...not a Mustang but, it is a Ford and the principles are the same. I just made these lines last week for my '69 F-100.

rpm wrote:

Nice setup on the p/u ultrastang. What master cylinder are you using?

Bob

Thanks,  Bob.

The MC is for a '95 Ford Explorer with 4-wheel discs (1.062" [1-1/16"] bore. --currently, I have drums on the rear of My '69 F-100 Ranger but, eventually....

I have an 8-3/4" diameter factory Bendix dual-diaphragm booster, I had added a few years ago, from a '75 Ford F-350 1-ton truck. The MC for the F-350 had a 1-1/4" diameter bore. When I put the booster on, I installed a 1.00" bore cast iron Ford tandem MC.

The boosters input rod is straight so, the pedal ratio didn't change. The 1.00" bore was a bit sensitive. While I have been converting the front drums to discs on the truck, I went up 1/16" to reduce the sensitivity.
 

Classic Tube or Inline Tube can provide you with flexible lines for your master cylinder.  I got some from Classic I think, and they just asked for the fitting size at each end and the length.  3 days later and about $30 plus s&h and I had exactly what I needed.  It has been in there with no problems for at least 5 years.  Yes, it is not pretty, but I drive my car. I try not to let asthetics get in the way of my driving.  One design issue to know.  Flexible tubing has a bend diameter of something like 2"-3".  make sure you have enougth space for what you need.


I spent several days and a lot of feet of tubing trying to get solid lines to work.  There is little space under the hood for hands between the mc and the inner fender.  I could not make the lines line up no matter what I did.

Remember you have flexible brake lines going to all of your wheels, so having them at your mc should be no problem.  Recently I have seen cars at shows with flex lines under the hood.  It really looks cool and is much easier to work with.

lowercasesteve wrote:

Classic Tube or Inline Tube can provide you with flexible lines for your master cylinder.  I got some from Classic I think, and they just asked for the fitting size at each end and the length.  3 days later and about $30 plus s&h and I had exactly what I needed.  It has been in there with no problems for at least 5 years.  Yes, it is not pretty, but I drive my car. I try not to let asthetics get in the way of my driving.  One design issue to know.  Flexible tubing has a bend diameter of something like 2"-3".  make sure you have enougth space for what you need.


I spent several days and a lot of feet of tubing trying to get solid lines to work.  There is little space under the hood for hands between the mc and the inner fender.  I could not make the lines line up no matter what I did.

Remember you have flexible brake lines going to all of your wheels, so having them at your mc should be no problem.  Recently I have seen cars at shows with flex lines under the hood.  It really looks cool and is much easier to work with.

While a brake system is essentially 'sealed,' it does still accumulate moisture inside the system, over time.

The molecules of the brake fluid are too large to pass through the walls of the flexible brake line sheathing but, air molecules are small enough to penetrate them. The more flexible line you have in the system, the greater the 'porous' surface area for air to get inside. This means moisture will accumulate in greater quantity and sooner.

In a 'normal' brake system, DOT 3, 4 or 5.1 brake fluid should be changed out every 18-24 months. It might not be a bad idea if you change your brake fluid on a 12-16 month basis, to insure you keep your brake components in good working order.
 

BobE wrote:

As I understand, the use of flexible brake lines is usually limited to the front wheels and rear end as they expand slightly with pedal pressure, giving a softer pedal. 
 

My 2013 Mustang has partial flexible lines coming out of the mc from the factory.    Ford must think they are all right.

the '66 works fine after 5 years with hard pedal and plenty of stopping power.  I had to make a panic stop a couple of weeks ago when the vehicle in front of me put on his brakes hard with nothing in front of him.  no sloppiness at all.  I am satisfied.  However, if you have some trouble with fles line, by all means go with solid ones.

I talked to Classic Tube when I got the flex lines and they said that line expansion was minimal.   Not to worry. 

I would not use them for long runs or anywhere where I could make hard ones work.  In my case after several months and lots of tubing, I could not make solid ones work.
 

Last edited by lowercasesteve (11/01/2014 12:27 PM)

BobE wrote:

lowercasesteve – I meant no offence on the use of flex lines, I was just repeating my understanding.  Also, I believe the SS braided brake lines are not as ‘soft’ as the rubber units so expansion would be less of a concern.
 

No offense taken.