NiCopp Brake Lines

[tanda62]

Just finished my NiCopp brake lines for the 53.  Decided to route the passenger side differently - instead of going in front of the engine I went across the frame behind the transmission and then up.  The NiCopp lines are pretty easy to work with but you MUST use the right size bending tools or it will kink, especially the 5/16 size.

 

Next job will be the fuel line which I plan to route the same way I did the passenger brake line.

 

Another step closer...

[Dodgeb4ya]

very Nice work!

[Young Ed]

For the fuel line I wonder if the factory went up the drivers side to keep it away from the exhaust?

[ggdad1951]

11 hours ago, Young Ed said:

For the fuel line I wonder if the factory went up the drivers side to keep it away from the exhaust?

Never that I've seen

[Dave72dt]

It would make sense to keep the fuel line as far away from heat sources as possible to deter heated fuel issues that these trucks are known to be susceptible to.  Running the fuel line over the rear crossmember may be shorter and give the engine compartment a cleaner look but it may cause a drivability issue.  If hiding the line or making it less prominent is the goal, once the line is formed, painting it and the fasteners the same color as the chassis will make it almost disappear.

Edited July 15, 2018 by Dave72dt

[tanda62]

To deal with the heat issue I am going to wrap the down pipe of the exhaust in heat wrap just I used to do on my motorcycles.  This will reduce the heat from the pipe.  I am also going to put the NiCopp fuel line in rubber fuel line hose - I also plan on doing that to the brake line you see in the picture.  Finally, I may put a small strip of curved heat shield along the bottom of the frame curving up to shield the lines.  All of this should reduce the heat these lines are subjected too even if it does seem like a lot of extra work.

I did not like the way the fuel line was run originally - on top and outside of the frame and then in front of the cross member under the radiator.  It just seemed like the line would be subject to damage - the one I took off the truck had several pin holes in it.

[ggdad1951]

I ran FEF's fuel line stock original in the Cupronickle lines and had no "hot gas" issues.  I did redo the fuel pump to carb line by moving it away from the manifold slightly, but still have yet to have a boiling issue at all.  Some people's concerns confuse me...it's like the "noisy" cab issue some complain about....yet I really don't experience that either.

[Jocko_51_B3B]

I'm getting ready to start making NiCopp lines for my '51 B3B and I'd greatly appreciate some advice before I order the fittings and line. Is 1/4 inch or 3/16 inch line correct? More importantly, I've replaced the front and rear wheel cylinders with new ones (from a source in China no doubt). Does anyone know the thread SIZE and TYPE (metric or standard) of the brake line fittings that screw into these new cylinders? 

Edited August 3, 2018 by Jocko_51_B3B

[squirebill]

OK, so I did brake lines on my '49 B1B a couple of years ago.  The major bugaboo I remember is the rear cylinders I purchased from Bernbaum were tapped for hose ends and not hard tube fittings.  Called Bernbaum to report this discrepancy and he advised he had always sent out these wheel cylinders for the rear of B1B trucks and couldn't understand why I was having a problem.  We discussed using an adapter fitting to get from the female hose port to the hard line tubing nut port but he had no such adapter fitting.  I searched it out and located the fitting at Summit Racing under there part EDD-265400.  When I received them they were in a poly bag with "Edelmann 265400" stamped on it.  This adapter fitting also required a copper crush washer between the adapter and the wheel cylinder.  Also, I had to enlarge the hole in the backing plate to allow for the hex of the adapter fitting.  Would recommend you check the port on your rear wheel cylinders and verify they are tapped to receive the hard line tube nut.  If not you will probably need the adapter fittings stated above.  Note, I was working on a B1B with Bernbaum cylinders.  You are working on a B3B with your cylinders and what happened to me may not apply to you. Regards

[tanda62]

I used 1/4 inch line from the junction box to the wheel cylinders along with the three rubber hoses needed - two up front and one in the rear.  I used 5/16 line from the master cylinder to the junction box.  The fittings on the 1/4 line are all 7/16 - 20 standard brake fittings.  The front wheel cylinders screw right into the rubber hoses. A 7/16 fitting then goes from the hose to the junction box.  The rears go from the junction box to the rubber hose and then split off on the rear end at a "Y" fitting but when you get to the rear wheel cylinders you need adapters the 7/16 -20 fittings can screw in to.  These adapters use a copper washer when screwed into the wheel cylinder.  I don't remember the size but they are the same as the rubber hoses and I took the wheel cylinder to NAPA and got the right fitting.

As far as wheel cylinders themselves I got mine from DCM classics and while I haven't driven with them yet they did hold up when I pressure bleed the system. I also got the new rubber hoses from DCM.

Be very careful bending the NiCopp as it will kink easily.  The hand benders work well to gradually put a bend in but you need to be patient and understand it will take some time to get them bent the way you want.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Tom

[ggdad1951]

what tanda said.  5/16 from the block the rest 1/4.  Think of it as copper tubing...easy to bend but easy to kink as well.  Don't forget to DOUBLE flare your ends!

[Jocko_51_B3B]

You guys just solved a problem that drove me nuts for three days! I had bought one lonely standard brake line fitting just to see if it would thread into my rear brake cylinders directly. But nope. The fitting bound up after one turn so I knew the threads were mismatched. I figured the cylinder must have metric threads for some reason. So, yesterday I went running around to different auto parts stores looking for a metric thread for a 1/4 inch line. None were much help. I should have posted my problem here right away. I already have the brake hoses and, sure enough, the hose threads match the rear cylinder threads! All I need now is to get the adapters you guys mentioned. I bought my cylinders from Roberts so it's clear that Roberts, DCM, and Bernbaum are all getting their cylinders from one source (probably China). I'm going to call all three vendors and let them know that this situation exists. No one should have to scratch his head over something like this. Thanks Again Guys!

Edited August 4, 2018 by Jocko_51_B3B

[squirebill]

So after doing some pondering on this after I completed the brake lines on my B1B, I remembered my daily driver from the mid '60s was a '50 Plymouth 4 door sedan.  It had the two wheel cylinders on each front brake and the single cylinder on each of the rear brakes.   So in this case the front wheel cylinders that poke through the backing plate would have a hose running to them to allow the wheels to pivot for steering.  When we get over to the trucks with the two wheel cylinders on the rears maybe the various vendors are supplying the front "car" wheel cylinders (that take hose ends) in place of the rear "truck" cylinders that should take the hard line brake fittings.  A question might be: did the trucks really use front "car" cylinders on the rear of the trucks with the adapter fittings or did the trucks have rear cylinders that were drilled and tapped for the hard line fittings.

[Dave72dt]

I've found on Bendix style drum brakes, the cylinder bore is usually larger on the front than the rears.  That may not be the case with dual cylinder fronts or step bore cylinders.  Someone with a master parts catalog would have to do some research to determine if the rear cylinders were ever used as a fronts  or in an application where hoses were required.