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Brake Break

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 8:34 pm
by firemanshort
Do any of you guys buy pre-made / pre-bent hydraulic brake lines? My right front brake line rusted / busted last weekend. Luckily, I was driving 2 miles an hour when I discovered it. Unluckily - I was in the middle of the woods in Maine for a Winter Rally.

Image


I bought a generic brake line - cut the ends off and replaced with the fittings from my brake line and rough bent it into shape. It is not the factory shape - but it works.

Now that I am home and back in my heated garage, I want to replace this field repair with the proper brake line. My parts book calls it:

Part # NRC4068

However, I can not find this stocked by anyone. My fittings are a little suspect and alittel worse from wear, also. Can I buy just new fittings?

Or.... does everyone just bend up new brake lines from generic stock?

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:57 pm
by disco2hse
Given the age of yours, shouldn't that be NRC4313?

Still might be hard to get though.

Brake bits I get as parts and not made up. We cannot use copper and such in this country.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 11:35 pm
by map1275
If you buy genuine there is a possibility that it may come as straight length anyway. This generally isn't a Land-Rover problem but certainly is with the rest of the concurrent Leyland/Austin-Rover Group.

If you have already accessed all the equipment to make one pipe I don't see the problem with doing the same again? The place where you bought the pipe or used the flaring tool should be able to point you in the direction of a generic pipe fittings supplier. Otherwise any of the countless Leyland specialists in North America such as Moss.

I haven't looked up the number to see which pipe it is you are referring to and your description hasn't left me much wiser.

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 2:08 am
by map1275
OK, so it's the chassis brake pipe from the 'T' piece to the right front flex hose?

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 4:08 pm
by firemanshort
Yes - it is the pipe that leaves the center of the "T" and wraps under the chassis over to the flex hose.

The photo in my parts book does not show the 'exact' shape of the old pipe. With trucks this old - who knows if the pipe removed was original or not.

Image

My new pipe was made from a short scrap and in haste. It routes over the top of the frame out takes a hard turn to feed between the inner wing piece and the frame. I am fearful that in the long turn - this routing may cause wear, so I want to try and go back to the original routing.

The pipe fitting on my original pipe was overtightened and mushroomed up on then end. It took destructive forces to dissassemble. I borrowed a fitting from somone elses tool box to get home. The auto parts store fittings have threads all the way to the end of the fitting. The Land Rover fitting has thread almost to the end but has a smooth flange at the end. That flange must be important to make the seal as the auto parts store fitting fit but always leaked.

I will make some more calls to the MG suppliers (like MOSS). I keep forgetting that for these types of parts - Rover / Leyland never strayed too far from each other.

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:47 pm
by disco2hse
What year is yours?

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:32 pm
by firemanshort
My truck a 1980 - I assume it is a pre-June model as my brake lines do not lay out like the post-June parts diagram.

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:09 pm
by disco2hse
Right, I did wonder.

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 12:28 am
by noexitroad
i seem to have a collection of photos with people standing around with their hands in their pockets telling me what to do, just like your one :oops:

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 5:09 am
by disco2hse
If a group of sheep is a flock, a group of geese a gaggle, and a group of cats a clutter. What then is a group of Landie specialists?

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:29 am
by harry potter
l made my own brake pipes up. purchased the copper pipe and ends online and a pipe bending tool and flairing kit from machine mart.
followed the profile of the old pipes and have fitted a treat.
remember measure twice, cut once and allow plenty of pipe to practice flairs on. :lol:

the new pipes was complemented on by the MOT inspector and have works for the last year with no problems.
it worked out much cheaper than purchasing pre-made parts, also gave me the skills and tools to be confident to do a emergence repair when out.

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 12:42 pm
by map1275
And for most of the world copper brake pipes are banned!

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 3:47 pm
by harry potter
Why is copper banned where you are?

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:32 pm
by Jules
disco2hse wrote:If a group of sheep is a flock, a group of geese a gaggle, and a group of cats a clutter. What then is a group of Landie specialists?

A Pride?

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 7:03 pm
by disco2hse
harry potter wrote:Why is copper banned where you are?
Because of two reasons that lead to unexpected and sudden loss of braking.

1. Copper is subject to corrosion that can be both rapid and difficult to prevent.
2. It work hardens very easily and is therefore subject to splitting or breaking at those points.