Hi. I wanted to ask if anyone knows if on a '91 F150 4x4 Aussie Model, whether the brake pipes that lead to the front wheels are the same as a US model? My steel pipes are a bit rusty and I have noticed that the US have S/Steel versions. I know the master cylinder pipes are different but these must go to a splitter box and it is from there to the wheel arch i am asking about.

Is the Aussie model equal to the US '91 model or is it equal to one of the earlier models?

Thanks

 

hey grump,
how's things down under? other than mechanical issues! hope they're good!
life grump life!!! i have a mechanical brain! sorry!

jack

 

hey Ford Ranger,

If you don't include the financial problems, millions of $ wiped off investments, our $ losing about 30% against the USD in two months, then Life down under is pretty damn good.

It is just a shame that we don't have the fantastic part supply chain like in the US, to keep our old utes on the road.

cheers

 

hi bud,
sure there is a great parts supply! most auto parts places offer shipping anywhere in the world! i don't know if there is any difference in vehicles!
as for the economic end it sucks! seems like everyone is getting the boot.
or laid off. and i'm still trying to find a job!

ford ranger
jack

 

hey grump,
stay in touch! your always welcome here! and i didn't mean to yell at you sorry! if i did! i like my friends on FTE and i treat everyone with respect!

jack
ford ranger

 

Hi, Why do you think that you might have yelled, disrepected or made me feel unwelcome. It takes more than anything you wrote to upset an Aussie, we have hides as thick as goanna's!
Cheers

 

Be happy... My retirement pay here in the states will hopefully be just enough to file a bankruptcy to get out from under all the credit cards my estranged wife ran up while I was away. (Truth)

I've often thought of selling the house and moving to Australia where said retirement pay might actually be enough to live on!

(And good luck to the faithless wench trying to find me, too)

I can't do that for another five years though.

 

Got a question - can you get stainless line with butted ends and fittings on them that you can bend with a simple tool?

That's how I ran the trans lines for my old F100, since they had to be made up just for it.

Stainless fuel line comes in many sizes, and you can bend them to fit with a tool you should keep around anyway....

That tool in the states is about ten or so dollars.

The fittings on the ends are identical to brakeline fittings (TAPERED FLARE).

I've never worried about what I can make myself - it often works much better!

Measure the lines from end to end (LINES = PIPES) with a string, then measure the string with a tape rule. Don't ask me why, it just works better. Add a few cm for luck, then go find a length close to it.

Bending tube is not that hard to learn....

You may find that you want to run it in a completely different path than the original (for various reasons).

I have found transmission lines that went far too close to exhaust pipes, for example. You don't want that, as it is bad for the fluid. Brake fluid especially should be protected from overheating - the last thing you want is your ability to stop degraded.

Brake fluid in its essence is nothing but hydraulic fluid in a refined grade. Heat can destroy its properties. It is also designed to absorb water and prevent damage internally. OLD brake fluid can at times be so filled with absorbed water from condensation that it must be completely flushed out - as well it may contain a quantity of rubber particles from wear of the rubber seals in the system. This gives it a black colour.

OLD brake fluid, in fact, may contain so much water in it that if it is heated beyond the boiling point the water becomes steam in the lines and cause spongey brakes (didn't realise that, did you?)

Another point here - if the capacity for the brake fluid to absorb water is exceeded, water pooling can happen where you don't want it - rust can result in the calipers of disc brakes, and in shoe brakes pitting commences in the slave cylinders. What happens in the first case is a stuck disc brake, that won't release and costs mileage and a new disc eventually. In the second case - pits in a cylinder result in brake fluid all over the floor... Not to mention a bad brake at one corner that wont work effectively! One way to avoid it is to bleed out the brake system every so often. If the fluid that comes out looks bad....

IT IS!!!

STOPPING, STEERING, and MOVING (in order) are the three basics all vehicles rely on.

POWER STEERING fluid is very similar to brake fluid.

BOTH can remove or loosen paint, and rust will result where they have spilled....

If it moves - STOPPING is more important than steering at times.

Steering comes next.

When you have that secure - lets see how fast it can go!

 

happy new year to you both and feel free to visit our other chapters.
and bs threads. or start a new thread of your own.
cool grump!

jack

 

Just a further note - i wouldn't try to get plain stainless lines and try to put the fittings on the ends, there are no simple flaring tools available that can handle stainless tubing well at all, much less form a doubled flare. That's why look for straight lengths of line (Stainless fuel lines work well, they're the same) that have the fittings and flares at each end. They should be available in many lengths...

 

Greywolf,

I like your idea to sort out the cc's. To avoid being found by the ex you should go to cuba, north korea or iran. our aussie government loves the usa so much they would be happy to send you back!

Thanks for the 101's of brakes. I was wondering about stainless line but was concerned about bending and closing off the inside of the pipe. Has anyone used the pre bent lines from LMC trucks?

Cheers

 

Happy New Year to you too and everyone else!!!!

 

The whole thing with bending lines in pre-fab lengths is that the tool for it prevents the sides of the tubing spreading out at the bending point. To crimp and flatten - the tubing has to widen out, so this makes a nice smooth bend that has no reduced flow.

Shown below is one kind of tube bender, they are all similar. Notice the grooves in the bending head - when the line is in these grooves, it can't crimp or flatten out, so the bending is done to the full line, it can't form a pinch point because the grooves won't allow it.

Each groove is a different width for diferent guages of tubing or pipes.

On this one, there is an adjustable bolt to bring the grooved head in to the rollers. Many tools that do this are much simpler, but this is typical of what you want in order to do free-hand line forming.

They usually cost very little