Mental "brake" down

[biohazardbill]

Been battling the dreaded brake lines this weekend. I have a 67 that was drum/drum therefore the tab is on the back of the crossmember. I bought a 9" vacuum booster/MC combo with proportioning valve. Also bought stainless steel flex lines to go from the tabs to the calipers/rear axle. The fittings that go from the harlines to the stainless are 7/16" x -4 AN.

So after ruining several pieces of hard line this weekend I am now asking for suggestions. This is not my first rodeo but man what a pita. None of the stock lines were in place as I knew I was converting. I was able to bend the driver side pretty easy but then when I was going to do the passenger side I was having SOOO much trouble getting the bends to work with the stock clips (rear of crossmember).

Decided to route it like they are on 73-87 however my tubing bender decided to kink the 1/4" line... I have never used pre bents but this was the last straw.

So is there a kit out there for this type of conversion? Anyone have any other ideas that I am just not thinking about?

Thanks in advance.

[Tx Firefighter]

I've gotten to where I just get a set of lines and proportioning valve off a 73-87 truck. I get them all from the master cylinder out to the calipers. It all bolts into the earlier trucks with no mods. Good ol GM always bent nicer lines than I can ever do. I clean them up, install them along with new hoses from 73-87 and be done with it.
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[biohazardbill]

Doesn't the 73-87 go on tabs on the front side of the crossmember where it attaches to the flexible line?
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[Tx Firefighter]

Nope. It goes through holes in the frame in front of the suspension. If you bolt a master cylinder to the firewall and lay the lines in place, they will bolt to your master cylinder, run down along the frame and poke out the holes. Then install the 73-87 hoses and you're done.

Here is my 63 I built a few years ago this way. Every single brake line on the truck was in unmodified off of an 80 model half ton. Not a single cut or flare needed to be done.




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[Tx Firefighter]

Let me add, don't be thrown off by the brake hoses. They are just Russel brand 73-87 hoses from Summit. I wanted new hoses and bought them cheap off someone. You could just as easily use stock 73-87 rubber hoses too.
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[biohazardbill]

I take it you had to drill the hole where it came through the frame? Looked at my frame and the hole isn't there.
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[Tx Firefighter]

Some trucks I have had to drill. Others the empty hole was already there. When you lay the lines in place, they will be rubbing against the frame rail where they come out so you can mark and drill the holes.

Also, as an added bonus, your prop valve will mount to that little crossmember beneath the radiator like 73-87 trucks did. It's a bit cleaner look I think. Way down there out of sight.
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[alsriv2]

Very interesting piece of news.
Thank you for this information. I will be replacing my whole brake system this year and this is great news.

[Tx Firefighter]

You bet. Hope it serves you well. Every 73-87 truck I part out, I take a lot of this kind of stuff and save for future builds. Sure beats buying new stuff in my eyes. The parts we buy nowadays a so cheap and poor quality that old grungy factory stuff makes more sense as time goes on.
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