Welcome to our little bit of heaven. Tell us the particulars of your car.

As for your post, if the lines are original and never been off it will be very hard to save the lines.
If it were me I would cut the brake lines  and remove and replace them all with new stuff from front to rear, that includes the flex hoses as well.

The dist block can be put in a vice and you may have to use vise grips to get the fittings out.
You will need a quality set of flare fitting wrenches, not the Harbor Freight crap.
If your system is still stock there are prebent lines available at a reasonable cost.

Good luck and remember your brake system condition is paramount for longevity.

Last edited by Rudi (6/25/2013 7:03 AM)

If your car has the original single pot master - if there is only one line running from the master to the "block" - this is just a manifold and there are no moving parts.  If you SSBC kit contains a dual master cylinder then it is advisable to get a correct distribution block to support the use of the separate front/back braking.  There are many options/opinions on how to best do this.  What comes with your kit?  If it is a new single pot master then you can use what you have but this is not the safest braking setup as loss of a single seal at any wheel will cause complete loss of brakes.  Perhaps you can post a picture of what you have and what your new system includes so a more complete answer can be provided.  Maybe a link to your particular kit will help as well.

I think you should be good to go with that setup but you may want to consider ordering the 1970 (ish) style distribution block that Steve sells that has the moving piston.  Your current block does not have any internal parts - it is just a manifold.  The moving piston style will limit and/or prevent draining your master cylinder if you have a leak in the front or rear system and concentrates braking on the axle that is still functioning - some of these may have built-in proportioning so you would need to determine if the external proportioning valve is needed.  From posts I have read it is important not to have TWO proportioning systems in place.  The style that Steve sells is what was used in the production cars when the dual masters were introduced.  The moving piston style has its own issues when trying to bleed the brakes if the piston goes off center but may be more desireable from the safety side.  A simple centering plug can be purchased or made to simplify bleeding.  Send Steve a PM or an email if he does not comment on this thread.

Are you just doing discs up front? If so I think you should definitely consider an all in one factory style distribution valve like GaryPatrick is suggesting since it's a safe 'plug'n'play' way to go for a daily driver and you could optionally wire up a warning inidicator light with it. I'm pretty sure this type of valve would be just fine with discs in the rear too but I will defer to others on that. Here's some great info on distribution valves and proportioning valves from another recent post on the forum:

http://fyi.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?pid=3322#p3322

If you want to use the adjustable proportioning valve for the rears you could either reuse the original distribution block, like Gary said there are no moving parts in it, and block off one port like you said or just replace it with a simple 'Tee' fitting. This is how I did mine recently - the 'Tee' isn't attached to the chassis just suspended by the lines. The proportioning valve knob is easy to reach in this location.




Making brake lines is kinda fun - especially if you're a masochist - if you decide to make your own try and get the existing passenger and rear lines off without bending 'em up too much as they make good templates for the new ones. This is a bit of a pain with the engine/driveline in the car but is doable with the right combo of patience and cussin'. Having the car off the ground on all four corners as high as you can safely get it helps.

Oh, wrestling with the lines is also a lot easier with the hood off too.

Last edited by McStang (6/25/2013 12:53 PM)

I like the idea if the prop valve built into the dist block, that makes sense. unfortunately ssbc only has written instructions and if you're not a gear head hard to understand. the old saying " a picture is worth a thousand words" is so true. I found a video showing the disc and caliper installation that cleared up a lot of questions. they stopped at the point where the dist block and mc are plumbed so that is why I'm asking the questions here. I'll take some pix and try to post them, tried it on a different site and it was a real pain. hopefully have some pix soon.
 

This is the valve you really should use.  Do you have any idea how to adjust an adjustable proportioning valve?  Not many people do.

MustangSteve wrote:

This is the valve you really should use.  Do you have any idea how to adjust an adjustable proportioning valve?  Not many people do.

Oleblue,

This is a '70s distribution valve with built-in proportioning that you should be able to get from a number of vendors such as CJ Pony Parts - http://www.cjponyparts.com/power-disc-brake-distribution-block-1970-1972/p/2B075F/

Sounds like the consensus is it's your best bet for trouble free - safe - operation. You'll have to make your own lines as stock replacements won't fit properly just as they wouldn't with the proportioning valve that SSBC provides. Craftsman has a good 'Made in the USA' double flaring tool for about $50 that you'll never use again but it's a worthwhile investment for the job. You can bend the lines around a large socket in a vise or buy a tubing bender - Google 'bending brake lines' and 'double flaring' for more info. You can use the following plumbing guide for the basics:

Yes he does! Sorry for missing that. I've bought several things from MustangSteve and the quality & customer service have both been great. It's always nice to deal with a real person, especially one who knows this stuff so well.

Look about halfway down this page: http://www.mustangsteve.com/BRAKES.html

Part#  PV-70

If you have drums all the way around, you would need a pressure differential valve, commonly called a distribution valve. --this style valve could also be used if you had 4-wheel disc brakes.

If you will be running discs front/drums rear, you would need a disc/drum combination valve.

I have disk on the front, drums on the back

I already bought the replacement lines they came in yesterday, now the problem, when I get the new dist block is going to be modifying them to make them fit. the lines from the mc won't be a problem, the problem  as I see it right now is going to be the left front and the rear. the right front should go right in. I'm  afraid the rear line is going to be way to short to reach the dist block. any suggestions? I tried to post a picture of the old block but it didn't come out. 

Maybe move the block closer to the rear line.