73 and up disc brake line hoses

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devnull

devnull

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Hi,

I have a question about converting to 73 and up Single Piston Disc brakes and sway bars and the OEM style rubber brake lines. It's a little complicated so I need to give some context. So last Fall, I bought a 68 Barracuda that has that conversion. That's the good news... the bad news is the previous owner did some crazy brake line routing and I have no idea how it should be done with respect to the calipers being moved to the firewall side of the rotor. For example, he ran the passenger side brake line around the FRONT of the car and wire tied to the sway bar and then back around up and over the passenger side LCA - right where the bump stop is - and then into the rubber line. So, I never got to see it done right before I took the car apart. To complicate things, the K-frame and suspension are currently out of the car so I can't pinpoint the exact location of the caliper yet. Oh, one more thing, I've lowered the K frame .5" since I'm building a BO29 clone - which may or not impact this.

My understanding is that cars with the 73 and up disc brake conversion that have a sway bar requires the calipers to be moved to the other/rear side of the disc. I know that to do that you must swap the knuckles, calipers, and mounting brackets from side to side. That was all done. I was mocking up the new brake lines and simply hung the calipers from the shock tower mount and noticed that the rubber lines have to do some pretty sharp turns to reach the metal lines at the frame.

My question has to do with the OEM style rubber brake lines and the relocated calipers. The stock brake lines have a 2-3" section of metal tubing that is orientated up, toward the UCA and away from the hard line connector at the frame. Essentially the rubber brake lines do a pretty sharp U turn back down to the hard line union at the frame. It looks like it effectively shortens the working length of the rubber brake line. I could be wrong since I'm estimating all this without the suspension in there.

Will the stock OEM style, rubber brake lines work in this configuration or are there better solutions? Will they be long enough to allow for the travel that's required? I'd rather nip this in the bud now if I need to make changes. Sorry for long explanation/question...

Thanks,
Joe
 
People have been using rubber flex line hoses from the Aspen, & Volare cars, with good success, with calipers mounted towards the rear.
 
I just talked to Cass last week from Dr Diff about brake lines. If you are putting calipers rear facing use 1969 Camaro hoses. I just bought a set & they work perfectly. I'm currently still doing mock up on mine.

20170621_131033.jpg
 
You can rotate them to any angle that works for your application. Again my picture is just mock up.
 
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Guys this kind of thing is why we need to "go back" to REAL PARTS STORES. In a previous life I WORKED at two of them. We had Wagner and Raybestos cataloges that were in binders nearly a foot thick. In them, amoungst part numbers for individual master cylinder parts, cups, and other hardware "illustrated guides" were pictorial guides showing BRAKE HOSES by type, end fitting and LENGTH

I can still vaguely remember than in the 70's some of the Dodge pickups came with TOO SHORT factory hoses. All you had to do!!!! to damage a front hose!!!! Was to put the pickup on a hoist and allow the suspension to drop........just as it would going over a "hump" in the road!!!! The hoses on those pickups would bend back and tear at the fitting from strain.
 
He is asking for advice for a non factory set up. Yes the parts books are a huge help. But this combo is not listed in any parts book.
 
72Dart6pack said:
He is asking for advice for a non factory set up. Yes the parts books are a huge help. But this combo is not listed in any parts book.
Click to expand...
Of course it is. It is just as I said..........the PICTORIAL guides, which pretty much do not exist anymore
 
There is yet another way... A few owners have installed the calipers forward where they should be so the correct hoses work. Then to avoid conflict, that early model sway bar was attached below the lower arm clip instead of above with shorter end link kits, those for/from the 73 and later sway bar. So... mixed model parts but all are OEM Chrysler.
 
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