Keep Brake Line Fittings in Place
Mark SimpsonDescription
In the early years of the automobile, brakes were typically mechanical and operated by a lever or pedal that applied pressure to a series of rods and cables to engage the brakes. These systems were often unreliable and required significant physical effort to operate effectively.
The development of hydraulic brakes can be attributed to Malcolm Loughead (later changed to Lockheed), who patented the hydraulic brake system in 1917. This system used a master cylinder to generate hydraulic pressure and transmit it to the wheel cylinders, which applied the brakes. It provided more consistent and reliable braking performance compared to mechanical systems.
The first production car to feature hydraulic brakes was the 1921 Duesenberg Model A. This marked a significant advancement in automotive braking technology, as hydraulic brakes offered improved braking power and better modulation, making driving safer and more comfortable. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, hydraulic brakes gained popularity and became more widely adopted in the automotive industry. Various companies, including Lockheed, Bendix, and Dunlop, contributed to advancements in hydraulic brake technology, refining the design and improving performance.
Thanks to these early pioneers and manufacturers the evolution of the automobile became safer and more reliable, but their innovations have largely remained mostly unchanged nearly a century later. That includes the need to bend and route brake lines from a master cylinder to each wheel.
Bending brake lines can be fun and rewarding but sometimes it can be equally frustrating. One of the biggest frustrations occurs when you have bent up the perfect brake or fuel line and realize the fitting that should be at the end of the tube has somehow migrated to the middle or even the other end of the line. Most often the line needs to be straightened to slide the brake line fitting back to its correct location. Yes, it can be done but re-bent lines never look quite as nice the second time around. Mark Simpson shares some helpful tips to keep those brake line fittings in place while bending lines.
We've all been there. You know, you're, you're underneath the car, you're bending up some brake lines and suddenly this flare nut, you know, slides back and suddenly it's in the middle of your line, but you're not paying attention to that. You're trying to get that perfect bend on here. And then soon as you got your line all bent up, you realize, oh no, I can't get darn flare nut back where it's supposed to be. There's an easy fix for that, you know, and I've got a couple of fixes. This one is shared to me by a friend who, who, uh likes to do a lot of stuff with zip ties. And what he does is he'll simply put on a, on a zip tie, get this close to the end and just hold it in place like that. And the advantage of doing that is, you know, now he's got, uh, you know, it's, it's not gonna go anywhere, leave the ear on there. It doesn't hurt anything after you get the line all, uh bent up the way you want, you can simply just clip off the zip tie and release the flare nut. Or what I like to do. And the reason for this is I just grab a small piece of tape and I put it, I wrap the uh, end of the fitting with the tape. Then I just pinch down the end. The reason I like to do this is it is when you're bending your lines underneath the car and you're kind of wedging them into places to see where the best fit is. You don't end up getting dirt in here and when you're all done getting your lines bent and fit right. It's just a matter of pulling the tape off and, you know, there's a couple of good tips to help you get those lines in and save you the aggravation of trying to straighten the line back out under the car.
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