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advice for installing ss brake lines

jeepinairman

NAXJA Forum User
Location
wichita, kansas
hello friends!
its been god only knows how long since i posted..lol

been busy with military stuff....dont get much time on the computer

here is the deal...just got a set of ss extended brake lines for the ol xj...just wondering if there is anything i need to do when installing them....they didnt come with directions but i am mechanic for the air force and i think i can figure it out..lol..looks kinda self explanitory..

just wonderin if there is any advice you could give before i put em in saturday......"along with a ton of other misc suspension parts""..lol

thanks....
:us:



also i bought a lot of parts on ebay a while back......it had an adj trac bar....and tube style lower control arms....the person said the trac bar came off of an xj but the lca came off of a wrangler.....just wonderin if i can use them or should i jsut sell em on here......lol cause if i can use them i am going to bolt em up on saturday..

thanks again
 
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i feel sorry for no one replying so i can give you one piece of advice, bleed the brakes before you try to drive it cause if you dont your going to get :hang:
 
ahh try to get a wrench (can't think of the name) that has the box end with a cutout so you can slide it over the brake line and have a little more positive grip on the fitting. also if your ss liines didn't come with the little brass washer reuse the old ones.
 
flare end wrench. If doing any serious brake work it's a BIG help. Worth the $$$.
 
i think they have that wrench at the auto hobby shop on base...that is wher ei will be workin since its heated..hehe..dont have heaters for the garage and its freakin cold here in kansas right now....
 
It should be a 3/8" flare nut wrench. Whatever you do- do not use heat!!! The rubber lines will expand and explode, use some PB Blaster. Have patience. They don't like to seal, especially if you already had put on line extension brackets. Bring alot of brake fluid and your sanity.
 
X2 on the PB Blast soaking.
Mine were crusty/rusty from all the years of road salt, and I soaked 'em down good while I was prepping to install the lift. I was really worried I was going to mess them up, because I've seen a few go really wrong.

Once I got to the point that I was ready to install the lines, they just spun right off like butter- it was the easiset part of the lift install. Also X2 on the flare wrench(es). Other types of wrenches will round off those flats the first time you put muscle on them, then you're into having to butcher things apart with tools like vice-grips, which is just ugly.

Try and use the HOSE as the part you're yarding on, otherwise you may put a twist into the hard line the hose attaches to. I had to stop a few times and really focus, to prevent the hard line from getting a twist in it. You're tossing the old hoses anyway, so focus all your yanking and twisting on the hose, not the line. The internal flare of the tube is probably going to be pretty stuck to the hose fitting, so that first 1/4-1/2 turn the hose and tube will try and stay together once the nut breaks free. Placing some "righty-tighty" tension on the hose while loosening the nut kept the tube from trying to twist.

Mechanic in the Air Force?
Then THANK YOU for your service, and the sacrifices you've made for us!
Happy Holidays, and good luck with your wrenching!
 
88rockxj said:
nothing works better then a set of properly applied vise grips when dealing with old brake lines in not perfect condition.

if you want to re-flare the line later - fine...

i disagree with the heat - i used it and it worked well for me.

use PB or whatever penatrating lube you have first,

definately use the flare nut wrench - you have very little chance of not striping if without one...
 
youre 100% wrong actualy, i use vise grips so it doesnt get stripped. flare nut wrenchs work fine when the line is decent shape but if its been on there for 10 yrs vise grips are the way to go, this isnt hear say this is from experience. have never stripped one using vis gripsbut stripped plenty using flare wrenchs untill i stopped bothering with them.vise grip and thier all reusable, but i did mention PROPERLY APPLIED which is the key.
 
Just bolt them up. :)

The best bit of advice I can give you is to make real sure that they are long enough and don't get caught on anything. If a stainless line gets pulled hard it will break. Funny thing, it's common practice to upgrade to braided stainless lines to increase durability, but they aren't as durable as the stock rubber lines. I've seen numerous brake lines break on the trail and they have all been braided stainless lines, and the reason is that they don't stretch like the rubber lines do. BTW, I've never seen a rubber brake line break on the trail.

You could sell or trade those stainless lines to someone and get longer rubber lines? :) S10 front brake lines work well on the front, and CJ/YJ brake line works well on the rear. I guess it's obvious that I've always run rubber lines, since the reliability factor has always been more important for me, over any small potential brake increase due to the stainless lines.

Have fun,
 
Don't forget to pick up 4 of the copper sealing washers (2 per side), for the end of the brake line that connects to the rotor.....
 
you are going to spill a lot of brake fluid on the ground and on your axles, cover everything that might get spilled on, brake fluid peels paint off anything very quickly and also stains concrete permanently...I'd also wear latex gloves, having it on your hands stings a little, especially if you cut/nick your skin as frequently as I do when working on my jeep.
 
The Blu Yak said:
but how much lift will the s10 and cj lines work on?

Don't remember, but you always have to flex it to check everything you do. It's easy to lower the upper mounting points.

BTW, there's nothing wrong with braided steel lines, it's just not the fix all upgrade that is sometimes thought.
 
Just take whatever precautions you need to NOT STRIP IT! I first tried to use a regular box-end wrench (stripped it). Then I moved on to the vice grips... if you go this route, tighten the crap out of 'em, cause my first attempt (which was on an already stripped nut) I ended up turning the hard brake line a couple times. Now I only use a flar wrench.... and I have a nice bran-spankin-new 2' section of brake line. The good news is that flaring a brake line is pretty easy:

Jeep_Restoration_156.jpg
 
The Blu Yak said:
but how much lift will the s10 and cj lines work on?

'95 YJ line is 4" longer than the stock rear line.

HTH
 
thanks for all the help guys......i am a religious believer in pb..lol...i already soaked them once today......

would it be possible to reuse the brass washers?......

any more advice for the rear???....

and thanks for the comments about me serving...i am actually leavin for the damn land of the sand again in jan for 4 months...

where would i pick up one of those wrenches just in case.......is there any particular size i should get??...let me know guys so i can get it tonight!..lol..

thanks!
 
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