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Rear brakes flexi hose and brake master cylinder

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 12:38 pm
by dukeminor1971
Hi
A couple queries - if anybody can help

I've just changed a brake master cylinder (he said casually - almost forgetting the spilt blood and constant swearing) on my 1971 saloon. Just wanted to check if it should be filled half full with brake fluid (as shown in my old workshop manual) - I've another newer manual which just says fill it up?

I was grappling with a 40 year old seized locknut on the rear brake flexi hose when the bracket (holds the flexi hose connection to the brake master cylinder rear brake copper pipe) holding it snapped off. The bracket was attached to the floopan by a single small weld on it's right hand side - the left side of the bracket was free allowing a small amount of movement. Is this a design feature, or was it just a badly fitted bracket? I'd like to know before fitting it back on....

Any help would be much appreciated.

Re: Rear brakes flexi hose and brake master cylinder

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 2:40 pm
by ISELLHH
I would fill it up half way. After bleeding brakes, check it and fill it about 3/4 way, checking it offen. The important thing is to make sure no air is pulled in to lines. Spot weld the bracket.

Re: Rear brakes flexi hose and brake master cylinder

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 4:08 pm
by dukeminor1971
ISELLHH wrote:I would fill it up half way. After bleeding brakes, check it and fill it about 3/4 way, checking it offen. The important thing is to make sure no air is pulled in to lines. Spot weld the bracket.
Thanks

Re: Rear brakes flexi hose and brake master cylinder

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 9:53 pm
by bmcecosse
Fill it right up! Don't use copper brake pipes -they work harden and fracture..... Kunifer is the best pipe.

Re: Rear brakes flexi hose and brake master cylinder

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 10:50 am
by dukeminor1971
bmcecosse wrote:Fill it right up! Don't use copper brake pipes -they work harden and fracture..... Kunifer is the best pipe.
Thanks. Any idea where I can buy a set of Kunifer pipes? I can only seem to find copper sets for sale (Bull Motif etc...)

Re: Rear brakes flexi hose and brake master cylinder

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 11:16 am
by bmcecosse
Actually -these 'copper' sets may well be kunifer - you can only ask them. I make my own from a roll of pipe. Here's a lad on ebay making them up to measure. Does car sets too.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-16-Cupro-Ni ... 43ab112ed7

Re: Rear brakes flexi hose and brake master cylinder

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 1:37 pm
by Neil MG
Most of the copper sets are copper. These are not even legal in some countries due to the problem Roy mentions. That said most classics on the road today in the UK have them fitted without any problem.

Re: Rear brakes flexi hose and brake master cylinder

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 2:14 pm
by IslipMinor
'Kunifer' is a trade name, so may not always be used in the description - the generic name of the material is cupro-nickel, and is definitely the material to use. A 'standard' 25' coil of 3/16" diameter tube is generally enough to do the complete car.

Re: Rear brakes flexi hose and brake master cylinder

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 4:42 pm
by bmcecosse
Not long after I got my Trav - I was underneath checking around and noticed the copper brake pipes - tugged one going into a rear wheel cylinder and it came away in my hand........ Fortunately only the rear axle was copper -so just the two pipes to make at the time, although since then all the others (which were bundy) have been changed to kunifer.