Brake line replacement? Tool?

[BlitzK5]

I just bought a double flaring tool to change out my rear brake line. Is this the corrrect type of tool that is used to flare out the ends? Im not sure what is ment by the double flare. Is this the stanard type for vehicles or is there another type of flaring tool needed? Any of you brake experts no if this is the right tool to do the job and if not what is?

 

[diesel4me]

I'm not a brake expert,but..

Yes,a double flare is the required way of flaring brake lines and fuel lines on vehicles(only legal way anyhow--single flare is used on plumbing mostly--but will work in a pinch on a fuel line or brake line)..

Compression fittings that use "ferrules" and nuts to squish them against the tubing are not supposed to be used for brake line repairs,they are illegal---(though I have seen dozens of vehicles with them,and I have used them myself in an emergency )..ok for low pressure fuel and oil lines,but definately NOT reccomended on brake lines..
I have found several on trucks I had driven until the lines rusted thru though!--didn't know they were there until I replaced the rusted line!

A "double flare" means rather than just flaring the tubing otward into a funnel shape,the "double" part is the second step--it folds the outside edge of the flared tubing back in onto itself,and it makes the flared end double walled,for extra srtength and vibration resistance..withstands higher pressure better,and resists cracking better...

 

[BlitzK5]

Right on. Thanks alot.

 

[bridgeguy]

Also, don't know what year it starts in, but if you have a metric vehicle, GM went to a different connection than double flaring. Ran into this on my '83 Z28 when I was putting a disc brake rear end under it (rear end was from a newer 3rd gen F-body) .

You don't want to know how we fixed it as thinking back, I'm amazed that I actually drove it with the 'creativity' we used to adapt from the metric to the double flared brake lines.

I don't know if this applicable during the years of the K5, but it looks totally different and you can't really connect them together if they are using metric brake lines. You can probably find an adaptor between the different types of threads if it comes to that, but other than that, double flared is the only way to go. Get a practice piece of brake line and cut it and flare it a couple times and it gets pretty simple to do on the vehicle.

Just my $0.02.

 

[diesel4me]

Ah yes..the dreadaed "inverted bubble flare"...

I've had a few nightmares with those "inverted bubble flare" lines and fittings on the newer GM vehicles too!..they DO make adapters to allow "regular" SAE thread double flare lines screw into the wheel cylinders,etc..but GOOD LUCK finding any in stock at any parts store,no matter who's name is on the door!..if its sunday,better look for a rental car!..you will be driving it all over monday looking for those adapters...

It seems even the most experienced counterperson in the USA is not capable of choosing the right adapter out of the 30+ numbers out there!..We got frustrated at the shop I worked at--having to go to the store youself,and waste an hour trying different fittings--
--its not a part you can just describe over the phone and have delivered!..many times we'd cut the original line nar the wheel cylinder,and put a "normal" sae line nut on it,double flare it,and use a coupling to connect the two!--IF the original line was in decent enough shape to do so,that is..in many cases,they weren't..

Why GM and other manufacturers had to go "european" and use metcric fittings on all the lines on the cars and trucks--it was bad enough with SAE,NPT,Inverted flare, and other threads!?--like there wasn't enough confusion already?--and then "O" rings became all the rage . ..there should be more standardization among critical parts like brake lines..but no,Volvo has their own,so does BMW,VW,and many other "weird" ones out there...


After working on my brakes,I am amazed any of us are alive--drum brakes use nothing more than flattenned "nails" and springs with washers that have cross shaped slots in them to hold the shoes on!--along with a few springs!--a little salt and rust,and FOINGG!--SKREEEEEEEECHHHH!! --..and GM wheel cylinders with just a spring steel clip holding them on--now THAT was an engineering marvel,wasn't it??.. I bet they saved a nickel on bolts on every car--but they don't care if they rip out of the backing plates,and we can't stop in time..

I'd think something so critical as brakes would at LEAST use bolts a little fatter than those 1/8" nails!..and with all the myriad of different lines and flare fittings,it suprising to see how many "Jerry rigged" lines with compression unions,and other "Patch jobs" there are on the roads--and how rusted some are when you put the vehicle on a lift! makes you wonder how some of them stop at all!..

 

[BlitzK5]

ok sounds good. Yeah I was planning on to practice before I really mess a line up

 

[ntsqd]

Some pointers for making good double flares:
Note the step in the button, that's a gage for how far out of the clmap the tube is supposed to be.

You can not get the end of the tube too square or deburred.