Okay so I pulled a stupid trick... took both brake hoses out of both boxes at once. Threw the boxes on the seat of the Firebird as I looked at the hoses; yep, they look okay (cracks, fittings, etc) so I picked up the boxes to put them back in- and have NO idea which hose is for which side.

Now, they look damn near identical to me on the outside. They're even identical in length (save a millimeter or two). They have different part numbers; can they be the same hose?? Why would Raybestos use different part numbers??

But like I said I can't find a difference. The caliper ends are the same. The fittings for the hard lines on the chassis are the same. The middle fitting, which clips to the C-Clip on the strut bracket, are in the same location.

So... help? Please?

 

They are the same. When I got my front brake hoses from the dealer they just handed me 2 hoses without boxes and that was that. Doesn't matter.

 

Its been awhile since I changed my front brake lines but I 'think' the little clip in the middle might be slightly different. Take a look and if everything looks the same just slap them on. I remember that when I ordered them they ordered me a left and right but I don't remember looking to see which when where when I put them on.

 

Okay, cool, thanks guys! I'll come back and let you know the results. Just about to start the job... man, I meant to wake up at 9:00am today to do this stuff. Now i'm cutting into my "party time". dammit. Man am I glad I bought that Phoenix injector; bleeding should be a 1 minute job per side!

 

Not so sure about them being the same hose, when I got my Earl's hose kit the left & right front hoses were marked for the side they were supposed to go on. The differences are slight, but there are differences.

 

The middle section where the hose clips to the strut are different. If you look closely, they are notched differently.

 

Yep, thanks guys!! I checked 'em out; the center fitting was aimed differently. What's odd is that on the passenger side, I couldn't make either hose fit the clip on the strut the way it was supposed to (without twisting). I compared new vs old hoses, and installed the closest match on the passenger side.

I last changed the hoses in '96; did the passenger one myself, my alignment shop did the driver's side a week later. (Got caught on the "car jerks to one side" braking syndrome! That's how I learned what caused it.) Anyway; the clips on the driver's side are funny. Passenger side used the clips I've seen on the rear of the car; one piece of metal that's bent up at the end for pliers to grip. The driver's side- the side the tire shop changed- has different clips. There's nothing for pliers to grab. The clip is "double thickness"- think two of the original clips stacked on top of each other.

I don't remember much about installing the hose myself on the passenger side, but: The clip on the strut is bent. It's not perfectly flat. Same thing on the driver's side. Here's the big deal of all this: The driver's side hose, the middle fitting, wasn't placed properly into the "cut" of the strut bracket. I wonder if my alignment shop had a problem too, and that's why the clips are different. So after seeing this, I re-clipped the passenger side and made it so the hose wasn't twisted.

This post probably doesn't make much sense, but basically, the middle of the hoses didn't fit either strut bracket. Both brackets were "tweaked" and could accept the middle of the hoses any 'ol way. I'm going to try and get some new brackets on my next junkyard trip; we'll see if they're different. I'll also grab some brake hose clips.

As far as bleeding, yeah, the Phoenix Injector V12 came through again! Used my hose crimpers on the old hoses right after the brake tube fitting on the car, and undid the hose from the caliper. Installed the new hose on the caliper, and held the caliper so the bleeder faced down, new hose faced up. I reverse-injected brake fluid thru the bleeder screw until it came out the top of the brake hose, and then shut the bleeder. Then I set the caliper to the side, and kept it in this upright position. I undid the old hose from the car, and bolted the new hose in. I stuck the caliper loosely on the caliper mounting bracket, and reverse-injected new fluid thru the bleeder again until the fluid came out in the master cylinder. Done! I closed the bleeder and did the same to the other side of the car.

Braking is -much- better; I didn't expect that. I thought I was just saving myself from death (or a hell of an accident). I'll post a pic of the brake hose from the driver's side; I only kept one, both were just as bad.

 

Back up to the top, anyone got an idea about the brake clips I mentioned in that last message?

 

I'd definately get new brackets. My clips are shaped like a flattened C. The bottom is flat, comes around then flattens out and turns up at the end.

 

they mangle pretty easily....... the ones on my 82 were all messed up.. i put it back to stock by tweaking it with some pliers though... if i recall correctly, arnt they tac welded onto the inner wheel well??