I've found that whacks with a hammer (i.e., on your breaker bar or wrench) can work well to loosen a stuck fitting - as opposed to steady slow twisting torque which just bends pipes or rounds off nuts. Heat (MAP gas) works wonders, too. Maybe try both.

To be honest I usually throw teddy out the cot and cut and replace the hard lines! I really can't be bothered with that fiddly kind of crap - who's the boss? Hey?

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

I would like to get one of those vice grips, but I haven't seen them locally.

If i mess up flare nut, i will have to get new lines, but they may have to be custom made if i cant find oe lines.

Still haven't figured out how the bracket comes apart job for today

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

I need these. I was unaware they actually made vice grips that didn't strip fasteners

I still can't buy those pliers in this country - I'm going to have to pay for postage from England...

@Graham - undo the nut at the flex pipe and the bracket problem won't be a problem any more

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Heat will be your friend. Also if the brake hose is not too large cut the hose close to the nut and get a six point socket on it. You pick a socket that drives on as the original size has been lost to corrosion usually.

Again though since I live in an even worse corrosion environment heat is my friend big time. Without it much would be destroyed.

I did cut off one side but even a long socket wouldn't reach the hex. In fact the hex seemed to be up inside the bracket. I didn't spend much time on this, because a pair of curved vice grips held the hose swage quite firmly.

I did get the driver side to release using crowfoot and vice grip combination. But on the passenger side, the brass flare nut is partially rounded.

I tried heat on the stubborn side (using mini butane gun), but I gave that up when the car caught fire . There is a lot of undercoating under there and I was prepared with an extinguisher. But I snuffed it out with a rag

Thinking about brake line replacement. Unfortunately it is passenger side. I did a rough measurement and got 50" of tubing. Has anyone done this and know the actual length needed? Local shops have 50" lengths with bubble ends ready to go. I used to have a tube bender. Hopefully it is somewhere amongst my junk. Another thought was to make a spring by winding over the tubing and use it to support tubing when bending by hand.

Another option, is to buy a ready made OE brake line. It is a complex shape and has to feed low down along the firewall. There seems to be two clamps back under there. Has anyone tried to feed an OE brake line tto passenger side?

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

All of the brake lines from the dealer are NOT pre-bent.

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Napa in Canada have them for about C$13.xx. Our store had no stock, but they have ordered the small size for me. I was going to buy on Amazon, but they came to C$22.xx including freight.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

Use Cunifer brake line which is bendable by hand, easy to make bubble flares, will never rust.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I have never used the slide on springs for bending. Has anyone here? Work as well as benders? How are they on copper versus steel? In many instances I could have slid one on rather than fit a bender in a tight spot. But you could not do so with a pre flaired end I realize.

I only ask about copper for heat pump lines. Had to put this in as copper lines are illegal as brake lines I believe. Probably not because of the pressure but perhaps termination weakness or tendency to break with vibration.

For many applications where the heat will catch something on fire or damage it. I slide a piece of sheet metal between the two. Then I heat solder or weld whatever and pull the sheet metal out.

If the situation is a little too sensitive I sometimes insert a few pieces of sheet metal. Without heat in my neck of the woods you would be dead in the water trying to repair many things. For those that cannot justify a high cost heat source. You can make a very aggressive penetrating rust eater at home. Far superior to the commercial canned stuff.

I've only ever used them with domestic plumbing - in this case the answer is no they don't work as well as the benders. You put the buggers over your knee and it is a case of will it bend? Will it bend? Will it ever ****ing bend? Followed by "oh crap that's too much"! I'm not a fan - they are simple and they do to a certain extent stop the sides of a curve contracting but only up to a point - sharper curves can be made with a bending machine.

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

On a general note, always spend the money on real deal Vice-Grip. Those cheap Harbor Freight ones may look the same, but they don't operate the same. Flimsy and poorly locks on the fastener. Not worth the cheap price when you are in a serious bind.

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1983 123.133 California
- GreaseCar Veg System

You will wear the original vice grip brand out as well. Still it will last, function ,and be a more useful tool for it's lifespan. That is probably at least several times longer than the cheapies.

Actually this makes the best cheaper in reality. There may be a good copy on the market but it would be priced simularily to the original I expect. Some tools do not have to be up to working mechanics useful grade for a hobby guy. These plier types should be.