Please don't be mean or nasty, I already feel dumb enough. Now I just have to figure out how to fix it, and since it's not dead, it is still fixable.

When I pulled the 305, I realized that I bent one of the hard brake lines, pinching it off. I may have pushed the master cylinder/proportioning valve up some from the brake booster, possibly pushing the brake booster in just a little.
Part of me says gentle pressure to pull the cylinder/valve back down makes sense, and part of me says I'm gonna cause more problems.
Or am I going to need to start searching for a new booster and master setup?

Can you buy pre-bent hard lines, or is there a shop that I need to contact and they will know what to make?

This is all new and I'm continuing to learn every time I get up.
Thank you

 

'Got any pictures?...

 

Can you buy a bender/cutter and make new lines?

 

If a line is kinked, then there is no fixing that area. You can cut a little away from the damage and reflare to use a union. Beware, 3rd gens use metric brake lines. Most flare tools cannot sufficiently grasp the factory lines to reflare. If the line is relatively short, it is often easier to just replace it entirely

Post a pic of the damaged line and trace where it goes. We can't offer much help without

 

I've attached several pics to show what I mean. Hope these come out well enough.

 

I wouldn't bother buying tools and fixing brake lines. Buy an entire brake line kit

https://www.sstubes.com/products/cbk...pr_seq=uniform

 

That's exactly what I was looking for, just the 84 version, which that company has. Thank you!

What about how the valve is pushed up and possibly bent (maybe?) the booster? Just gently push it down?

 

What valve?? The prop valve??

 

Be careful about 84. In the early part of the year, the lines were SAE; during the course of the year, they changed to metric. 83-back are all SAE, 85-up are all metric, 84 could be either. Yours look SAE to me butt don't trust my non-NIST-calibrated eyeball.

 

Yes, I mean the proportioning valve. Part of me wants to put gentle pressure on the end of that to bring it back down more level than it was before. Part of me is also nervous that I will end up damaging the brake booster by doing that.

I know I have line wrenches, but I'll need to double check if they're at SAE or metric, and then be careful with what I'm seeing. Thanks for the heads up though I had no idea!

 

Just leave it alone. I've moved mine around a bunch without issue

 

The kinked line is the long run to the rear

Easy way to identify thread type is to remove and inspect. SAE will be inverted flare (concave), metric will have an ISO bubble (convex)

Buy an fitting kit off amazon and make a new line. SS would be nice but is a pain to work with. NiCopp is more expensive, but super user friendly. Easy bends, easy flares, will turn green but never rust
Since the engine is out, it's the easiest to route now

If you plan to get alot of use out of the car, it may be a good idea to replace the prop valve with a more universal piece, PV2/PV4 or some form of adjustable. Stock pieces are known to have the shuttle get stuck

 

The metric nuts for those lines have a 14 or 15mm hex if memory serves. (Note that 14mm is extremely close to 9/16", to the point that the tools are usually interchangeable; 14mm ≈ .5512", 9/16" = .5625") The SAE ones use ½" I think. They are quite different, visually; the metric ones appear to have a large flat surface where the line passes through. Yours look like the smaller size.

You can also mic the lines themselves.

 

I plan on using the car a good bit, but just as an almost daily Street car, not a racer at all, so good street manners a must.
I'll have to look into the line bender and see about getting a new line in.

 

Nice work! (Don't worry, we've all been there)

You lost the loop but it honestly looks like you could cut the kink, reuse the original nut, reflair the tube and go. Some gentle bending shouldn't be an issue

 

All part of the experience! Plenty of good advice already given on here. I'll echo what's been said a few times though in that your brake lines are most likely SAE if they're original to your 84. 82-84 had SAE nuts then they swapped over to metric in 85 (if I'm remembering correctly!). Ran into that with my '83.

Don't worry about the angle of the valve, it'll work fine.

 

I have heard that early '84 were SAE and late '84 switched to metric. No idea how true that is. I put a '84 rear-end in my '83 and the brake lines are SAE...

 

If you haven't already done so, push the cap back on! The less-exposed the fluid is to the atmosphere, the better.

Unless you plan to do a fair number of brake and fuel line fabricating, I'd opt for that Stainless brake line kit. You'll spend that much on tools alone, then needing to learn how to use them. Not a bad thing, mind you, but yet another thing to do while you R&R the engine.

 

Use new lines, switch over to Dot 5 fluid. Check q/ inline tube.

 

What is the q/ inline tube? I'm not familiar with that.

Thank you
David Webster

 

I would not switch to DOT 5 brake fluid, which is silicon. That will require a complete flush...and I mean COMPLETELY flushing out your master, reservoir, prop valve, all lines (which you may be replacing so no issue w/those if you do), hoses, and all 4 corners (calipers/wheel cylinders). By flush, I don't mean bleed the DOT 5 through as in a typical "brake fluid flush". No. DOT 3 & 4 are incompatible with DOT 5, so you need to flush with something else to get the system completely cleaned out first, before introducing DOT 5 into the system. For a street car? Not worth it, for a plethora of reasons that go beyond the flushing.

If you simply want to REPAIR, you can probably rent tools from an auto parts store for very little...if no money, cut out the kink, add male fittings and flare both ends' of your existing line(s) and add one of THESE, which is a safe, long-lasting repair. Many cars come with these installed from the factory, anyway.

If you're wanting a "RESTORATION" of the brake lines, buy new lines and install 'em.

 

Going out on a limb, I'm gonna guess that he meant "w/ inline tube". Inline Tube is a mfr of replacement pre-bent lines.

I agree w/ Tom, I would NOT change to DOT 5 (silicone) fluid at this time. If you replace EVERY SINGLE PIECE of the system - master cyl, prop valve, lines, calipers, & wheel cyls - then that would be a different matter. The advantage of DOT 5 fluid is that it doesn't attract moisture like DOT 3 & 4 do. Butt the silicone fluid does not mix well w/ other fluid, which is a mix of various glycol ethers. Just use regular old DOT 3 brake fluid like the car was designed for. Change it all out though; bleed the system until every bit of old funky fluid is flushed out, leaving only clean clear new pure fluid. It'll take probably the better part of a quart to do that.

Be VERY careful while working on it, to NOT let the master cyl run dry. Go to HD or some such and get some rubber plugs to plug the line fittings on the MC, and do the line swap as quickly as possible to keep fluid from leaking out.