Holy Crap!

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Mon. Dec. 07, 2015 9:37 am

scalabro wrote:
EarthWindandFire wrote:Very good information about brake lines. It's got me thinking about mine.

As for trucks, I'm tempted by the new Ford F-150 with its aluminum body. The cargo-capacity of the F-150 exceeds the cargo-capacity of many heavy-duty trucks from just a few years ago. Today, a vehicles engine will outlast the body, now with an aluminum body, the F-150 will last twenty years without hesitation.
Unless road salt and any corrosive agent finds its way through the paint by any means, stone chips, scratches etc. then the body will quickly become white powder.

Semi-tractor bodies have been made from aluminum for many yrs,will Ford use an inferior grade of aluminum? Semi-trailers too are mainly made of aluminum.

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » Mon. Dec. 07, 2015 9:53 am

EarthWindandFire wrote:Today, a vehicles engine will outlast the body, now with an aluminum body, the F-150 will last twenty years without hesitation.

Maybe but the undercarriage, suspension components, frame & lines will all turn to dust if you don't keep them coated with a good rustproofing. The cab & exterior of the bed on our 2002 Frontier are rust free. Look underneath the truck & it's another story. If I hadn't kept applying rustproofing every year there wouldn't be anything under there to support the cab & bed by now. The American trucks are no better & also seem to get a lot of rust in the cabs & bed. If I ever buy another new truck the first thing I'll do is thoroughly coat the underside including inside the frame members with Fluid Film, Waxoyl or some other high quality rustproofing.

Keep in mind that salt will corrode aluminum. The aluminum body gives you lighter weight & therefore helps fuel mileage but I doubt you gain anything in corrosion resistance.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Mon. Dec. 07, 2015 10:01 am

coalkirk wrote:Update to this story. I had the brake lines replaced of course. But this failure on my 15 year old Dodge 2500 got me thinking about and looking at new trucks. My wife was actually pushing for it! So Friday I ordered a 2016 2500 Ram crew cab 4x4. Won't be in until end of February. Went with a gasser this time, the 5.7l. The diesel in my 2001 runs like a scalded dog but its an 8k option now! So my new truck will only be rated to tow 11,200lbs. but that is more than enough to get the coal! I'm sure its going to be a different experience towing with this engine as opposed to the Cummins.

It's a shame that one can't order a glider kit in pickup truck form like the semi-tractors, you would be able to swap the Cummins into the new body& frame.

Post by **Rob R.** » Mon. Dec. 07, 2015 10:50 am

I assume you use the truck for a lot more than hauling coal?

The purchase price of a new truck would buy a lot of heating oil.

Post by **Rob R.** » Mon. Dec. 07, 2015 10:51 am

windyhill4.2 wrote:
coalkirk wrote:Update to this story. I had the brake lines replaced of course. But this failure on my 15 year old Dodge 2500 got me thinking about and looking at new trucks. My wife was actually pushing for it! So Friday I ordered a 2016 2500 Ram crew cab 4x4. Won't be in until end of February. Went with a gasser this time, the 5.7l. The diesel in my 2001 runs like a scalded dog but its an 8k option now! So my new truck will only be rated to tow 11,200lbs. but that is more than enough to get the coal! I'm sure its going to be a different experience towing with this engine as opposed to the Cummins.
It's a shame that one can't order a glider kit in pickup truck form like the semi-tractors, you would be able to swap the Cummins into the new body& frame.

I have said the same thing. Guess the auto companies can't make enough $ that way.

coalkirk · Post by **coalkirk** » Mon. Dec. 07, 2015 2:54 pm

Rob R. wrote:I assume you use the truck for a lot more than hauling coal?

The purchase price of a new truck would buy a lot of heating oil.

Yes, I will be using it for work and pleasure. I tow a camper also which is much lighter than the full coal trailer.

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Mon. Dec. 07, 2015 5:19 pm

rberq wrote:........ Lucky timing, yes, but luck shouldn’t be involved here. I see both you guys are from Maryland. Is there no regular safety inspection required? How dumb is that? My Accord wagon needed rusty rear lines replaced at 10 years, and a couple short lines at 18 years. My Civic needed them at 16 years. In both cases they were caught during the annual inspection.

MA has a super-stringent inspection, but I have never once seen a shop fail a car for a bad brake line, ever. If your brakes go to the floor, you fail .. but there's no checking the lines (thankfully - it's bad enough it takes a half hour per car sometimes ..) They never even look. Their main focus is emissions (what a f'ing joke!!!!

), body rot, tires, and front-end components. Back in '01, you'd fail if your washer fluid was low. Thank the MA state gestapo for that one ...

Sunny Boy wrote:For anyone who is skilled enough to replace their own brake lines, but does not want to go through the expense of having to buy custom bent stainless steel lines, the Europeans have been using Cunifer-10 copper/nickel allow high-strength brake lines for many decades. It's the standard brake line material in many high-end European cars.

.....
Paul

I've been using that stuff (cheaper brands though) for the past 6 years on mine & customer's vehicles. SOOO much easier than trying to fish a pre-bent line in! I have 150' of the stuff here - highly recommend it! I try and remove as much of the old line as possible to take a rough measurement. Then I install the fittings on the copper/nickel, flare the ends, and form with my hands as I go - it's a joy to work with. I'd never use stainless - royal pain in the ass to bend & flare. My flaring tool will last FOREVER using this stuff. ZERO effort. I've got a high-dollar British flaring tool that mounts in a vise. Best investment I ever made! Can't even tell you how many blind-rage flip-out sessions & the collateral damage that saved me from.

