Installing extended brake lines

No, no jerking. I didn't have the OME shocks for long, maybe 1500miles before I got the Fox shocks. They were also lightly used as well. The truck did have a firmer ride than the Bilstein's, but felt more solid than Bilstein as well. Now that I have Icon in front and King/Dakar in the rear, I wouldn't want to go back to Bilstein 5100 or OME Nitrocharger.

 

They have been great and i dont even think i have come close to extending them all the way like @EatSleepTacos video. Way better then stock and got my lift back. I got a sweet deal on the leafs but will be upgrading to expos or heavy dakars later for more weight. I have also heard mixed reviews on the OME. A couple of guys switched to B110 or 5125 because of that abrupt top out. Another option is the 5125 shocks which i read paired well. Fox are also very nice but when i fully upgrade i will be going with ADS in front and maybe in rear if and when the B110 fail or just replace. So far though i know many dudes using B110 and no issues.

 

Having trouble picturing your solution. Any photos?

 

I believe he means very weak tension coil springs to hold them up but still allow it to flex.

 

Do you have to bleed the front and rears or just the rears?

 

So i unscrewed the lower part of the brake line and the fluid started to slowly come out and its been slowly coming out of the line for like 15 minutes now. I went and checked and the fluid was barely under the min line. I had no idea that much would come out. Am I fucked? Does it stop draining or whats the deal?

 

It wouldn't stop draining so I just screwed them back on. I filled it with more fluid. What am I missing?

 

Wait what? You unscrewed the brake line and fluid came out. This is expected. Then what?

 

Yeah okay never-mind im just a dumbass not sure why I expected the fluid to not come out. So I plugged the line but now one of the hard-lines doesnt want to come off. I unscrewed it and its all the way unscrewed and it wont come out. WTF do i do?

 

Just yank the bitch. If the hard line is unscrewed all the way it’ll come off.

What I like to do is make sure I can crack free all 4 connections before I proceed. That way there aren’t any surprises.

Then I use vice grips to clamp the line, and undo the bottom. Then quickly undo the top and put the new brake line in. Repeat for the other side.

 

It just keeps turning. I yanked the shit out of it and it wont come out. Theres no way I can unscrew it anymore it just keeps spinning. No clue what I can do at this point.

 

It’ll come off, just takes some wiggling and persuasion. It’s happened to me on a few lines before.

 

its like the last little thread is stripped or something idk? I have tried all means of force and its still stuck. I'm starting to get kinda stressed out now. Any other ideas?

 

If I am only doing rears do I still need to bleed all four brakes? I am moving to icon RXT paired with @Radflo Shocks which have an extended length of 25”. You guys are clamping the hose from the master cylinder right? Sounds like the previous guy didn’t and was just dumping fluid.

 

I use vice grips and clamp the rear brake line that I’m replacing. Also no, you really don’t need to bleed the front. It won’t hurt anything if you do, but I don’t do it.

I would not clamp any brake line other than the one you’re replacing.

 

I guess this is probably way to late to help you, but here is the deal. You didn't do anything wrong. The way these fittings are designed, if you over tighten them during installation, the line will swell in the fitting. This can make them difficult or impossible to separate without destroying the hardline. I've done tons of brake line work, but never seen this on any other make of car. My rears were tight, but did pop loose with a good pull. The fronts could not be separated, even when removed from the truck and clamped in a vise!

My advise to anyone doing this mod is this:

1. Buy new hard lines for the front and don't even try to get the factory parts separated. You can get 8" hard lines from Oreilly's for like $5 each. Buy the cheapest hand brake line bender, and make your own! Disconnect the hard line from the caliper and throw it away with the rubber hose.
2. For the rear lines, be prepared to cut the hard line right at the fitting and make a new double inverted flare on the end. You will need a proper tube cutter, flaring tool, and a new 10mm x 1 flare nut. Practice on spare line till you have the right touch. You can buy all the tools or probably borrow them for free from Oreilly's. You may get lucking and avoid this work, but if that line is swollen enough, you will never get it apart without ruining it!

If you are prepared for the worst, then you won't end up with a mess you can't fix. It always seems to happen on Sunday evening, when you have to be at work the next day!

 

Dude thats exactly it. I was hoping I could just swap out the hard line but I am not sure if thats possible. Not sure where it goes and if its accessible. I really dont want to re flare it but that might just be the only option. After all of that BS I ended up being able to swap out one line and just tighten back up the jacked up line.

 

The rear lines are long and routed. A much bigger pain to replace than the short front lines! Cutting and flaring is the best bet. It is not hard with a little practice. If it leaks when reassembled, then cut the end off and do it again. One thing to know is that brake lines are coated to prevent corrosion. If you chewed up the line trying to get them apart, cut past the damaged area to make your new flare. If corrosion eats through a line, it can lead to brake failure down the road. Check list is: no gouges on the metal line, and no leaks. That's basically it. You can do it.

 

If no one reads anything on this thread BUY A GOOD 10mm FLARE NUT WRENCH.
You will fuck up your nuts if you don’t.

 

Agreed. I bought a cheap one and apparently the metal was soft. Rounded out on me. Had to vice grip the brake line tight