1971 B-Body prefabricated metal brake lines

[OKDart]

I've had success removing the clips with my largest slotted screwdriver by inserting it between the 90 bend and the hose end. twist quickly and with force. Also hammering a wedge between the two works as well, but the bracket will need to be supported.

I've worked on many 50-60 year old brake lines and I've found the most useful tool is the 4" (4LW) hex jaw vice grips. First wire brush the fitting, then spray it with PB Blaster, then torch, then more PB Blaster. Sometimes the tube will twist off with the fitting, but if that's the case, the line needed replaced anyway.

https://www.amazon.com/Tools-VISE-G...t=&hvlocphy=9026273&hvtargid=pla-421878969058



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[MoparGuy68]

I've had success removing the clips with my largest slotted screwdriver by inserting it between the 90 bend and the hose end. twist quickly and with force. Also hammering a wedge between the two works as well, but the bracket will need to be supported.

I've worked on many 50-60 year old brake lines and I've found the most useful tool is the 4" (4LW) hex jaw vice grips. First wire brush the fitting, then spray it with PB Blaster, then torch, then more PB Blaster. Sometimes the tube will twist off with the fitting, but if that's the case, the line needed replaced anyway.

https://www.amazon.com/Tools-VISE-G...t=&hvlocphy=9026273&hvtargid=pla-421878969058



View attachment 1193895

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I need to get some vice grips.. My father used to have a really well built vice grip. When that thing clamped down on something, it wasn’t letting go. I don’t know what happened to it. I’d rather have his than any I could by new today. I’ll have to get a Chinese made one though, and hope it’s decent.

 

[MoparGuy68]

The axle splitter Y block is held on by a HOLLOW stud and that is just the dust cap to keep **** out. It is the vent for the axle housing. Try turning the entire block with an adjustable or similar WHILE you also turn the "nut" on the stud. As for the C wedge that holds the line. Some are just a bitch, channel locks from the bracket to one of the "legs" usually makes quick work of them, but you'll need a new one to install the new hose.

I was able to turn the nut, without having to turn the entire Tee Y Block. I did this as a little test two weeks ago, as then I was not yet ready to attempt complete removal. I’ll attempt to remove it this weekend.

I don’t know the details of how the block attaches to the stud. I assume there is an unthreaded hole in the block, that the hollow threaded stud passes through. The nut is what secures the block to the rear axle.

The “cap” on top of the stud needs to be removed first, to get the nut off the stud (I think..) How is the cap supposed to be removed? When I pull up on it, it doesn’t want to come off. When I rotate it, it just spins around, it doesn’t unscrew.

 

[OKDart]

The cap doesn’t come off the vent, it’s crimped on. Use an open end wrench to remove the vent, can’t remember if a box end fits or not. Be careful installing it also, it strips easily.

 

[dadsbee]

^^^ I thought I'd already explained that to him, in what he even quoted , but I guess not! It's a smooth hollow stud/bolt, it is NOT a nut! The Y is not threaded...

 

[MoparGuy68]

^^^ I thought I'd already explained that to him, in what he even quoted , but I guess not! It's a smooth hollow stud/bolt, it is NOT a nut! The Y is not threaded...

Ok, I got it now. The entire stud with vent cap, is a single piece, that screws out of the axle housing. I was thinking it was a two piece stud and nut like used to secure exhaust manifolds.

 

[MoparGuy68]

My first attempt at cleaning up the tee block and surrounding axle housing area has shown me that these surfaces are FILTHY dirty! Crazy amounts of dirt are coming off the top surface of the axle housing..

i’ve been scraping it off with a stainless steel brush. I’ve have unintentionally managed to take some areas all the way down to bare metal, as I can’t really see what I’m doing while I’m brushing. I could switch to a copper brush that should be less abrasive. I was trying to do it with jackstands placed under the axle housing.

I think I’m going to have to put jackstands under the rear frame rails and let the suspension hang down so I can access the top of the axle housing better. I am attempting all this cleanup because I’m worried about that dirt getting inside the axle when I go to remove the vent stud and the Tee block.

Complete removal and restoration of the rear end is not an option right now..

if I want to raise the car with the suspension unloaded, I think placing the jackstands on the rear frame rails just forward of the leaf springs is the best location for the stands.. Though I don’t like having all the long *** end cantilevered from that point back. But I don’t think it would be wise to only put the jackstands along the frame rails next to the tail pipes? Has anyone put the stands at that location?

Maybe I could put my best set of stands forward of the leaf springs and a second set of stands, as an assist support, under the rails alongside the tail pipes?

I know a four point lift doesn’t provide support back there by the tail pipes, but just depending on one set of stands forward of the leaf spring is scary to me while being under the car and scraping on the rear end..

 

[MoparGuy68]

More scraping and cleaning. A putty knife/scraper, worked best to get the heavy layers of grit and dirt off the housing and tee block. Nobody had cleaned this rear end in decades..

The rear hose looks like it has been on the car for 51 years.. It looks ancient. It seems that would be impossible though. I don’t know how it would last 51 years without bursting. Whoever installed the 742 casing, didn’t bother to clean the rest of the rear end at all. The casing looks like it’s only been in the car about 20 years. The rest of the rear end I believe is original to the car.

Jack stands just forward of the leaf springs, with a second set wide apart under the axle tubes, just giving a little support, so the rear end wasn’t quite hanging fully down. That’s how I lifted the *** end up. I asked the car to please not crush me and kill me while I was under there. Laid a plastic drop cloth underneath the axle which got covered with dirt and grime.

I could fill a bomb crater with all the dirt and **** that came off the rear end. And there’s still more yet to come off.. At least now you can tell the tee block is actually made of brass. It was like digging a shiny gold nugget out of the ground. It has what looks like a toothed lockwasher underneath the nut part of the stud.

 

[MoparGuy68]

I’m back at installing brake lines and hoses. I have the lines and tee block in place. I’m trying to install the new C- Wedge to secure the rear hose to the bracket. The old wedge was difficult to remove. The new wedge is difficult to install. Any tips on how to install the wedge? I’m not making any progress with it..

 

[MoparGuy68]

I could not get the new wedge pounded in with a hammer.. It kept popping out and landing on the ground. I gave up and tried the old wedge, it went in on the first try..

Though, after the install, it sure looks to me that the hose is too SHORT in length. If I were to completely unload the rear end, with the wheels off the ground, the hose would get pulled taught like a rope!

This is a “Right Stuff” hose and it doesn’t look like the right stuff to me..