think at 2:00 in the morning.:sleep:
Greg and Jim - Thanks for the replies, the flared union sounds like the way to go. I'll have to pick up a double flaring tool! I haven't called the dealer to see if I can get a pre-bent line, but I'm doubtful if the even carry it, in the past year or two it seems most of the parts for my '88 have been discontinued Unfortunately, on my quest to take out the rust on this car, I found alot more than I bargained for (rear suspension mounts rotted out, large sections of floorpan, rocker panels.. it's amazing what undercoating will hold together!), maybe it's time I find another buick to add to my stable for a driver