Gotta love brakes to the floor! Not even a big deal to me anymore. It's happened so many times I've just got used to it. Usually you'll still have the fronts or the rears when you put the pedal all the way down - they obviously won't stop you as fast, but you can still stop.

The 3 most memorable times were in my '85 Monte Carlo & my wife's '87 Cavalier. I was on 146 in Millbury with the Monte, when some jackass whipped over without using a mirror or turn signal, and just about took my front end off. Then, he decides to take a left turn - I slam on the brakes .. POP! Right to the floor. I missed his ass end by literally 1/16" - have no idea how I didn't make contact. Was one of the front brake hoses. Second time in the same car literally a week later, I was less than a mile from my house when some soccer mom decides she's going to pull out as I'm doing 45mph about 30' away from her. Just about had to drive it into the drainage ditch to avoid slamming her into next year. Had some choice words for her as I laid on the horn for a half mile. The other front hose blew that time, lol. That's when I learned to replace parts in PAIRS (when funds allowed such extravagance). 3rd time was in the Cav - had just left tractor trailer training class in ghetto Holyoke, and a bunch of idiots (headed to the Holyoke Mall, undoubtedly) jacked their brakes on for a yellow light! Hit the brakes ... goes to the floor. Up on the sidewalk I go, past 2 cars.

Gotta love road salt! Line rotted in half to the rears. Happened probably 10 more times over the next 15 years or so, but those were uneventful .. aside from losing the master cylinder as I was driving my '71 C20 up a fully tilted ramp of a ramp truck. WHEEEEE!

My awesome Monte:

rberq · Post by **rberq** » Mon. Dec. 07, 2015 5:56 pm

SMITTY wrote:Gotta love brakes to the floor! Not even a big deal to me anymore. It's happened so many times I've just got used to it.

With your own cars, and you a mechanic.

What's that saying? the shoemaker's child goes barefoot

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Mon. Dec. 07, 2015 5:59 pm

I haven't found a way to get paid by fixing my own junk yet ....

All those instances were 14 or more years ago. I've been able to afford to be more proactive in those sorts of things these days.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Wed. Jan. 13, 2016 4:23 pm

Coalkirk,i hope you don't mind me posting on this slightly older thread. Today I drove my '99 Ford F250SD to Palmyra,approx 25 miles round trip,to pick up a snowblower to repair for a customer. When I got home,i unloaded the snow blower & then we decided to spread coal ashes on our slippery driveway. Since the truck was warmed up,i lowered the lift gate,put several tubs of ash on it & decided to back down to the bottom of the drive & work our way back to the top. The lift gate drug a bit on the drive,so I decided to stop to go back & raise it a bit. When I pushed the pedal to stop

the pedal went to the floor,i pushed it into park & discovered that a brake line broke under the hood. The line going from the master cylinder to the front wheel lines had a rusty spot hidden by a wiring harness,that is where it popped. When this thread originally posted I had crawled under my truck & found that I needed the lines between the rear wheels,as I had replaced all the front to rear lines b4. I was planning on replacing the rear lines soon so I would not have issues on the road. I did get the truck into my shop & I am going to replace all these rusty lines now. Like CK,i was very lucky with when & where the lines broke. It could have happened on the road

Thank God it happened in our drive way,all is well............ or hopefully will be in the next hour or so. I need to deliver a load of equipment tomorrow morning,so I need to get this truck fixed tonite. PS..... Check YOUR brake lines !!

Post by **coaledsweat** » Wed. Jan. 13, 2016 5:57 pm

My '02 F350 is on its third set of lines.

I got off I95 today, the ramp was white as the driven snow. About 1/2" of that miracle auto eater from side to side. It will be there for a long time. They have lost their marbles. There was zero precipitation here.

EarthWindandFire · Post by **EarthWindandFire** » Wed. Jan. 13, 2016 6:31 pm

It's true, they started applying that pre-treatment days ago. They must have a quota on how much they need to apply.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Wed. Jan. 13, 2016 7:56 pm

I hate going under my truck,i get sick & depressed every time...... RUST

I just got the truck out of the shop,all good brake lines for now,i hope. After buying the regular steel lines ,i found that our parts supplier also sells the copper/nickel ( I think that's the ingredients) ,they are triple the price... Instead of $1/ft they are $3/ft, I couldn't believe my ears,why did they not sell me the good ones in the first place ? The good ones have a lifetime warranty also.

titleist1 · Post by **titleist1** » Wed. Jan. 13, 2016 8:38 pm

Hey WH, good you had the failure in the driveway!! Maybe we should all start pumping the brakes in the driveway before hitting the road to stress test the lines!

I am addicted to brake fluid.....

But I can stop anytime I want!

:bag:

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Wed. Jan. 13, 2016 9:24 pm

Well, I ain't happy that the line broke,but I am glad it broke when & where it did. I just do not understand how brakes, something so critical to safety is allowed to have such crappy steel lines that are so easily rusted thru.