The Great Pumpkin - '71 Duster
So as is often the case, I re-do stuff because I'm not 100% happy with the 'final product'. This time that applied to the brake lines I just did in post #428. I went to NAPA and bought a 25' coil of 3/16" line since it was me that bought the last two pieces of 6' straight tubing they had which were not restocked. I was shocked at how much it was - $50! I got the coated style which is always a little more but $2 a foot? Jeez. Either way, once the lines are in for good and short of bleeding them, the brakes will be done.
I also learned that my tubing straightener tool does in fact work OK but just takes patience and a little finesse to get the lines straight. The last time I used it I must have just been lazy/impatient. I probably ran the tubing through once or twice and it didn't really do anything and gave up on it. This time I went slow and put a little pressure on the opposite end to counteract the tension created by coiling it and that seemed to help. It did take several passes though and it's still not perfectly straight but it's passable. BTW, the price on those has gone WAAAY up. No way I would buy one now if it was that much.
As stated, I re-did the RF line. Part of it had to do with the radiator I got which is 27.5" across and takes up a lot of real estate on the radiator support. I also messed up one bend in the line towards the front which would likely have likley interfered with the bottom edge of the radiator.
I also didn't like the way the line jutted upwards over the shock tower off the master cylinder, just seemed silly to have it that way. This time it was just run straight down to the frame and then towards the front. I managed to make the bend correct where it meets the radiator support this time. There will be a -3AN union under the radiator connecting the two halves. From there the line will continue along the bottom then down the right side frame rail.
Here's the bend I referred to that I messed up but on the opposite side. I used a 3" header collector adapter to make the radius. This one is good.
This is where the union will be. I'm not finalizing anything here until I get the line secured. My initial plan was to go through the radiator support with more bulkhead fittings but the more I looked at it, the less it made sense - more connections, too involved and not necessary.
Here's the other side. I used an existing through-hole in the frame to locate the bulkhead fitting here. The bulkhead was necessary here because it would have basically been impossible to keep the line all one piece to the other side, not to mention having it end up in the right place. That's probably why the factory ran the RF line under the frame.
Here's the other side where the line goes to the caliper. It's hard to see but this bend was tricky since the bracket on the frame tilts the flex line fitting inward about 10ยบ. It's a compound bend in a very tight space. Also had to leave enough room to get a wrench on the control arm bolt. Frankly, it looks a little weird. I may actually have to re-do it too if there's not enough room to swing a wrench. Have to remember to check that!
As mentioned previously, a bulkhead was used to get the rear line through the trans cross member. As of now, the rear line is done. You can see the bulkhead next to the torsion bar boot. I had to enlarge the existing a hole a bit to get the fitting to sit level. For whatever reason, that hole is angled upwards from front to back. It's also a stamped hole so there's extra material to remove and is right up against the floor. Got 'er done with minimal collateral damage though.
Here's the other side. To provide a flat surface for the bulkhead nut, I cut the top off a large washer so it fits under the floor.
More updates continued below.
So as is often the case, I re-do stuff because I'm not 100% happy with the 'final product'. This time that applied to the brake lines I just did in post #428. I went to NAPA and bought a 25' coil of 3/16" line since it was me that bought the last two pieces of 6' straight tubing they had which were not restocked. I was shocked at how much it was - $50! I got the coated style which is always a little more but $2 a foot? Jeez. Either way, once the lines are in for good and short of bleeding them, the brakes will be done.
I also learned that my tubing straightener tool does in fact work OK but just takes patience and a little finesse to get the lines straight. The last time I used it I must have just been lazy/impatient. I probably ran the tubing through once or twice and it didn't really do anything and gave up on it. This time I went slow and put a little pressure on the opposite end to counteract the tension created by coiling it and that seemed to help. It did take several passes though and it's still not perfectly straight but it's passable. BTW, the price on those has gone WAAAY up. No way I would buy one now if it was that much.
As stated, I re-did the RF line. Part of it had to do with the radiator I got which is 27.5" across and takes up a lot of real estate on the radiator support. I also messed up one bend in the line towards the front which would likely have likley interfered with the bottom edge of the radiator.
I also didn't like the way the line jutted upwards over the shock tower off the master cylinder, just seemed silly to have it that way. This time it was just run straight down to the frame and then towards the front. I managed to make the bend correct where it meets the radiator support this time. There will be a -3AN union under the radiator connecting the two halves. From there the line will continue along the bottom then down the right side frame rail.
Here's the bend I referred to that I messed up but on the opposite side. I used a 3" header collector adapter to make the radius. This one is good.
This is where the union will be. I'm not finalizing anything here until I get the line secured. My initial plan was to go through the radiator support with more bulkhead fittings but the more I looked at it, the less it made sense - more connections, too involved and not necessary.
Here's the other side. I used an existing through-hole in the frame to locate the bulkhead fitting here. The bulkhead was necessary here because it would have basically been impossible to keep the line all one piece to the other side, not to mention having it end up in the right place. That's probably why the factory ran the RF line under the frame.
Here's the other side where the line goes to the caliper. It's hard to see but this bend was tricky since the bracket on the frame tilts the flex line fitting inward about 10ยบ. It's a compound bend in a very tight space. Also had to leave enough room to get a wrench on the control arm bolt. Frankly, it looks a little weird. I may actually have to re-do it too if there's not enough room to swing a wrench. Have to remember to check that!
As mentioned previously, a bulkhead was used to get the rear line through the trans cross member. As of now, the rear line is done. You can see the bulkhead next to the torsion bar boot. I had to enlarge the existing a hole a bit to get the fitting to sit level. For whatever reason, that hole is angled upwards from front to back. It's also a stamped hole so there's extra material to remove and is right up against the floor. Got 'er done with minimal collateral damage though.
Here's the other side. To provide a flat surface for the bulkhead nut, I cut the top off a large washer so it fits under the floor.
More updates continued below.
