Any tips on flaring brake lines?

[Lucid Moments]

So I am letting a kid I know do a motor swap in my shop. 2000 F-150 5.4L. He has the swap in and running but is running into a problem with a brake line. Hard line from the master cylinder to the right front wheel got crushed at some point in the swap. He went to a pull a part and got an almost identical line out of a similar aged Explorer. Problem is it had a different fitting on the end of it. Everything else matched up. So he went and got a flaring tool and cut the ends off and swapped the fitting. But now can't get the line to seal. I have never done anything with brake lines myself so I am no help at all.

Any tips, or tricks would be appreciated.

 

[B_Bimmer]

I am a big fan of copper nickel tube and the old small snap on double flare set. With very little investment I can fix anything on my family's vehicles. I have been using it for 8 years or so already and never had a redo, whereas with the steel lines from the parts store they would barely make it five years on the plow truck. It is soft stuff, and I was concerned it would get pinched, but so far so good.

 

[noid]

So I am letting a kid I know do a motor swap in my shop. 2000 F-150 5.4L. He has the swap in and running but is running into a problem with a brake line. Hard line from the master cylinder to the right front wheel got crushed at some point in the swap. He went to a pull a part and got an almost identical line out of a similar aged Explorer. Problem is it had a different fitting on the end of it. Everything else matched up. So he went and got a flaring tool and cut the ends off and swapped the fitting. But now can't get the line to seal. I have never done anything with brake lines myself so I am no help at all.

Any tips, or tricks would be appreciated.

Make sure he is using a proper small tube cutter, and making the correct type of flare (bubble vs double flare).

https://www.rtsauto.com/brake-lines-for-bmws-and-e30s-the-bubble-flare-not-the-double-flare/

If its an all metal line, get preflared with fittings from the part store.

 

[Lucid Moments]

I am in Ga. so corrosion just isn't an issue. We don't know what road salt is down here. And he is using modifying a stock brake line to fit.

 

[astroracer]

Have him take both lines to a brake shop. They can match the old fitting and flare the tube so it will seal. No sense chasing your tail on this, get it done and out of the shop.
Mark

 

[seanb02]

I prefer to buy premade lengths of tubing with the correct ends on them and bending myself. Or ordering complete pre bent kits for vehicles. Haven't had great luck with the cheap flaring tools from the regular auto parts stores, would likely be an easy process with a nice flaring tool, but that is likely to be a more expensive up front cost that the kid you mention may not have the money for.

 

[Kaizen]

Have him take both lines to a brake shop. They can match the old fitting and flare the tube so it will seal. No sense chasing your tail on this, get it done and out of the shop.
Mark

This. My 2002 f150 is a ***** to get brake lines to fit. From front to back took 3 trips to store to get fittings to make it work. Want to say both ends were different flares or something.


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[Lucid Moments]

Make sure he is using a proper small tube cutter, and making the correct type of flare (bubble vs double flare).

https://www.rtsauto.com/brake-lines-for-bmws-and-e30s-the-bubble-flare-not-the-double-flare/

If its an all metal line, get preflared with fittings from the part store.

So my understanding is that Ford uses a double flare. He has just been using a hacksaw to cut the line, will that make a difference?

 

[Bogie1632]

Making the correct flare for the line/fitting type? Flare come out straight? If they are slightly crooked they can be hell to get sealed correctly, if at all. I've had a few stretch one way, not evenly, starting the flare.

V/R
Bogie

 

[Lucid Moments]

I prefer to buy premade lengths of tubing with the correct ends on them and bending myself. Or ordering complete pre bent kits for vehicles. Haven't had great luck with the cheap flaring tools from the regular auto parts stores, would likely be an easy process with a nice flaring tool, but that is likely to be a more expensive up front cost that the kid you mention may not have the money for.

I think he has the money but is frugal, and trying to not spend any more than he has to. IDK for sure his whole situation. At least this isn't his only vehicle. He had a daily, but likes having a truck. Honestly I advised him to part the truck out instead of swapping it. Stock motor made it to 438k miles.

 

[noid]

So my understanding is that Ford uses a double flare. He has just been using a hacksaw to cut the line, will that make a difference?

No guarantees, normally US cars use double flare, but have seen Fords with bubble flares in the past. he'll need to look at the existing line or the receptacle to confirm.

Hacksaw is possible, but only if he takes time to square and deburr with a file. Small tube cutters are so cheap its not even worth messing around.

 

[vssjim]

Make sure old line shows that they are both inverted flare or bubble flare or one of each etc. If you can't get it to seal also put a little anti seize on threads to make sure you are applying force against flares not friction on threads. You can also buy a pre-made nickel copper brake line which will always seal fairly easy.

 

[superduty1]

Tuning cutter is the way to go.

I would watch a few you tube videos on the subject. We can explain it all day long, but a video will be much more helpful.

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[56Mark]

I have a Ridgid (345 I think) double flare kit that does a great job, but not inexpensive. A clean, square cut is a must Then use some oil where the flare tip touches the end of the tube. If the end of the cut is not smooth you can get little cracks in the flare when it is stretched. I agree with above, the copper nickle tubing is easy to make good flares. Also when tightening the fitting I think it helps to tighten and loosen a couple of times to kind of burnish/shape the flare to the fitting.

 

[setfocus]

I've run across Ford trucks where one end is ISO bubble flare and the other is double inverted flare.

Need a line cutter like said above, it's a cheap tool and clean up with a file before you flare.

I've got just the plain old clamp style flare tools and have only once made a bad flare, and I've flared more lines than I would have liked. I normally use copper line, easy to bend.

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[bwringer]

You're giving me flashbacks to a Jeep Cherokee I once tangled with that had a seemingly random assortment of fittings, threads, flares, etc. Replacing one line took about eight hours, most of which was spent on the road between various auto parts stores and the Jeep. We finally found a flare fitting with the correct 11.827mm Russian or whatever the hell it was thread. Damn, I thought I had managed to expunge that vile memory...


Anyhoo, spend the %$#@ing buck fiddy on a little tubing cutter and buy some NiCopp line (not a buck fiddy, but well worth it) and whatever fittings Ford randomly swept off the floor 20 years ago.

You won't get a good flare with a hacksaw.

NiCopp is muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch easier to work with than steel, and a little softer so you can make nice flares even with a cheap Horror Fright flaring kit. With steel lines, you have to spend actual money on your flaring tools.

And yeah, there's absolutely no standard, consistency, rhyme or reason to the fittings and flares used in some vehicles. Figuring out what's actually in the furshlugginer truck can get incredibly tricky.

 

[bcschief]

Why not go back to salvage yard and pull the complete correct line from a junk truck.

 

[Jazz1]

Follow instructions on flaring kit and FILE the tubing. This step frequently missed causing leaky flairs. I was splicing 4 lines few weeks ago. First time in a decade, if the flair does not look just right it’s not!

 

[sberry]

They make an adapter for lines with different sizes. I stock a couple.

 

[sberry]

Work on this till you can do it, this is a comm on job.

 

[Showkey]

This has come several times in past threads.

Nickel Copper line and this tool ..........covers all the possible flares........Almost “fool proof”.




Available at several locations at various price points.

 

[sberry]

I use a common tool with the bits. I have a couple 3, if I was buying g a flare set would be the Rigid, 30$ or so HD. Not sure about the bits. I cut them with a cut off wheel when I can and file them square and to remove a little of the heated end. It's so second nature I don't even think about it. If I worked in a brake shop would have a premium tool. I keep some stock ready made, a few couplings, use them when I can, make one when I have to.

 

[The Fall]

Make sure he is using a proper small tube cutter, and making the correct type of flare (bubble vs double flare).

https://www.rtsauto.com/brake-lines-for-bmws-and-e30s-the-bubble-flare-not-the-double-flare/

If its an all metal line, get preflared with fittings from the part store.

Yep.